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Scenic Overlook Craters of the Moon

OpenStreetMap
Looking east from Scenic Overlook Craters of the Moon. Terrain and imagery at true elevation.
Overview · Assembled from verified data

Scenic Overlook Craters of the Moon sits at 5,787 feet along the Peaks to Craters Scenic Byway, facing due east. The land drops 114 feet within 600 meters of the overlook. Saddle Butte rises to the east, 9.5 miles out at 5,600 feet, and Cruthers Butte is visible further east at 12.4 miles, reaching 5,509 feet. The overlook faces directly toward the sunrise. On the June solstice, the sun comes up at 05:54 and sets at 21:19; at the December solstice, sunrise is at 08:05 and sunset at 17:02, with the equinox sunrises falling near 07:22–07:38. Arco is the closest town, 17.1 miles to the northeast, while Bellevue lies 35.6 miles to the west and Aberdeen is 51.0 miles to the southeast.

Access
On the byway
Elevation
5,787 ft
View
East · 90°
Light
Best at sunrise
Relief
114 ft drop
In view
2 named features
Photos · Real imagery only
Native plant cover in the Craters of the Moon National Monument is remarkable in that in many settings nearly 100% of the species and cover is native. View from the cinder cone north of the Vistor Center looking ENE towards Arco and the south end of the Lost River Range.
Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
This annual herb is common throughout much the sagebrush steppe especially across the region of the Snake River plains.
Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
This annual herb is common throughout much the sagebrush steppe especially across the region of the Snake River plains.
Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
This annual herb is common throughout much the sagebrush steppe especially across the region of the Snake River plains.
Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
This annual herb is common throughout much the sagebrush steppe especially across the region of the Snake River plains.
Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
This annual herb is common throughout much the sagebrush steppe especially across the region of the Snake River plains.
Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
In view · Named features

What you’re looking at

Named terrain inside the view from this overlook, nearest first.

  • Saddle Butte5,600 fteast · 9.5 mi
  • Cruthers Butte5,509 fteast · 12.4 mi
When to look · Sun at this latitude

Light

This overlook faces sunrise — 0° off square to it.

DateSunriseSunsetGolden hour
March equinox07:3819:4719:09
June solstice05:5421:1920:36
September equinox07:2219:3318:56
December solstice08:0517:0216:15

Local time (America/Boise). Computed for this exact position.

Getting there · Position and access

Where it is

  • Arco17.1 mi northeast
  • Bellevue35.6 mi west
  • Aberdeen51.0 mi southeast
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Common questions

How high is Scenic Overlook Craters of the Moon?

Scenic Overlook Craters of the Moon sits at about 5,787 feet (1,764 m).

What can you see from Scenic Overlook Craters of the Moon?

From Scenic Overlook Craters of the Moon: Saddle Butte (E, 9.5 mi); Cruthers Butte (E, 12 mi).

Is Scenic Overlook Craters of the Moon better at sunrise or sunset?

Sunrise. The land falls away from Scenic Overlook Craters of the Moon toward the sunrise, so at sunset the light is behind you. Exact times shift through the year; the page shows the current window.

What is the nearest town to Scenic Overlook Craters of the Moon?

Arco, 17 miles NE of Scenic Overlook Craters of the Moon.

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Locals make it Verified.

Scenic Overlook Craters of the Moon — confirmed, rated, and photographed by people who actually pulled over. A local confirmation is what upgrades a lookout from Discovered to Verified. Zero hallucinations.

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