How to Visit Meteor Crater in Arizona

The meteor crater in Arizona makes for a fun and unique stop when visiting popular nearby northern Arizona destinations such as Sedona and the Grand Canyon.

The Arizona Meteor Crater is a large meteor crater that was created over 50,000 years ago when a meteorite crashed into the Earth’s surface.

This particular crater is also known by several other names including the Barringer Meteorite Crater, Canyon Diablo Meteorite Crater, Coon Mountain, and Coon Butte.

The meteorite crater is approximately 3,900 feet in diameter and about 560 feet deep. To put the size of meteor crater into perspective, you could have 20 NFL teams playing on regulation sized fields on the crater floor.  By volume the meteor crater is over 82 million cubic yards.

During my own recent trip to Arizona, I spent a few hours here exploring the impact crater and learning all I could about its formation and history.

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Meteor Crater in Arizona Visitor Guide

This guide to visiting the Arizona Meteor Crater is intended to help you plan your trip and ensure you know what to expect from your visit. 

The meteor crater is a unique Arizona road trip destination and makes for an interesting addition to your itinerary, especially for those interested in space, planetary, and solar system phenomena.

It’s easy to add a meteor crater visit if you’ll be visiting nearby destinations like Sedona, Flagstaff, or Grand Canyon National Park. 

Plan to spend about one hour to 90 minutes at meteor crater. That should give you just enough time to view the exhibits, explore the crater, watch the film, and get some photos.

Unfortunately the Arizona crater is not a National Landmark because it is privately owned. National Landmark status requires that the landmark be federally owned.

However, Arizona Meteor Crater was designated a Natural Landmark in 1968 by the Department of the Interior. Natural Landmarks are not required to be owned by the federal government.

In this case, the meteor crater is owned by the Barringer family, but they do run the location as a tourist attraction so that the public can visit.

Meteor Crater Natural Landmark YouTube Video

Here’s my YouTube video from my recent visit to Meteor Crater Natural Landmark. It’s short but you will get an idea of what to expect when you visit.

Arizona Meteor Crater Background

The Arizona Meteor Crater is privately owned by The Barringer Crater Company. The company’s founder was Daniel Moreau Barringer, who was the first person to identify the landmark as an impact crater.

His son, Daniel Barringer, was a geologist who spent a significant amount of time and money studying the crater. He even went so far as to create a mining company so that he could mine in and around the crater to search for the meteorite and iron particles from the impact.

While the meteorite was never found, Mr. Barringer (the son) and his business partner presented research to the US Geological Survey outlining their findings to support their impact theory, meaning their theory that the crater was in fact the result of a meteorite impact with earth.

Since that time there have been many other studies that have supported this theory, and the scientific community seems to agree this is in fact a meteorite impact site.

Today, the Arizona crater site is preserved to promote scientific research. The Barringer Crater Company states that they work in collaboration with the science community and those interested in the research of meteorites and meteorite impact craters.

How to get to Meteor Crater of Arizona

The meteor crater is located about 35 minutes east of Flagstaff Arizona along Interstate 40. Take exit 233. The easiest way to get there would be to drive. 

There are not many other attractions nearby, so finding a taxi or rideshare on the way back may be a bit complicated. 

If you don’t have a vehicle, you could potentially negotiate with a taxi driver to take you there and back, but obviously the driver should be compensated for having to wait for you while you explore the Visitor Center and crater. 

Ultimately, if you don’t have a vehicle, I would consider renting a car. Having a car will also open up the opportunity to visit other nearby attractions, which are well worth the price of a rental car. 

Here are the driving distances from popular nearby locations. 

Grand Canyon to Meteor Crater: 2 hours (130 miles)

Flagstaff to Meteor Crater: 45 minutes (43 miles)

Sedona to Meteor Crater: 90 minutes (71 miles)

Phoenix to Meteor Crater: 3 hours 20 minutes (186 miles)

Las Vegas to Meteor Crater: 4 hours 20 minutes (296 miles)

Winslow to Meteor Crater: 30 minutes (26 miles)

Flagstaff to Sedona: 50 minutes (29 miles)

Meteor Crater Visitor Center

The Meteor Crater Visitor Center will be the first thing you see when you arrive. Once you enter the front doors you’ll be able to purchase your Meteor Crater tickets and make your way up to the exhibits on the main floor. 

The Visitor Center hours vary depending on the season as follows.

Labor Day to Memorial Day: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Memorial Day to Labor Day: 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

They are open every day except for Christmas Day. 

Tickets do not need to be purchased in advance, you can purchase them on arrival. Cash and all major credit cards are accepted. 

Here are the current prices for admission:

Adult: $23 USD

Senior: $18 USD

Kids: $14 USD

Parking is free. There are plenty of places to park in front of the Visitor Center. 

A meteor crater tour is also available. Inquire at the ticket counter for information on start times.

Meteor Crater Exhibits

Once you’ve purchased your admission tickets and made your way up to the main floor, you’ll find yourself presented with several rooms containing informational exhibits. 

In the Museum and Discovery Center you’ll learn about the history of the meteor crater, the composition of the meteorite, what the impact of the collision was on the area, and the history of other known meteorite impacts on earth. 

As part of the exhibit area you’ll also find a small movie theater where you can view a short film about the history of the meteor crater. 

The film is titled “Impact – The Mystery of Meteor Crater.”

Show Times: On every hour and half hour. 

Running Time: 10 minutes

Exploring the Arizona Meteor Crater

After you’ve finished exploring the various exhibits and have watched the short film, you can head outside to the viewing area along the north rim of the crater. 

There are multiple levels and observation decks offering a bird’s eye view from the crater rim. 

There is also a section with several telescopes pointed at specific objects located at the bottom of the crater. This is a popular area for kids, but adults will enjoy the telescopes as well. 

The viewing platform on the far right features several information signs about the crater and its history.

Before you leave, head up to the top viewing area on the right hand side for some pictures. This area tends to be less crowded but makes a great spot for photos if you don’t want other people in them. 

Meteor Crater Arizona 4D Experience

Once you’ve finished up viewing the meteor crater from the various platforms, head back inside for one last experience. 

As part of the many attractions inside the Meteor Crater Visitor Center, there is also a 4D movie experience called “Collision!”

You’ll enter the theater and be seated in movie theater style seating. Once the movie begins your seat will move along with the actions in the movie. They include other effects as well such as wind, and shaking, etc. 

Basically, this kids will really enjoy this. As for the adults, it’s an interesting experience. I wouldn’t skip it, since it comes with the cost of admission, but it’s nothing to write home about. 

Meteor Crater Photo Opportunities

If you want to get some photos to remember your visit, be sure to stop at the Astronaut Park between the Visitor Center entrance and museum. 

Here you’ll find a space capsule and an astronaut figure, which make for fun photo opportunities, especially for the kids.

There is also a cutout in the wall which makes an excellent frame for the desert landscape off in the distance. 

Meteor Crater Gift Shop

Located right next to the patio area you’ll find the entrance to the meteor crater gift shop and mineral store. 

Inside you can purchase souvenirs such as key chains, postcards, magnets, calendars, etc. These are your typical gift shop items you’d find in just about any gift shop. 

They also have minerals and Native American items for sale. You will find a few snacks and soft drinks for purchase as well. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Below you’ll find the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about the Arizona Meteor Crater.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this guide to visiting the Meteor Crater in Arizona and that I’ve inspired you to plan a visit of your own. As always, thanks for reading.