Located just minutes from Interstate 40 in Northern Arizona near Winslow, Meteor Crater is the breath-taking result of a collision between an asteroid traveling 26,000 miles per hour and planet Earth approximately 50,000 years ago. Nearly one mile across, this is the world’s best preserved meteorite impact site.

This huge crater is 1,200m in diameter and 170m deep. It’s privately owned and so there is an admission charge to gain access. The visitor center on the north rim houses several interactive exhibits and many artifacts including a 1,406 pound meteorite found in the area.

The views offered from the north rim are spectacular - the scale just cannot be appreciated from photographs. It's not only the views of the crater that are awe-inspiring, but the views offered outside; of vast prairies and distant mountain ranges that add extra value to this stop. Guided tours will take you on a hike of the rim. The winds can get pretty intense and you'll want to wear comfortable shoes/boots if you want to go for this option.

There are a few fun photo opportunities in the Meteor Crater visitor center including the option to pretend to stand in the center of the crater (an option not available to you in reality), and an Apollo Space Capsule (lunar astronauts trained here).