Visiting Meteor Crater with Kids: Exploring an Otherworldly Destination
If you’re planning a trip to the Grand Canyon, be sure to add Meteor Crater to your list of must-see destinations. Located just an hour and a half east of the Grand Canyon, Meteor Crater is a unique geological wonder that offers visitors the chance to explore an otherworldly landscape created by a meteorite impact over 50,000 years ago.
Meteor Crater was part of our Las Vegas winter road trip in early January of 2023.
If you purchase in advance admission to Meteor Crater is $23 for adults and $14 for children aged 6-13 and $21 for 60 and above. Once you arrive, you’ll find plenty of things to do and see. The visitor center features interactive exhibits and displays that showcase the history of the crater and its impact on the surrounding landscape. You can also take a 30 min guided tour of the crater rim or hike the two-mile self-guided trail to the crater floor. All attractions and the guided rim tour are included in the admission.
In my book the coolest thing to do at Metor Crater is touch the Metor! Its actually just a small piece of the metor that made this giant hole but your welcome to give it a squeeze … so we did!
One of the must-see sights at Meteor Crater is the massive hole in the ground itself, which measures almost a mile in circumference and is over 500 feet deep. You’ll be struck by the otherworldly terrain, which looks like something out of a science fiction movie. As you explore the crater rim, keep an eye out for fragments of the meteorite that caused the impact, which is scattered throughout the area. The visiting platforms are well-marked to help you identify features scientists used to confirm this as an impact site.
The visitor’s center largely focuses on meteors that have fallen around the world. The kids were completely riveted. The movie is more of a hype video for the crater. It needs to be updated with more detail about what happened here and information on meteor impacts.
Visiting Meteor Crater is an important learning experience for kids, as it offers a unique opportunity to explore the science behind meteor impacts and the formation of our planet. They’ll learn about geology, astronomy, and physics, and gain a deeper understanding of the natural world around them.
The Collision 4D Theather was something the kids really enjoyed but I’m not sure that it added a lot of value. It’s included in admission and they advise that you do it at the end of your visit as it dumps you into the gift shop.
Near the bathrooms, framed prints on the wall show a Frank Lloyd Wright design for the Meteor Crater visitors center and hotel. Frank Lloyd Wright did design a proposed visitor center for the site in the 1950s, but it was never built due to funding issues. The current visitor center was built in the 1960s and was designed by architect Robert L. Skoog.
You also won’t want to miss the Apollo 11 Training Command Module that is in the garden. You could easily walk by this piece of history, so keep a lookout for it.
So if you’re looking for an out-of-this-world experience on your Grand Canyon trip, be sure to check out Meteor Crater. It’s a fascinating destination that’s sure to leave you with unforgettable memories.