Craters of the Moon to celebrate park centennial

On May 2, 1924, President Calvin Coolidge issued a proclamation establishing Craters of the Moon in Arco as part of the National Park System . He called it “A weird and scenic landscape peculiar to itself.”

The Idaho natural attraction is celebrating its centennial anniversary as part of the NPS this year, with events and activities from May until September. Among the events will be special exhibitions, star parties, full moon and geology hikes.

“Craters of the Moon was initially set aside to protect its superlative volcanic features for general interest, education and scientific purposes,” said Wade Vagias, superintendent of Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve. “In addition to these geologic wonders, over the last century we have discovered that there is so much more to this ‘weird and scenic landscape.’”

The park, the ancestral lands of the Shoshone and Bannock Tribes, was initially established with 54,000 acres, expanding four times in the last 100 years to 783,000 acres co-managed by NPS and Bureau of Land Management.

According to a release from the park, “Craters of the Moon’s volcanic features include fissure sites that are estimated to have erupted between 15,000 and 2,000 years ago and volcanic cones, craters, rifts, lava flows, caves, natural bridges and other phenomena those eruptions created.”

The park has a rich cultural history that begins as the ancestral lands of the Shoshone and Bannock peoples; over 43,000 acres of tranquil designated wilderness; robust research opportunities that NASA scientists and astronauts have taken advantage of since 1969; and an expansive dark night sky that makes it one of the last best places for stargazing in the country.

On May 2, 2024, proclaimed by Gov. Brad Little as Craters of the Moon Centennial Day, the park will host a walk at 1 p.m. On May 4, a “People on the Moon” program will be held at 1 p.m. More information on monthly activities and the park itself can be found at go.nps.gov/CRM0100.

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