The visit. From I-40 the paved access road leads you to the
visitor building, parking area and RV park, all located on the west side of
the crater.
After paying the entrance fee you'll see an original NASA Apollo training capsule
right in front of the main building of the visitor center with the very
interesting Museum of Astrogeology, an Astronaut Wall of Fame, a wide screen
movie theater where the movie "Collisions and Impact" is shown, a gift shop
and a fast food area - not to forget you will see and can touch a 1,406 lb
meteorite, the largest ever found in this area.
Visitor Center
Center area of the crater
(enlargeable)
The provided educational program is absolutely stunning but the most
interesting part of the visit is of course the crater itself. So head out
to the rim and enjoy the stunning views into the crater from several view
points.
To get a better idea of the size of this impact crater look through the
provided binoculars at the highest viewpoint and look down to the center of
the crater. There you will see on the front right corner of a fenced in area
a US flag and a symbolized human size astronaut.
Enlarge the above right photo to see the center area and compare this
picture with the enlarged panorama photo. That will give you a first idea.
There is also a short tour provided along the rim.
Tipp: If you would not like to look against the sun from the viewpoints
do not visit the crater in the early morning hours. The best time seems to be
around noon till mid afternoon. Then the shadow of the rim does not get to
far into the crater.
Source: info from the visit at the Meteor Crater All information: as of spring 2004
Links to websites and information about the
Meteor Crater (links open in a new window):
Meteor Crater Visitor Center & RV Park, official website
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Meteor Crater provided by meteorite.com
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