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4.0
2,516 votes

Meteor Crater

I 40 Exit 233, Winslow, Arizona 86047 USA

$$
Reasonable
Closed Now
Opens Fri 8a
  • Independent
  • Credit Cards
    Accepted
  • Not Wheelchair
    Accessible
  • Public
    Restrooms
  • Outdoor
    Seating
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Natural Wonder

Our Take

Welcome to one of the country's coolest holes in the ground! Formed 50,000 years ago by a firey meteorite, the massive impact crater remains a popular tourist attraction. It served as a NASA training center for Apollo astronauts in the 60s and 70s and is a popular filming location for sci-fi films, including the excellent "Starman." Touch meteorite samples at the museum and marvel at the size of the crater (and the house-sized boulders around its rim) from the observation deck.

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“World’s best preserved meteorite impact site”

Visit the world’s best preserved meteorite impact site just minutes from Interstate 40 in Northern Arizona near Winslow. Meteor Crater is the breath-taking result of a collision between a piece of an asteroid traveling at 26,000 miles per hour and planet Earth approximately 50,000 years ago. Today, Meteor Crater is nearly one mile across, 2.4 miles in circumference and more than 550 feet deep. It is an international tourist venue with outdoor observation trails, air conditioned indoor viewing, wide screen movie theater, interactive discovery center, unique gift and rock shop, and Astronaut Memorial Park at the modern Visitor Center located on the crater rim. Meteor Crater's "IMPACT The Mystery of Meteor Crater" movie, featuring exciting 3D modeling and animation allows viewers to experience the thunderous sound and explosive fury of the meteor's super-heated trip through the Earth's atmosphere. Then, the spectacular result of the collision that rocked the American Southwest with the energy of more than 20 million tons of TNT can be explored first-hand just outside the Visitor Center at Meteor Crater Arizona.

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Reviewed by
catherine

  • 11 Reviews
  • 82 Helpful
January 13, 2014
Rated

I did not expect that it would be a privately owned meteor crater. that perhaps started me off on the wrong foot with this place... but they charge a steep admission price, don't let you walk around the entire crater, and only a portion of it is accessible behind a metal railing. I understand the need to preserve the site and pay their employees but it's pretty overrated in my opinion.

72 people found this review helpful
  • 2 Reviews
  • 54 Helpful
July 18, 2015
Rated 5.0

OK enough wining about the FEE !!! Sure everyone loves FREE but this place is spotless inside and out and there is a very awesome very large hole in the earth caused by something from space, you wont find anything like it anywhere else & to compare the Grand Canyon charges $30 per car to get in to see the other big hole in the ground not to far away.

http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/fees.htm

I have had it on my bucket list for years and i wasn't disappointed till you are on the rim its hard to imagine how big it actually is.

GO !!!! Enough Said

54 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by
heinencm

  • 3 Reviews
  • 40 Helpful
June 22, 2014
Rated

Went there, then found out it was $18/person. Left immediately and drove back home to Minneapolis.

39 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by
bradhelmink

  • 5 Reviews
  • 24 Helpful
June 26, 2014
Rated

It was super expensive, and probably not worth the price, but it was very cool, and our kids loved it. The price includes a 30 minute guided tour, 3 lookout decks and a museum. It's about 6 miles or so off the freeway.

18 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by
stephanderson

  • 4 Reviews
  • 17 Helpful
June 22, 2015
Rated 5.0

This was absolutely worth the price of admission. If you like science, or just really amazingly preserved historic places, this is one. We stopped by on 4th of July, and they were open, which was amazing since we were looking for something to do. Every one on our road trip still talks about our visit to the meteor crater.

14 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by
Tatiana Danger

  • Road Warrior
  • 1,169 Reviews
  • 910 Helpful
September 30, 2014
Rated 4.0

I went here in August 2014 with my 10-month old son, and as other reviewers have mentioned the price for admission was a bit steep, but in my opinion it was worth it...and we even went on an overcast day and the place was still awesome. There's a tour, a film, and probably the best gift shop ever.

There's loads of great places to get a good picture here as well. Though my little boy was too small to enjoy it, I'm still glad I went with him.

Pro-Tip: If you're into gemstones and rocks, avoid the roadside vendors who will seriously triple-charge you. There's the same gemstones at the gift shop here for much more reasonable prices.

7 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by
IslandTosh

  • 2 Reviews
  • 9 Helpful
June 20, 2014
Rated

Admission is higher than I'd normally go for, but it was time for a stop beyond simply eating/restrooms/stretching. I'm glad we stopped - the crater itself is neat, and they try to intertwine it's history with natural history and astronomy...I just don't expect to be stopping there again.

7 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by
lmtcisme

  • 8 Reviews
  • 17 Helpful
June 02, 2014
Rated

Free to military ! Averaged 14-18 bucks for adult admission but totally awesome !! We didn't have time for he museum and movies so it can be a quick stop if need be.

5 people found this review helpful
  • 1 Review
  • 4 Helpful
November 10, 2013
Rated

Is this accessible by car? It looks like mostly desert roads based on the picture. I would love to see this when I pass through.

4 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by
Mark

  • 6 Reviews
  • 5 Helpful
October 28, 2015
Rated 5.0

If you're passing by the area it's definitely worth the detour.

Just don't visit the Grand Canyon First. It tends to make this big hole look like a little hole.

3 people found this review helpful

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Meteor Crater

I 40 Exit 233
Winslow, Arizona
86047 USA
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Hours

Closed Now
  • Sun - Sat: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm

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    Pets Allowed
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    Wheelchair Accessible
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