I first heard about Meteor Crater while planning a road trip from Georgia to California. A colleague suggested we stop at Meteor Crater in Arizona along the way. After talking to her and doing a little research of our own, we added it to our itinerary.
Since there are several National Park sites in the area, we actually stayed for a few nights. But you could also visit Meteor Crater as a quick detour off I-40.
Additionally, between Oklahoma City and Barstow, CA, I-40 closely follows historic US Route 66. If you’ve ever dreamed of a road trip along Route 66, Meteor Crater is one of many stops you can make along the way.
We have never done a dedicated “Route 66 road trip,” but we have driven portions of it on and off I-40. Route 66 was one of the first US Highways, established in 1926. The history and nostalgia found along the way is interesting and entertaining.
Meteor Crater is no exception to that. So, let’s take a look at what to expect when visiting.
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Why Visit Meteor Crater?
Meteor Crater is the first proven and best-preserved meteorite impact site on Earth.
The crater was formed 50,000 years ago when a meteor traveling about 26,000 miles per hour collided with the earth, forming a crater, which is about a mile across and 550 feet deep.
The terrain of Meteor Crater resembles the moon, thus NASA has used it as a training site for astronauts.
For us, this was a rare non-National Park stop. But, we enjoyed the landscape, learning about the collision that created the crater and all the space-related attractions.
What to Do at Meteor Crater
The entrance fee is $29/adult, but they offer discounts for children (6-13), seniors (60+) and veterans. This fee covers a guided rim tour, the Discovery Center & Space Museum, a short film, and a 4D theater with an immersive experience.
You can also view the crater on your own from several lookout points.
The Discovery Center is an exhibition hall full of information about meteors. Topics include the anatomy of a meteor, various meteorite impacts around the world, a history of the research at Meteor Crater and all kinds of cool Earth-Space Science stuff.
The STEM teacher in me was really interested in this! Grant especially enjoyed the “create your own earthquake” exhibit.
The movie covered the formation of the crater and the research that went into proving it was formed by a meteor and not a volcano. While brief, it was informative and interesting. It is a 15-minute show that plays every 30 minutes.
We visited first thing in the morning before hitting the road. Unfortunately, the first guided tour wasn’t until later in the morning. Sadly, we did not have time to wait around, so we walked through the observation area on our own.
While we would have enjoyed the guided tour, especially since we paid for it with the admission fee, we did not feel like we missed anything.
Planning Your Visit to Meteor Crater
The facility is open daily from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. If you are driving in from out of state, remember that Arizona does not observe Daylight Saving Time. You can purchase tickets online or when you arrive.
I would allow 1-2 hours for your visit. Our visit lasted about an hour but the 4D theater was not there when we visited and we missed out on the guided tour.
If you are doing a guided tour, spending time in the museum, watching the movie and enjoying the 4D experience, I think you’d need at least two hours. Of course, this certainly depends on your interests and how much time you’ll spend simply viewing the crater and taking pictures.
Based on the somewhat hefty entrance fee, you certainly would want to stay long enough to get your money’s worth.
Where to Stay When Visiting Meteor Crater
Meteor Crater is a very easy attraction to visit as you drive east or west along I-40 (Exit 233). The crater is located just about 5 miles south of the interstate.
You could easily add this as a quick stop between Flagstaff, AZ (about 40 miles west) and Albuquerque, NM (about 290 miles east).
But there are plenty of other things to see and do in the area, so you should consider staying for a few nights, which is what we did.
We camped at the Meteor Crater RV Park, which is located between the interstate and the natural landmark. Though situated behind a gas station, we really enjoyed the campground.
Read our full campground review on RV Life here.
You’ll find the best variety of hotel and campground options in Flagstaff. To the east, Winslow and Holbrook are both small towns in Arizona with limited (but decent) lodging and dining options.
In New Mexico, Gallup and Grants also offer limited options. Albuquerque is the next major town along I-40 with a wide variety of lodging and dining options.
Other Nearby Attractions
Below are a few attractions to visit if you have two to three days to explore the area right around Meteor Crater.
Standin’ on The Corner Park in Winslow, Arizona
Less than an hour east of Meteor Crater is Winslow, AZ. A major railroad town at one point, Winslow was made “famous” in 1972 when the Eagles recorded “Take It Easy.”
If you are a certain age, I’m sure you are familiar with the song, which includes the line “…standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona…”
Winslow has capitalized on its fame by creating the “Standin’ on the Corner Park,” which is right downtown. It is a very nice corner, complete with a statue of Glenn Frey and a red flatbed Ford truck.
Additionally, the Route 66 gift shop across the street has great memorabilia and plays music by the Eagles inside and out!
Up until the 1960s, Winslow was a booming town just off Route 66. When I-40 was built, bypassing the town just to the north, that changed. Today, Winslow is not much of a town at all… restaurants were nearly deserted at 6:30 on Saturday night during our visit.
But, it only takes about 20-30 minutes to hop off the interstate and snap a few pictures. It really is a fun stop!
Nearby National Park Sites
Slightly more than an hour east of Meteor Crater is Petrified Forest National Park. The park is home to one of the biggest concentrations of petrified (fossilized) wood in the world. The northern end of the park also boasts the breathtaking Painted Desert, named for its colorfully layered badlands.
This is one of the few National Parks that can easily be experienced in less than one full day. With just 4-5 hours, you can drive through the park, stopping at several overlooks and get in a few short hikes.
You could easily visit Petrified Forest National Park as a day trip from Meteor Crater or anywhere in the Flagstaff area. It is also another great detour if traveling I-40 through Arizona.
To the west of Meteor Crater, there are three national monuments in the Flagstaff area (Walnut Canyon, Sunset Crater Volcano, Wupatki) preserving areas of particular importance to Native people of the Southwest. All three are located on the east side of Flagstaff.
Of course, there are many other National Park Sites scattered across northern Arizona and the Four Corners region if you have more time in the area.
RVers can also see the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, and Painted Desert Loop in our book, USA RV Adventures, for a 9-day route through northern Arizona and southern Utah.
- Sinclair, Bonnie (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 560 Pages – 02/28/2023 (Publication Date) – Moon Travel (Publisher)
Final Thoughts on Visiting Meteor Crater
Meteor Crater is certainly one of the most unique natural sites we have ever visited. It’s perfect for a quick stop to stretch your legs while driving I-40.
Those with an interest in natural landmarks will enjoy simply viewing the landscape. Seriously, there’s nothing quite like seeing a giant hole in the ground. And it’s absolutely nothing like the nearby Grand Canyon!
Anyone with an interest in space will enjoy the museum and learn about how astronauts have trained here. There’s even an Apollo 11 training capsule on display.
You can also easily combine a visit to Meteor Crater with other attractions in the area for a longer stay in Flagstaff or anywhere along the I-40 corridor in northeastern Arizona.
Additionally, northern Arizona and the Four Corners region are littered with both US National Parks and Native American parks, attractions and natural features.
Travel Resources
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We use Skyscanner to find deals on flights. Skyscanner has a great interface and compares tons of airlines for the best pricing and routing. That said, it does not always have every airline and some airlines will have better deals on their website. Still, Skyscanner is a great place to start.
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What do you use to find a hotel?
We typically stay at Hilton properties, so we use the Hilton website. You can find good Hilton Honors discounts or AAA discounts for a hotel there. We make great use of our free night certificates from our Hilton Honors American Express.
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If there are no Hilton properties available, we use TripAdvisor to read reviews and book the hotel. We find we can get the best price that way.
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We recently partnered with Stay22 to add interactive maps to each of our destination posts. This will allow you to see a plethora of hotels and vacation rentals all in one responsive map of the area.
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What if I need more space than I can get at a hotel?
We use Vrbo for the times when we have rented a cabin for a weekend getaway, like this cabin in Townsend, TN, or needed to rent a house for a large family vacation. We had a great experience with them in terms of refunding deposits when COVID hit and will continue to use them.
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Who do you use for rental cars?
As a general rule, we book with Hertz for rental cars. We have had nothing but good experiences with them. Plus, we really like unlimited mileage and not worrying about crossing state lines. We have even rented from Hertz overseas in both Slovenia and Croatia.
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How about booking a cruise?
We have found some amazing prices for booking a cruise through Cruise Direct. We have saved a lot of money on our cruises compared to what we found elsewhere, making a last-minute Bahamas cruise even cheaper.
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What if I want to rent an RV?
We highly recommend Outdoorsy for RV rentals. We rented a camper van for a week to visit Rocky Mountain National Park for the elk rut and Custer State Park for the Buffalo Round-Up and had a blast. The program was easy to use and we really enjoyed the freedom of having a camper van for that trip.
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What do you use for booking tours?
We don’t often book tours. Typically, we like to do stuff on our own. That said, there are some experiences you can’t have any other way. So, when we do want to book a tour, we always check Viator first.
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Do you use anything to get discounts on the road?
We make extensive use of both Good Sam and AAA on the road. Good Sam is normally regarded as a discount card for RVers at campgrounds and Camping World but anyone can use the 5 cents off a gallon at the pump at both Pilot and Flying J.
Click here to get a Good Sam membership.
We have had AAA as long as we have been married and it has more than paid for itself in discounts at hotels, aside from the peace of mind of having roadside assistance. Add in paper maps and the ability to get an international driver’s license and it is more than worth it for any traveler out there.
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Where can I get Travel Insurance?
We have partnered with Global Rescue for travel and evacuation insurance. This provider will put you out of the worst situations and get you to medical care promptly. You can even purchase “cancel for any reason” insurance from Global Rescue. This is our go-to provider of travel insurance. Traveling somewhere dangerous? They will even extract you if war were to break out on your trip.
Click here to get Global Rescue for your upcoming trip.