The visitor center is open every day except winter holidays. Winter hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wilderness permits, topographic maps, and information are available here. To find out about current snow conditions, call (208) 527-3257.
Skiing.Crosscountry skiing provides an enjoyable experience of the park’s landscape transformed by snow. When heavy snows accumulate, usually in late November, the 7-mile Loop Drive is closed and it becomes a natural ski trail. Most of the Loop Drive follows fairly level terrain. The best months for skiing are January to March in most winters. Usually there is about 18 inches of snowpack by January and 3 feet by March. Temperatures range from 45°F to well below zero. Be prepared for inclement weather and high winds at all times. Blizzards may be encountered.
Hazards.Skiing off the Loop Drive is allowed but not recommended. Most of the park is covered by sharp, jagged lava, and snow cover may mask cracks and caverns underneath.
Camping.Winter camping is permitted in the main campground. The campground is not plowed; be prepared to camp in the snow. Wood fires are not permitted anywhere in the park.
Wilderness use.The wilderness is ideal for overnight ski trips. You should be well equipped and experienced at winter camping, however. A free wilderness use permit, available at the visitor center, is required for all overnight use outside the park campground.
Both backpackers and crosscountry skiers find solitude in their respective seasons in the park. Others may prefer ranger-led explorations of the park’s many unusual features.
Backpackers
Crosscountry skiers
Ranger-led explorations
Many management concerns, regulations, and safety tips are given under specific subjects in this handbook. Here are some other things to consider.
Precautions must be taken when you explore the park because of the rugged terrain, heat, and lack of naturally available drinking water. You will need sturdy boots, a hat, and ample, leakproof water containers. Make sure containers are watertightbeforeyou leave home. Exploring caves requires flashlights.
Camp only in the park campground. All other overnight use, even in winter, requires a wilderness use permit. A day-use permit is required to visit the area of the park that lies north of Highway 20-26-93.
Pets are allowed only in the campground and on the Loop Drive, but they must be kept on a leash at all times. Pets are prohibited in all public buildings, on trails, or in off-road areas.
All motor vehicles and bicycles must stay on paved roads only. They are not allowed on trails.
Firearm restrictions are enforced: No hunting is allowed in the park.
The collection, removal, or disturbance of any natural features within the park is strictly prohibited.
For contemporary explorers the driving tour and its associated trails make the safest trek routes. Exercise great caution—and close oversight of young children—at all times on your park expeditions.
For contemporary explorers the driving tour and its associated trails make the safest trek routes. Exercise great caution—and close oversight of young children—at all times on your park expeditions.
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Yellowstone National Parkis world famous for its geysers and mudpots, canyons and waterfalls, and wildlife and wilderness. For information write or call, Superintendent, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190, (307) 344-7381.
Minerva Terrace, Yellowstone
Minerva Terrace, Yellowstone
Grand Teton National Parkfeatures the spectacularly scenic Teton Range and lovely lakes at its base.John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Memorial Parkwayjoins Grand Teton with Yellowstone. For information write or call, Superintendent, Grand Teton National Park, P.O. Drawer 170, Moose, WY 83012, (307) 733-2880.
Grand Teton in winter
Grand Teton in winter
Nez Perce National Historical Parkincludes 24 widely scattered sites in north-central Idaho that present the history of this ancestral homeland of the Nez Perce tribe. For information write or call, Superintendent, Nez Perce National Historical Park, P.O. Box 93, Spalding, ID 83551, (208) 843-2261.
A Nez Perce today
A Nez Perce today
Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument, authorized in 1988, preserves Pliocene fossil sites along Idaho’s Snake River. The National Park Service is planning for future needs. Facilities have not been developed. For information write or call, Superintendent, Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument, P.O. Box 570, Hagerman, ID 83332, (208) 837-4793.
City of Rocks National Reserveis a fascinating landscape of monoliths, spires, and domes used historically by Northern Shoshone Indians and emigrants on the California Trail. It has become a mecca for recreational rock climbers. Primitive facilities. For information write, Manager, City of Rocks National Reserve, P.O. Box 169, Almo, ID 83312.
The nonprofit Craters of the Moon Natural History Association sells books, maps, and other publications at the visitor center or by mail. For a free list write to the park address onpage 55. The following selected books may also be of interest.
Belknap, William J. “Man on the Moon in Idaho,”National Geographic Magazine, Volume 119 (October, 1960).
Bonnichsen, Bill and Roy M. Breckenridge et al.Cenozoic Geology of Idaho, Idaho Geologic Survey, University of Idaho, 1982.
Bullard, Fred M.Volcanoes of the Earth, University of Texas Press, 1976.
Chronic, Halka.Pages of Stone: The Geologic Story of Our Western Parks and Monuments, The Mountaineers, 1984.
Clark, David R.Craters of the Moon—Idaho’s Unearthly Landscape, Craters of the Moon Natural History Association, 1990.
Henderson, Paul A.Around the Loop: Craters of the Moon, Craters of the Moon Natural History Association, 1986.
Limbert, Robert W. “Among Craters of the Moon,”National Geographic Magazine, Volume 45 (March, 1924).
McKee, Bates.Cascadia, McGraw-Hill, 1972.
Moser, Don.The Snake River Country, Time-Life Books, 1974.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).Volcanism of the Eastern Snake River Plain, Idaho: A Comparative Planetary Geology Guidebook, Washington, D.C., 1977.
Schwartz, Susan.Nature in the Northwest, Prentice-Hall, 1983.
Other National Park Handbooks in this series.You might enjoy other official National Park Handbooks about areas in Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana. These handbooks include: Grand Teton National Park; Nez Perce National Historical Park; Devils Tower National Monument; and Fort Laramie National Historic Site.
These informative handbooks are available at the parks or by mail from: Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. For a list of handbooks write to:National Park Service, Office of Information, P.O. Box 37127, Washington, DC 20013-7127.
★GPO: 1990—262-098/20002
As the Nation’s principal conservation agency, the Department of the Interior has responsibility for most of our nationally owned public lands and natural resources. This includes fostering wise use of our land and water resources, protecting our fish and wildlife, preserving the environmental and cultural values of our national parks and historical places, and providing for the enjoyment of life through outdoor recreation. The Department assesses our energy and mineral resources and works to assure that their development is in the best interest of all our people. The Department also promotes the goals of the Take Pride in America campaign by encouraging stewardship and citizen responsibility for the public lands and promoting citizen participation in their care. The Department also has major responsibility for American Indian reservation communities and for people who live in island territories under U.S. administration.
The National Park Service expresses its appreciation to all those persons who made the preparation and production of this handbook possible. Special thanks are due the Craters of the Moon Natural History Association for financial support. Unless credited below, photographs and illustrations come from the files of Craters of the Moon National Monument and the National Park Service.