Craters of the Moon is Free Today

It's not often that a Monday brings good news. But, that's true for this Monday, especially if you haven't been to Craters of the Moon in awhile.

All of our National Parks and Monuments are free for President's Day today and that includes Craters of the Moon. But, wait, a person would have to be crazy to go to Craters in the winter, right? Actually, no. According to recent decent weather and the latest road grooming report, Craters is in pretty good shape right now.

That doesn't mean all the roads are open, though. Craters is a very different place in the winter, but that doesn't mean it's always a bad thing. Here are some specifics from the Craters website.

The Loop Drive is closed but the Visitor Center and winter trails are open. The Winter Ski trail was groomed with track set around the loop on Monday. Skiing and snowshoeing are welcome on the Winter Trail but no bicycles or pets.

The one-mile long Snowshoe Trail is marked with orange poles.The Lava Flow campground is accessible only on foot (1/4 mile walk from the visitor center lot) for free winter snow-camping.

The Visitor Center is open daily from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

Since this is winter and the weather changes every other second, be sure to double-check the latest conditions at Craters of the Moon before you make the drive.