Visiting Arizona's Meteor Crater

Located about 37 miles east of Flagstaff and 20 miles west of Winslow, Arizona is the Barringer Crater, more commonly known as Meteor Crater. Located off Interstate 40 and what was formerly Route 66, the crater has fascinated people since the late 1800s.
About 50,000 years ago a meteorite about 150 feet across entered the Earth's atmosphere and impacted in what would eventually become the Arizona desert. While there were no humans in the area yet, it was probably a devastating event for giant ground sloths and mammoths that called the area home.
While Native American's knew of the crater for at least 1,000 years, its disputed when the first non-natives came across it. The story of person who claimed to have first found it and who it was, according to him, originally named after, isn't supported by historical evidence.
In 1903, the crater was purchased by Daniel Barringer and he began a 26 year quest to find the meteorite the created the crater and the untold riches it would bring him. He was not aware that 90% of the meteorite was destroyed on entry and impact.
In this video, we visit Meteor Crater, check out the museum, and stand in awe of the crater while talking about its history.
Meteor Crater is located at: 35.03368241727422, -111.0184894202754
For more information check out the Meteor Crater's official website: meteorcrater.com
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[@johnnyfreedom3437]

I'm too old and disabled anymore to do any traveling. And I had spent my life cris crossing the country, so I really miss it! So I really enjoyed every one of your videos that I've seen, you take me where I can't go anymore! I'll be looking forward to the next one, thanks a lot!!

[@arenasviscatanius]

Someday U will.

[@jlisszrii]

It's crazy how close it came to hitting that visitor center! Glad everyone was safe

[@agrofindastation]

I noticed that too!

[@kellandreader]

🤣

[@-oiiio-3993]

Heard several times a day when I was tour guide there.

[@TacoMyrick]

😅

[@tommanion5504]

Again, the memories! The year was 1967. I was a 13 year old kid, who was on the annual summer vacation heading across northern Arizona, with his 3 siblings and, then, single father. Saw the roadside signs for Meteor Crater, so I asked dad if we could stop. "Not on the itinerary" was his answer. Did not get to see the crater for another 20 years (1986), heading for California from the New Mexico base where i was stationed. Again, saw the signs along the highway, and figured I had NO itinerary, so I stopped. Advance time 5 years. The family and I are now living on Okinawa. We took a USO tour to Ie Shima (Island). A generally flat splotch of land save for one mountain rising 560 feet. There was a "trail" to the top of this hill. I put "trail" in quotes, because it was really a STAIRWAY consisting of 565 steps! After getting to the top, one of our tour mates remarked that this endeavor reminded him of what the Japanese say about Mount Fuji. "Hows that?" I asked. "Man is FOOL who never climb Mount Fuji. Man is BIGGER FOOL who climb Mount Fuji TWICE!" Arizona's Meteor Crater is what I personally call a personal "Mount Fuji". I've seen it! Thing isn't gonna change so I don't need to see it again! As it is, I've been there TWICE! In 1988, was out and about with a new wife and our combined kids, none of whom had seen it. So i was living up to a vow I made to myself way back in 1967, that i would never give my kids a lame excuse like I got from my dad! Thanks for the memories!

[@svenlarson6981]

I have flown near the Meteor Crater many times on cross-country flights. It is a spectacular sight from the air as well as from the ground. When you see from the air how small the visitor center looks compared to the crater, you can really appreciate the magnitude of the force that created it. Another very well done video!

[@gus473]

This is the comment I was looking for! Yup, cool to see from the air! Another fun fly-over sight is "Spiral Jetty" in Great Salt Lake! 😎✌️

[@paveltolz6601]

My first visit to the Meteor Crater was almost 50 years ago. I did the self guided hike around the rim and down the now barely visible trail to the bottom. Walked around the old equipment and the fence surrounding the mine shaft... really just enjoyed myself. Now, nice views from the rim only and, given the lack of respect these days, that's a good thing.

[@snowwilliams1]

I still remember how tuff that hike back up out the creator was…it was a childhood experience ill never forget!

[@650nelson]

Saw a big rattlesnake there, I must've jumped straight up and out of that crater!

[@chopsjazz1]

Same for me. I was there as a kid in the mid-60's. This new visitor center and learning exhibits would have been awesome back then.

[@susanherman3707]

😂 Loved the joke about the meteor missing the visitor center!! Also the one about Bruce Willis and Armageddon!!! I took my kids there to see the meteor crater about 30 years ago and it was SO boring. Just a BIG hole. The visitor center was small and had very little interesting information. Thanks Steve for showing that it has been updated, improved and worth another look. Now I will take my grandchildren to see it!!! 😊

[@cjjohnson1821]

Around that time we were driving by and wanted to stop but the price was too high for our budget at that moment. So we put it in 4 wheel drive and headed through the desert to find it. They had no trespassing signs that said there were spikes in the sand to deter deadbeats like us! (paraphrased) lol. Turned around and never saw it.

[@susanherman3707]

@cjjohnson1821 That would have been a fun way to see it. Running around that very plain landscape, never know what you could find!!!

[@SidetrackAdventures]

Its not in the video but they even have a sort of ride simulator with a jackalope mascot there now, which I think is the biggest hit for most kids.

[@EdwardGregoryNYC]

We were here earlier this year, and the new visitor center is certainly more engaging than the old one. And yes, I also recently shared the joke about the visitors center, expressing our luck that it missed us as well.

[@caligula57]

I was there 45 years ago. Came back last month to show it to my family as part of the US tour we planned. It was a sham. For us to see a hole in the ground, we paid 77 dollars (2 seniors at 25 each and an adult at 27 - 2 dollars less if you are a senior - really?). One goes to any other American national park and pays 25 or 35 dollars per vehicle. That was the case for Sequoia Park, the Petrified Forest, and the Grand Canyon. On top of that, you can go back in the next five days and revisit the place at no extra cost. The Meteor Crater is nothing compared to those yet, you pay that much money. A rip off and they know it. So, to justify such an expensive proposition they created a museum and showed a ridiculous movie for three-year-old children with moving seats. On top of it, they "installed" an astronaut on the crater next to the American flag. NASA discovered the crater right? Unlike the other National Parks, this place does not require any maintenance except for the 5-mile road leading to it. Well, if you build a visitor center with stuff from the Apollo program, and motion seats, now maintenance and personnel in site are required. Smart. It was the low point of our wonderful and unforgettable visit to the US.

[@mtnride4930]

I took a turnoff on the 40 on the way to Winslow to take a picture on the corner in Winslow AZ with my dog, I said to my dog we have to check this meteor site out. Well worth taking some time to check this out. Thanks for the memory.

[@explorepikespeak]

First and only time I saw the crater was as a young kid 60 years ago. I was convinced that if my Dad would let me take a shovel and dig down deep enough I'd find the meteorite. But he denied that adventure to me, and to this day I still think I could've found it.

[@wythewinchester3236]

I and my cousin treked down to the bottom in 1968. The most memorable thing about it was the hike back up.

[@williamturner1517]

Interesting, my cousin and I hiked down in 1968.

[@guywright7388]

I'm so glad you made the visitor center joke. 😁

[@weirdshibainu]

I'm amazed, that given the magnitude of the impact, the visitor center is undamaged.

[@SidetrackAdventures]

They were truly lucky.

[@tommcelroy6975]

So original

[@bigdougscommentary5719]

My wife and I first visited the crater in 1977. At that time there was nothing other that the crater. We could’ve climbed down into the crater but it would have been a challenging climb back out. Also, we didn’t have the necessary time. Kinda nice that we could just enjoy the crater in its plain existence.

[@milt6208]

I have been to Meteor Crater a few times but hadn't been there in over twenty years and I wanted to take my wife because she had never been there just to take a look. They wanted over forty dollars per person to get in. Sadly they over priced it for me and I left. I still have old experiences and you. Thank you.

[@cherryjuice9946]

Interesting. I was there about 20 years ago and didn't remember anything unusually expensive. So, I just looked and entry is now pretty pricey. It's $29 per person of adult age. Take a date and stop at the gift shop, that's the end of a $100 bill. That's still affordable if we consider a Big Mac Combo is now 9.59. At least a visit to the crater is enjoyable.

[@user-db5qd3wd6z]

'It just missed it' had me nearly spilling my beer. Then a Bruce Willis mention as well! Great stuff Steve!

[@SidetrackAdventures]

Thanks. I think my wife has head the just missed joke a thousand times and gets an eye roll every time!

[@remaguire]

I visited there about 2 years ago. Well worth it. Shoemaker's work in showing that the crater was from a meteor had widespread influence on the study of other similar craters that had scientists scratching their heads as to their origins. I think that's the biggest contribution of this fantastic site.

[@gs1100ed]

Prideful mankind insists on explaining EVERYTHING, even if the have to make up a story when they can’t.

[@-oiiio-3993]

@@gs1100ed Shoemaker found irrefutable _evidence._

[@77hodag]

When I moved out to California from Wisconsin back in ‘81 (I was 22) I put the meteor crater on my itinerary, mainly because it was so close to the interstate but also because I’m a science geek. I wish the new, improved visitor center was around back then - it probably would have made the big hole in the desert a lot more interesting😅

[@Fred_Lougee]

Glad you mentioned Eugene Shoemaker. Never seen any KZbin content dedicated to him and his wife, just the odd occasional reference like yours, but his life, career, and even his passing in a manner that can only be called "ironic" is definitely material for a good episode on someone's channel.

[@-oiiio-3993]

Carolyn Shoemaker, students, and some family members of hers were on one of my tours when I was a tour guide at MC over 20 years ago. She was a gem and I always included references to Gene's work as part of my tours. I also met David Roddy in the cafe' at MC, he was rather aged then but a fascinating conversationalist.

[@Fred_Lougee]

@@-oiiio-3993 Cool. Also, your name looks like the front view of a Jeep. Is that your intention?

[@eileenirwin2778]

Great video, Steve. Having been there myself, I agree with you that the camera doesn't give the full magnitude view of the crater and the surrounding area. Thanks for sharing.

[@danielfox3003]

We drove by it (my dad and two brothers) and true to form, my dad didn’t want to stop… I was pissed. My dad is one of those wanting to make time guys, I had to threaten to shit my pants at one point just to get him to pull over at a rest stop, (I wasn’t joking). Never wanted to make any stops but still has the uncanny ability to pick the absolute worst restaurant in every state to finally stop for food. Still, it was an amazing trip from L.A. all the way to Georgia. We did stop in Winslow, Arizona and as we were crossing the street I started singing… standing on a corner in Winslow Arizona, such a fine sight to see… as we all realized where we were and the significance of the moment. I saw another comment about this but the memorial wasn’t there when we were, this was at least 25 years ago. Good fun, cool trip, if you’ve never driven across country with your dad and brothers, you should. It’s awesome and rewarding while at the same time being a new level of hell.

[@johnhodge5871]

Great video, Steve! The significance of Barringer Crater in Earth sciences is pretty much impossible to overstate. Grove Karl Gilbert, the greatest geologist of the early 20th Century (probably the best geologist the U.S. has ever produced) had come to the conclusion that Barringer Crater was volcanic in origin, which isn't all that ridiculous given the proximity of the San Francisco Peaks and other volcanic features nearby. Meanwhile, as you said, many in the general public sure thought it looked a lot like an impact crater. G.K. Gilbert wasn't wrong about many things, but this was one of them. Gene Shoemaker changed all that. In the late '50s (or early '60s maybe?) he showed definitively that Barringer Crater was due to an impact. This was HUGE. Prior to Shoemaker (who is sort of a hero of mine) it was thought that the Earth hadn't been subject to any impacts since soon after the Earth's formation ("soon" being about half a billion years....yea, that's "soon" to a geologist). Now here was Shoemaker showing us that we're still vulnerable to big, fast, heavy things falling out of the sky! That set the stage a couple decades later for acceptance of the Alverez impact hypothesis explanation for the end Cretaceous extinction event (that killed off the non-avian dinosaurs) and the search for other impact craters on Earth. If not for Shoemaker and Barringer Crater, it's doubtful that anyone would have considered that Chicxulub Crater in the Yucatan Peninsula could even be an impact structure. Then Shoemaker and others started looking and finding objects that could someday cross our path, and not in a good way. That was how Gene Shoemaker, his wife, and David Levy found Shoemaker-Levy 9, the comet that impacted Jupiter in 1994. All of that progress can be traced back to Barringer Crater. How cool is that?!

[@-oiiio-3993]

Have you ever met Carolyn Shoemaker? She, students of hers, and a few family members were on one of my tours when I was a guide at MC. Daniel Barringer deserves a great deal of the credit for his dogged pursuit of the impact theory, his experimentation while realizing that the proof he was accruing negated the possibility of his mining venture's success. Barringer founded the science of Meteoritics.

[@paulsmodels]

I went there with my family a few years back, and you are right when you say the camera does not do it justice. You have to see it with your own eyes.

[@paulayala4816]

I visited Meteor Cratere on my way out to Wichita, KS. I thought it would be a good way to break up the monotony of this section of the I-40. What I didn't realize was how great it would be. It is a well organized and thought out center. The crater itself is awesome to be see, photos and videos do not do it's size justice, you really need to see it in person. The center itslef has a nice little cafe serving up burgers, hotdogs, wraps and sandwiches. There is also a gift shop which has a lot of nice souvenirs and of course I had to pick out a nice coffee mug for my wife and I. I think On my upcoming trip to Abuqurque, I am going to stop by here again.

[@MasonObscura]

I drove the length of route 66 in 2008 and I remember this being on top of the list for most impressive places. It must have been very mysterious for anyone who came across it before we figured it out...

[@SidetrackAdventures]

I can't imagine what the first person to climb that hill thought.

[@-oiiio-3993]

@@SidetrackAdventures Big hole.

[@richard1868]

Hiked to the bottom in 1954 when I was 10 years old before all the infrastructure. I haven't been back since. Good stuff Steve !

[@howardb.6205]

Once you've been there you will always see it on the weather maps when they show Flagstaff area. My mind was blown!!!

[@MichaelTitera]

Another wonderful video, San Diego Steve! I forgot about them throwing the Cessna down the mineshaft. Thanks for reminding me!

[@SidetrackAdventures]

That part always cracks me up. 10000 years from now a future scientist will be examining this place and find the plane and think it caused it!

[@MichaelTitera]

@@SidetrackAdventures 😂

[@r.l.grulke290]

Almost struck by lightning the time I visited (about thirty years ago). My hair rose in the air until much of it was standing on end. I was on the metal stairway which descends partway into the crater (as shown in the video) & hightailed it back to the visitors' center pronto, of that you may be sure! One of the highlights of a memorable trip. The other was tent camping at the Two Guns KOA on the South side of the highway about halfway between Flagstaff & the Crater. Sadly gone to ruin I'm afraid. Swimming pool is but a dry, concrete lined hole in the ground, adorned with graffiti & now used only by the occasional skateboarder. Apache Death Cave, now strewn with garbage & defaced by more graffiti, was one of the attractions of the place.

[@-oiiio-3993]

I was a tour guide at MC a bit over 20 years ago and had a very similar experience. Was mid lecture, standing atop a rock, and noticed some of the guests giggling (my hair was a bit long). Then I saw a guest's hair rising, felt mine, and _immediately_ changed the tone to _"Go!, go, go, go go, go..."_ as I prodded my flock back to the museum door. _ _"No time to explain, just MOVE!"_ Once inside and after several deep breaths I explained how lightning works, how we were preferred conduit (big bags of water on the highest elevation for miles), and how close we had just come to being fried. Some of the guests (the first ones in) gave knowing nods, for others it was a whole new experience. I hung out in the 'Death Caves', at Volz Post, etcetera, often. Had a '70 Cadillac and a '48 Willys Jeep.

[@j.wilkerson1905]

Steve, you a funny guy. You've have made a huge IMPACT on my life...

[@donaldfleming5049]

I've been to Meteor Crater, and let me tell you that pictures & KZbin videos can't really prepare you for the sheer size of the crater. When you stand on the rim & look down into the crater, it really leaves you in awe.

[@650nelson]

Went there in the sixties as a small kid. No one cared if you found a chunk of meteor, sure wish I still had the one I found! Great tour, Steve!

[@sigalsmadar4547]

Hahaha loved the Bruce Willis joke! We took out grandsons here the end of July as well as the painted desert and petrified forest. Of course the crater was their favorite. AZ is quite the contrast in geography. Yes you can see My Humphreys from there, but looking around that desertic flatness, one wouldn't know in just a drive south one can be in a forest of pines and Douglas fir with camping fishing and lakes. Thanks for your channel!

[@flaeuro]

Visited last year… very cool place to visit ❤and a drive from I40 to crater is cool as well 🚙🚗thank you 👌👍

[@SidetrackAdventures]

Yeah, its so empty and flat and then the crater is there.

[@UrbanGardeningWithD.A.Hanks14]

I stumbled across one of your videos yesterday, and I've been watching these, to see places I've been, almost 35 years ago. I got to see all 48 contiguous states by the time I was 23, so it's great to see some of these spots again.

[@andrewwebb17]

Finally a place we have both been too Great capture

[@anthonyross3495]

It's well worth the visit, to see something so historical and rare.

[@jamesmccormick3623]

Another great video, Steve! Thanks for the tour.

[@lindabratsch9091]

A favorite vacation site, and I’ve been to a lot of places, but this one was just beyond cool! It’s really nice that the museum and the viewing continues to get better and better! Thanks!

[@christopherheflin5919]

I remember going there with my family back in the late ‘70s. Thanks for visiting there.

[@David-pp9fk]

I lived in Chino Valley AZ as a kid and our class had a field trip there 38 years ago.Thanks for letting me see it again.

[@RobinHullBuilds]

Hey Steve I was fortunate enough to have visited Meteor Crater in 1995. I remember the visitors centre was quite basic and they sold geodes. Ours had nothing in the middle apart from a couple of dull crystals. We travelled across to Petrified Forest and Painted Desert with the aim of getting to Monument Valley. We stayed at a place called The Chieftain Inn, Chambers and awoke the next morning to 3 feet of snow. On the advice of a Navajo member of the restaurant team, we headed south as our hired Neon Chrysler wouldn’t have made it into the valley. So we reached Tucson later that afternoon. From deep snow to 100f in the same day and in the same state. The southwest is incredible! We hope to come back in a few years. My brother retires in 2024 and lives in Leucadia. He went to California in the 1980’s for 2 years and never me back to the U.K.! Love you videos. And, I love your passion for history and nature!

[@SidetrackAdventures]

Last December we headed to New Mexico and had a similar experience, with it being warm near Tucson and then when we got to Northern New Mexico it was freezing and snow everywhere. Its amazing how a few hours drive can have such extremes.

[@roywhitman7109]

First time I'd seen this was in 2001. Like you said, Steve. That "hill" hid alot of secrets. I got to the crest & saw that crater & just thought, HOLY CRAP!! It was overwhelming!! Another informative video!👍

[@-oiiio-3993]

If you took the rim tour I may have been your guide.

[@roywhitman7109]

@-oiiio-3993 Maybe. I was there with a group of Harley riders. Several hundred motorcyclists, not all at one time. We were on a RTE 66 tour.

[@stevep5736]

Awesome video Steve !! Thank you for taking us with you to this beautiful place!!

[@user-tn1vc1xz5d]

Super cool. I went there 20 years ago, after seeing it in a book as a kid. Did a guided rim walk which was great.

[@-oiiio-3993]

I guided those tours in 2000, 2001.

[@thomfult7956]

I was there in 1987 very impressive in person and there were tours to the bottom.

[@SidetrackAdventures]

I remember tours to the bottom as a kid but never went. There were tours around the rim too and I recall some petroglyphs but I could be misremembering that.

[@RetiredTSgtUSAF]

Me and my wife stopped by the Crater 2 years ago. It is nice how they have all native American's working there. It was well worth the trip, I loved it.

[@tamideeks717]

Saw it in the late 60’s…. As a kid I was in awe

[@simonagree4070]

Another entertaining little tour -- I'm really enjoying these. When you think about it, every human who has ever seen this crater is a non-native in one way or another, since there were never any great apes in North America. Some of us walked over the Bering land bridge and some of us took a boat.

[@-oiiio-3993]

I was a tour guide at MC over twenty years ago and never lost the sense of wonder about the place.

[@jthev]

Finally got here in 2019. Had been on my bucket list for more than 60 years. Well worth the wait.

[@gpr8695]

It must have blown people's minds that came across this before they even knew what it was !

[@SidetrackAdventures]

Yeah, imagine climbing that hill to find this crater.

[@stephrusty3055]

Been there three times ,never disappoints ,🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧👍

[@kippnovak9833]

I dig all your dry humor...keep doin what u do

[@thomasoneal969]

I'm 66 years old. I first saw the crater in the 1960's i was about 10 years old. There was a parking lot and a sign. That's it.

[@brandonleesanders]

I saw this in an encyclopedia when I was a kid and went for the first time a few years ago. It was everything I’d imagined as a little boy. Def a good memory…

[@-oiiio-3993]

I was a tour guide at MC over twenty years ago and never lost the sense of wonder about the place.

[@lindabriggs5118]

When I was a child, I can remember visiting the crater. I wanted to go down to the bottom but my parents said no way. I was a kid who wanted do crazy stuff. I had a bunch of small plastic containers and would collect bugs along the route for school later. I'm still the crazy middle sister...lol😅

[@jacquecaeser9078]

Glad you all are safe. Enjoy your videos very well done. 👌

[@nationalparksprincess3216]

I have always wanted to stop and see this as we traveled through. It hasn't happened yet. Thanks for sharing, you always give us such great tours 😊

[@jonsmith1914]

I know it's not your thing and I'm a little late to the party but congrats on the 100K+ subs. You have earned it. Love your channel!

[@SidetrackAdventures]

Thank you, I appreciate it.

[@boomtownrat5106]

Like some of your other commenters, it was through the movie Starman that I learned about the crater. When our family did a cross country road trip in ‘94, we decided to stop. It was well worth it. The visitor center was different in those days. Around ten years ago, my hubby and I did a southwestern road trip. We stopped in Tuba City (on our way to Monument Valley) to see the dinosaur tracks. Our guide gifted us a meteor fragment that found its way to the Tuba City area. I have never authenticated the fragment to see if it’s truly a piece of that meteor or not (along with a piece of petrified dinosaur dung he gave us) but it makes for an interesting souvenir of that trip.

[@-oiiio-3993]

Old stomping grounds. When I was a tour guide at MC I would often think of the 'mother ship' scene from Starman as I looked out over the crater and of other scenes as I'd be working in the gift shop.

[@repairrestoreandrebuild8974]

Was wondering if anybody would mention the Starman movie connection. My mom loved that movie so we watched it multiple times growing up. Haven't seen it in 25 or 30 years at least, gonna have to look it up.

[@ungabunga6735]

If there’s anything I learned when I finally left Texas it’s that pictures and videos don’t do much justice in giving the scale of how massive things can be in real life. I’ve seen how massive mountains are and I went to the Grand Canyon and it was amazing compared to any pictures I had ever seen growing up. I need to make it out there and see that crater this looks amazing

[@Opalsdad]

Really have been enjoying all your content! Thanks 🙏 these are awesome!

[@SidetrackAdventures]

Glad to hear it!

[@Me97202]

Really like the pace and tone of your videos.

[@user-zh4cq4zy1n]

I remember stopping there, and showing my boys that place, they were 11 and 12, back in '07

[@TeddsPicks]

I think that sometimes it is very difficult. Steve to grasp the sheer size of things on the internet ... But with your drone footage, it really seems to solidify the sheer magnitude of this event!

[@SRQGuitarGuy]

What drone footage? I did not see any drone footage????

[@pgprobass]

I was there a few years back on one of my motorcycle trips and it is a true remarkable site. Also they filmed the ending of the 80's movie Starman over there. Don't miss it if you are in the area!

[@dannygraham7885]

My Girlfriend and I visited the meteor crater in Arizona, when we were in our 20's!!!

[@bob7230]

Another well made video, I’m glad I subscribed to your channel! I’ve lived in Arizona my whole life and never made the trip to go see that. Thanks for the tour! Go D-Backs! 😁

[@robertfritz9916]

We visited there a few years ago. As a geology buff I found it interesting. But my wife and I were more impressed by the display in nearby Winslow, AZ. On a corner there is a flatbed Ford true to the Eagles song "Take It Easy" along with a statue of the songs author Jackson Browne. Being of the age when the song was prominent in our life, we loved it.

[@SidetrackAdventures]

Yeah, Winslow is a great place to stop. They've really done up the area around the corner.

[@Porsche996driver]

Think he was running down the road, trying to loosen his load.

[@milt6208]

I've read they wrote the song in Flagstaff but Winslow sounded and flowed better in the song so they kept it. You remember Gordan Lightfoot's song Carefree Highway? Well I found out that song's inspiration for it's name is from the Carefree Highway in North Phoenix. I've been on that road hundreds of times and never knew.

[@paulhailey2537]

How did you like the SMELL of Winslow ? Lol

[@mtnride4930]

The statue is of Glen Frey of the Eagles who co-wrote the song.

[@Kindle1234]

Been there. very interesting, loved the museum. Beautiful skies at night with all the stars. This crater well worth a stop. Thanks for all the information.

[@maxwellcrazycat9204]

This was an impactful video. Learned something here.

[@conniewojahn6445]

Good job with the video and history. I've seen other videos of this crater and yours is one of my favorites.

[@SidetrackAdventures]

Thank you, I appreciate that.

[@CactusAtlas]

I always think about that 2029 one ever since I first visited the museum. Love that place... it's just always so awe-inspiring. NASA also used another nearby area for training and will be once again for the next moon mission.

[@SidetrackAdventures]

Lets hope their calculations are right on that 2029 meteor!

[@leighsayers2628]

Moon mission ..haha 😂..

[@-oiiio-3993]

It's also where Starman met the mother ship!

[@donwarrant5134]

My wife and I have been there several times. You’ve done a great job in this video about the crater. I always look forward to seeing new adventures that you share.

[@jeffendicott8754]

I was there last September (2023). Well worth the side trip off of hwy 40. Truly impressive. While many people will be put off by the admission cost ($27 for seniors) I think it was worth it. They did a great job with the visitors' center and have many state-of-the-art exhibits and films.

[@michaeltaylor4984]

It was free back in the 70s.

[@fredderf3207]

In 1988 I stopped there on my motorcycle while crossing the country. I met a couple of nice Cats while walking around the trail.

[@reneejones7807]

Can’t wait to go! And drivable from Vegas. Should be a nice trip with an overnight in Flagstaff.

[@williamcharnow9038]

Nice Video as usual. I would only go to this meterorite impact attraction if I could Go to The Bottom of it and really experience the size and grandeur of it by looking around and up to the rim of it.

[@Gail-gf7km]

I have been to the bottom a couple of times. The climb out is tough, which is why people are no longer allowed to descend to the bottom.

[@SidetrackAdventures]

They used to do tours to the bottom but they aren't offered anymore unfortunately.

[@Gail-gf7km]

@@SidetrackAdventures the reason for that is b cause people over estimated their ability to get themselves back out of the crater and many had to be rescued. It was an everyday occurrence.

[@masonshipley8425]

The meteor crater is a great pre-grand canyon thing😂 really gets you ready for big holes

[@SanDiegoKid]

I remember visiting as a kid. It was fun until a thunderstorm rolled in halfway through our tour around the ridge

[@madred_versustheworld]

Your “impact” on my road scholar education has been huge! :-)

[@michaelsmodelrailroading7665]

I first saw the Meteor Crater in 8:00 1954, when I was 7. Aside from Hoover Dam, it was perhaps the most astonishingly memorable sight I remember from that trip along US 66.

[@DirtyLilHobo]

That crater is magnificent viewed from the rear of an Air Force KC-35 tanker! The refueling bay in the KC-35 provides a huge bay window with a panoramic view from under the aircraft to the horizon. At 28000 ft the entire area can be viewed in tremendous detail! The crater sits on the Eastern edge of AR-602.

[@garthreynolds1437]

I was there in 1972 . I remember a pickup truck at the bottom I also remember buying a small leather bag of gold painted rocks 😊 then my father drove us all to the painted desert,petrified forest also the grand canyon..

[@MikeJohnson-ld9rn]

Thanks, Steve.I live in Arizona, and while I have been to Sunset Crater, I have never been here.

[@SidetrackAdventures]

I haven't been to Sunset Crater since the fires a few years ago. I thought about heading back there on this trip but a trip to the Lowell Observatory won out.

[@MikeJohnson-ld9rn]

@@SidetrackAdventures Been there also a few years ago, so I am anxiously awaiting your video to see if much has change. Probably not, but I can use a nice update and a chance to reminisce L

[@AbandonedMines11]

Another great video, Steve! This is one place I’ve always wanted to go but haven’t yet. Seeing your video is inching me closer to hitting the road and heading out that way. I also want to see Ubehebe Crater in Death Valley one of these days, too. Ever been to that one? Question: What does an astronaut do when he’s dirty? Answer: He takes a meteor shower.

[@SidetrackAdventures]

I went to Ubehebe about 15 years ago or so. I remember it being so windy there it was hard to stand.

[@RobertDeloyd]

Always nice to watch your interesting travels... Thank you

[@TheStuport]

As always Steve, a great visit and learning video! I'm positive you are right about how the camera just doesn't do the Crater justice as it would in person! I have always enjoyed "tongue-n-cheek" humor on word play when describing your treks and adventures! I'm laughing now as I'm betting there are a few times your Wife rolls her eyes at you when you speak Steve-isms to her and your Son!🤣 Crazy how that Cessna was just tossed down the old mine shaft! We all know that the initial impact was A Light Show...but can you imagine the sound just reverberated for hundreds of miles! Thanks Steve for saving a seat for The Sidetrack Adventures Posse to come along! Cheers From COW-lumbus, Ohio MOO 👋

[@SidetrackAdventures]

She has heard the just missed the visitor center joke so many times and it always gets an eyeroll.

[@TheStuport]

@@SidetrackAdventures 🤣🤣🤣

[@sharonj.2865]

I have wanted to see this place for a long time....thank you so much for the tour...very enjoyable and informative. Not sure I'll ever make it out there from Maryland, but at least I've seen it 😃 Just found you and I really enjoy your tours. How fun to see these places in person...You must love traveling. thanks again!

[@SidetrackAdventures]

Thank you. You should definitely stop if you are ever in the area.

[@edwardaustin740]

Love the channel, Steve. I just wonder one thing ? While it's a beautiful interning place for sure. I was wondering... Can you get a special trip to the bottom ? I'd love to see pictures looking up from the bottom.

[@SidetrackAdventures]

I think they let researchers down there, but from what I understand its been years since they've allowed the general public down.

[@user-ew4qn1um2l]

Great job, Steve! So enjoy your videos.

[@stevef.8041]

I was there in 2001, brought back some cool memories. Another great video, Steve!

[@tettazwo9865]

What amazes me is how close the meteor landed right next to the visitor's center!

[@-oiiio-3993]

Heard several times a day when I was a tour guide there.

[@SpanishEclectic]

I love your jokes. This is indeed interesting, especially to see into the bottom. With the LIDAR (I think it's called, just like on Battlestar Galactica, lol) technology currently available, it would be interesting to see if they'd find anything new with a scan. So many previously undiscovered ruins have been found in the jungles of Central America and Yucatan, though I'm not sure if it would penetrate below the surface. Anyhoo, it was great to see this, as I've not been out that way. Cheers!

[@SidetrackAdventures]

I've seen some of the stuff they've found in the jungles on TV. Truly amazing what's still out there waiting to be rediscovered.

[@heyoldman2003]

thank you again Steve . your shows are fun and informative 😊 good job 👍🏼

[@lonthrall5613]

Great choice of words in your intro! Thanks for posting!

[@Flying4Film]

I’ve flown over it many times throughout the years, but I’ve never had the chance to see it from the ground.

[@carlcotton1753]

Another great adventure! Thank you

[@dezertraider]

THANK YOU STEVE,EXCELLENT..

[@SidetrackAdventures]

Thank you!

[@wafflesnfalafel1]

Thanks for the vid sir - we were there several years ago and were impressed, (how is this place not more famous?) The whole area, Sedona, Grand Canyon, Flagstaff, Winslow, etc has so much cool stuff and is just a fairly easy drive from Phoenix.

[@lifewithjosef]

My first time to Meteor Crater was the same day we watched the sunrise at the South Rim. It was a mistake, as I felt the value of Meteor Crater was clouded by the inevitable comparison to the South Rim. I recommend seeing Meteor Crater on a different day than the South Rim. As always... Edit: Congrats on 100k subs! I love your easy going narration style, and your drone work is always on point.

[@SidetrackAdventures]

Thanks, I appreciate it.

[@TLBF]

Another great video! The only thing missing is a view from the road or, better yet, I-40 about 6 miles away. It really drives home your "it's just a hill" comments. Thanks for posting!