Winter fun abounds at Craters

CRATERS OF THE MOON NATIONAL MONUMENT, Idaho -- In the summer it's a black, barren place, and the sweltering temperatures on the lava flows remind visitors that the more than 700,000 acres were once an active volcanic area.

Covered in a blanket of snow, however, the broken rocks and crevasses at Craters of the Moon National Monument disappear, leaving a clean, fresh look.

Pocatellan Roger Boe has skied on the groomed track at Craters of the Moon dozens of times. Recently he took a snowshoeing tour to photograph the monument in the winter.

"It was just heaven. This place is beautiful in the winter," he said. "Winter isolates. Each tree is a thing of beauty."

Visitors are sparse during the winter at Craters of the Moon, but Park Service ecologist Doug Owen says it can be just as much fun.

"It's a very different terrain," he says. "Where else can you snowshoe or ski to the summit of a volcano?"

Skiers and snowshoers can find plenty of places to explore at the monument. It's easy to see for miles from the top of the Inferno Cone, just off the main ski track.

Owens cautions visitors not to stray from designated routes onto the lava flows, however. Snow can cover up crevasses that can swallow up unknowing skiers and snowshoers.

The cave area is also off limits in the winter.

"Rescue would be an utter nightmare," Owens says.

It's normally hard to spot animals at Craters of the Moon, and winter is no exception, Owen says. In the winter, however, animals leave behind tracks, making it easy to see evidence that they are there.

During the winter months, Owen takes visitors on a winter ecology snowshoe tour of the monument. Registration for the tour is filled as soon as it is announced in the fall, and people come from across the West to learn more about winter ecology.

During the tour, participants learn how to identify different tracks and droppings. They also learn how to identify the plants that are dormant but still alive in the cold, harsh climate.

The tour also comes with a bit of information on avalanche safety. Although it looks relatively flat, avalanches have occurred at the monument on the cones, and it's best to be careful, Owens says.

Motor vehicles aren't allowed in the park in the winter, and the seven-mile loop road is groomed every week for skiers and snowshoers. It takes between two and four hours to ski the loop.

Travis Unruh of Moore and his family come to the monument often during the winter. A few weeks ago he brought his daughter, Sage, 5, to learn to cross country ski. In just a few minutes she seemed to have it under control and was gliding down the road.

Unruh said he loved coming to Craters in the winter, when there were few people but plenty of things to see.

"It's beautiful," he said.

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