Arizona's "Mini-Mount Doom" an Overlooked Adventure

Maybe it's the name. After all, S.P. Crater is nowhere near as lyrical as Sunset Crater.

Maybe it's the monochromatic Arizona grasslands that surround it, which don't compare favorably to the beautiful forest near Sunset Crater. Or because it's on private land rather than in a national park. Maybe we can blame the abundance of cattle - and the associated cow patties.

Whatever the reason, S.P. Crater gets overlooked while tourists flock to its more famous neighbor. During a Memorial Weekend hike to S.P. Crater's summit and along its 4-mile-long lava flow, I didn't see another group of hikers. Cattle, ravens and lizards were the only company.

An Enigma of Fire

S.P. Crater is a classically shaped volcanic cinder cone northeast of Flagstaff, Arizona. Several Web sites claim the volcano last erupted 1,000 years ago. However, I have yet to see a strong citation for the 1,000-year-old figure, and believe some people are getting it mixed up with the last eruption of Sunset Crater. It's also unclear whether the crater is 71,000 years old or last erupted then. It seems younger, considering how fresh the lava flow appears to be. It is currently dormant, but scientists believe that the field could erupt in the future - but probably not in the foreseeable future.

The shape of S.P. Crater prompted me to name it "Mini-Mount Doom"; just months earlier, I hiked New Zealand's Mount Ngauruhoe, which starred in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy as Mount Doom. S.P. Crater's shape closely mirrors the New Zealand version on a smaller scale: A fit hiker can summit S.P. Crater in less than 30 minutes, while the same hiker is looking at close to three hours for Mount Ngauruhoe. The angle of the slopes compare well, too. Plus S.P. Crater is coated in volcanic cinders, making it a perfect place to get used to ascending a shifting cinder slope.

Getting There

S.P. Crater is about 25 miles northeast of Flagstaff on Highway 89. There are multiple ways to get to it. Hank's Trading Post is a major landmark. Dirt roads on either side of it will lead you west to the crater.

Remember, S.P. Crater is on land belonging to the Babbitt family. They do allow access, but I hope all visitors will do their best to be worthy of the privilege. The Babbitts aren't required to keep the land open, and it's very neighborly of them to do so.

Parking on the south side of the crater is best. A jeep road leads to a small saddle, which then leads to the top of the cinder cone. Of course, if you want a real workout, just dig straight into the cinders from the bottom.

Remember, northern Arizona weather changes constantly. During a two-hour expedition, you could get rained on twice, with periods of blazing sunshine between. Sunscreen, rain jackets and water are a must.

Easily Underestimated

From the bottom, S.P. Crater is underwhelming. It looks really small. But climbing 900 feet in about half a mile changed my attitude, especially watching my Subaru get smaller and smaller as we ascended.

S.P. Crater has clearly had some time to recover from its last eruption; plants grow on it, and lichen covers many rocks at the top. The rocky rim is a riot of color in places, between neon-green lichen and the deep red of volcanic bombs.

The volcano's mouth is more impressive than I expected, too. Fortunately, its sides are pretty stable. It's possible to walk entirely around it, and even descend a good distance into the crater. There's a good amount of rubble at the bottom. It's a striking example of a volcano. Now, if it just had the steaming fumaroles, ripe with the stench of sulfur, like its brothers in New Zealand, this would be bumped up to a world-class attraction!

The wind died down during our inspection of the rim, allowing us to hear the lowing of cattle from below. This is a great time to whip out your favorite camera lenses and snap away.

Getting Into the Flow

It's best to drive to the lava flow, taking a road back to the northeast. I'd advise swinging back west to get to the more stark, blackened portion of the flow. This huge flow is far different from the flows near Sunset Crater - here, the flow is more like a giant pile of rubble. Plants are starting to reclaim the lava in many points. But the blackened portions are creepy and post-apocalyptic, with some "waves" of lava that seemed to freeze as they were flowing. I was hoping to find a lava tube or two, but I'm not sure this is the right type of lava to form tubes. And I only inspected a small section.

Overall, this is an incredibly fun mini-adventure. You'll truly feel alone - the odds are against seeing other hikers. If you've already gone as far as Sunset Crater, this is a worthy add-on. Though I think S.P. Crater is unfairly overlooked, that's not to detract from Sunset Crater at all. It's a fine time, too.