National Park Wednesday; Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument

Back between 2010 and 2012 I frequented all the National Monuments in Arizona. In 2012 while in Flagstaff I traveled northbound on US Route 89 to Coconino National Forest Route 395 to Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument.

Sunset Crater Volcanic National Monument is a small National Park site surrounded by Coconino National Forest. Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument is named after Sunset Crater which is youngest volcano in the San Francisco Volcanic Field. Sunset Crater is located 8,042 feet above sea level and rises about 1,000 feet in prominence above the surrounding landscape.

Sunset Crater emerged sometime between 1064 AD to 1085 AD. The lava fields forced the evacuations of nearby tribes which occupied Wupatki National Monument to the north. The largest volcanic lava field produced by Sunset Crater is the Bonito Flow which is 1.6 miles by miles. While Sunset Crater is considered extinct it has been subject to scrutiny as late as 2015 when a forest fire was mistaken for volcanic steam. The San Francisco Volcanic Field is a 1,800 square mile zone of the Colorado Plateau in Northern Arizona affected by frequent volcanic activity. The San Francisco Volcanic Field is responsible for the eruptions that led to the San Francisco Peaks which is the highest range in Arizona.

Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument was declared in 1930. Apparently a movie company sought to create an avalanche for a movie which spurred public outcry to clear Sunset Crater a National Monument.

While the peak of Sunset Crater hasn't been accessible by hiking trail since the 1970s nearby Lenox Crater is.

Sunset Crater has a trail around the base of the volcanic cone.

Near the edge of Sunset Crater there is an overlook of the volcanic vents which apparently erupted as early as 1064.

Forest Route 395 continues east of Sunset Crater National Monument towards the Painted Desert and Wupatki National Monument.

Comments

I-40 rockslide uncovers old debates on highway

The Asheville Citizen-Times continues to do a great job covering all the angles of the Interstate 40 Haywood County rock slide. An article in Sunday's edition provides a strong historical perspective on how the Pigeon River routing of Interstate 40 came about. And perhaps most strikingly, in an article that ran just prior to the highway's opening in the fall of 1968, how engineers from both Tennessee and North Carolina warned "...that slides would probably be a major problem along the route for many years." On February 12, 1969, not long after the Interstate opened, the first rock slide that would close I-40 occurred. Like many other Interstates within North Carolina, Interstate 40 through the mountains has a history prior to formation of the Interstate Highway System and was also a heated political battle between local communities. The discussion for a road that would eventually become Interstate 40 dates back to the 1940's as the idea for interregional high

Mines Road

Mines Road is an approximately twenty-eight-mile highway located in the rural parts of the Diablo Range east of the San Francisco Bay Area. Mines Road begins in San Antonio Valley in Santa Clara County and terminates at Tesla Road near Livermore of Alameda County. The highway essentially is a modern overlay of the 1840s Mexican haul trail up Arroyo Mocho known as La Vereda del Monte. The modern corridor of Mines Road took shape in the early twentieth century following development of San Antonio Valley amid a magnesite mining boom. Part 1; the history of Mines Road Modern Mines Road partially overlays the historic corridor used by La Vereda del Monte (Mountain Trail). La Vereda del Monte was part of a remote overland route through the Diablo Range primarily used to drive cattle from Alta California to Sonora. The trail was most heavily used during the latter days of Alta California during the 1840s. La Vereda del Monte originated at Point of Timber between modern day Byron and Bre

Former California State Route 41 past Bates Station

When California State Route 41 was commissioned during August 1934 it was aligned along the then existing Fresno-Yosemite Road north of the San Joaquin River. Within the Sierra Nevada foothills of Madera County, the original highway alignment ran past Bates Station via what is now Madera County Road 209, part of eastern Road 406 and Road 207. Bates Station was a stage station plotted during the early 1880s at what was the intersection of the Coarsegold Road and Stockton-Los Angeles Road. The modern alignment bypassing Bates Station to the east would be reopened to traffic during late 1939. Part 1; the history of California State Route 41 past Bates Station Bates Station was featured as one of the many 1875-1899 Madera County era towns in the May 21, 1968, Madera Tribune . Post Office Service at Bates Station is noted to have been established on November 23, 1883 and ran continuously until October 31, 1903. The postal name was sourced from Bates Station owner/operator George Ba

Gribblenation

Search This Blog