We spotted these craters from the air a few years ago and I have always wanted to see them up close. My son Jim did the google earth thingy and we worked out a plan to drive there. The road left a lot to be desired, it was more like a boulder field than a road, but we crawled in and found the big holes in the ground. There is some dispute as to whether these are meteors craters of volcanic calderas. If you look from the air there is no doubt, I vote meteor. The rocks and terrain says the same thing to me. I have to wonder why this place is not a major tourist destination, it is a very cool place. The road in would make me think that it gets almost no visitors.
This first photo is of the west crater. It is in level desert land and lava rock. The thing is about .35 miles across and 250 feet deep.
[attachment 130695 P6240312.JPG]
This is the same crater with Jim standing in on the edge.
[attachment 130696 P6240317.JPG]
We hiked around this crater and found a lot of rocks that speak of a very violent event.
This is one of the many local lava rocks that show signs of being re-melted on the surface by some type of explosion. You can see the melted material on the surface of the rock.
[attachment 130697 P6240320.JPG]
We stopped for lunch and I gave Elson a call on the cell phone to tell him where I was. It was at this time that I ate my first grits. Jim had made me some grits and put them in at thermos to keep them hot. Not to bad.
Talking to Elson and eating grits in the desert parked between two meteor craters. That don't happen every day! 
After lunch we hiked over to the other side of the craters to get some picts of the both of them from one angle. This is the Idaho desert, and no trip is complete without finding a little wildlife. Jim and I were walking through the rocks with the usual caution that snake country requires when he heard the dreaded "Buzz" next to us. This is one of the biggest rattlers I have ever seen. Though I did not get a pict of him before he coiled up under this rock, he was close to 6 feet and as thick as my wrist. I never wear earphones when hunting like this! Here he is...
[attachment 130699 P6240327.JPG]
This is a photo of the east crater. If you look close you can see my blue truck on the opposite side in the center of the photo.
[attachment 130700 P6240329.JPG]
The west crater is very close to the east one. You can not see down into it in this photo, but you can see where it is.
[attachment 130701 P6240330.JPG]
We brought home a lot of neat rock samples and a few detecting finds from the Indian wars era, but the best thing was the scenery. Hope you liked the trip. DC
This first photo is of the west crater. It is in level desert land and lava rock. The thing is about .35 miles across and 250 feet deep.
[attachment 130695 P6240312.JPG]
This is the same crater with Jim standing in on the edge.
[attachment 130696 P6240317.JPG]
We hiked around this crater and found a lot of rocks that speak of a very violent event.
This is one of the many local lava rocks that show signs of being re-melted on the surface by some type of explosion. You can see the melted material on the surface of the rock.
[attachment 130697 P6240320.JPG]
We stopped for lunch and I gave Elson a call on the cell phone to tell him where I was. It was at this time that I ate my first grits. Jim had made me some grits and put them in at thermos to keep them hot. Not to bad.
Talking to Elson and eating grits in the desert parked between two meteor craters. That don't happen every day! After lunch we hiked over to the other side of the craters to get some picts of the both of them from one angle. This is the Idaho desert, and no trip is complete without finding a little wildlife. Jim and I were walking through the rocks with the usual caution that snake country requires when he heard the dreaded "Buzz" next to us. This is one of the biggest rattlers I have ever seen. Though I did not get a pict of him before he coiled up under this rock, he was close to 6 feet and as thick as my wrist. I never wear earphones when hunting like this! Here he is...[attachment 130699 P6240327.JPG]
This is a photo of the east crater. If you look close you can see my blue truck on the opposite side in the center of the photo.
[attachment 130700 P6240329.JPG]
The west crater is very close to the east one. You can not see down into it in this photo, but you can see where it is.
[attachment 130701 P6240330.JPG]
We brought home a lot of neat rock samples and a few detecting finds from the Indian wars era, but the best thing was the scenery. Hope you liked the trip. DC