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Craters of the
Moon has been described as "The strangest 75 square miles on the North
American Continent" by one early traveler. Others deem it "a weird lunar
landscape," "an
outdoor museum of volcanism," and "a desolate and awful waste". Virtually
unknown until 1921, the area was made a national monument in 1924, and
today it embraces 83 square miles. The Shoshone Indians never inhabited
this area in large numbers, but they hunted here. Pioneers in covered
wagons skirted the lava flows; later cattle ranchers avoided the place;
and miner staked claims only nearby. But this odd landscape, showing our
globe's awesome forces, eventually became an object of awe. Geologists
predict that the landscape will sometime erupt again. Surface patterns
and formations abound here which are typical of basalitic lava
associated with volcanism the
 world over. "Where is the volcano?" you might ask. There is not just one,
for her the Earth opened a great wound and lava spewed out. The fissure
vents, volcanic cones, and lava flows of the Great Rift zone began
erupting only 15,000 years ago and ceased only 2,000 years ago. To the
south in the park lies the vast Craters of the Moon Wilderness established
by Congress in 1970. This region boasts stark volcanic features flanking
the Great Rift and challenges serious hikers and explorers. Before you
decide on such a trek, check with Park rangers. There is no water in
summer, and the Hawaiian word for one type of lava here means "hard on the
feet."
Garnering livelihoods from this alien,
Moonlike landscape are no less than 2,000 insect species, 148 birds, 47
mammals, 8 reptiles, and a lone amphibian, the western toad. Mule deer
are sometimes seen around Paisley, inferno, and Broken Top cones.
Secretive predators, bobcats and great horned owls, hunt here. The
prairie falcon preys on other birds and small mammals with lightning
dives. In the campgrounds you may see chipmunks and golden mantled round
squirrels. More than 300 species of plants are found in this apparently
desolate landscape. Big sagebrush, antel bitterbush, and rubber
rabbitbrush are established on the older lava flows. On the younger
flows, mockorange and tansybush may fill deeper crevices where soil
matter have accumulated. Wildflowers carpet Craters of the Moon from
early May until late August. The more delicate annuals bloom during late
May and early June when snowmelt and occasional rains provide fair
amounts of moisture. With summer's dryness the more drought resistant
plants continue to grow and bloom. |
