Meteor Crater

This place is cool, but it is a bit pricey unless you are military. It is like others have said a hole in the ground, but if you realize that the hole in the ground was made by a meteor and read up on the history of what happened then it is quite interesting. If you just go and look at the hole and not read and explore the inside museum then it will be quite boring. If you are not into reading and learning about this type of stuff then skip it or you will be disappointed. I actually thought it was very interesting and fascinating. Now, if they would let you climb down into the crater itself then it would be awesome, but you are limited to only the rim.

On a road trip, so what the heck. We went, we saw, we conquered. It is a little pricey to see a hole in the ground. However, the gallery inside is full of interesting information. Beware of the cows as you are driving there.

This is a cool place to visit while in Arizona. It’s one of the best preserved meteor sites in the world. The crater itself is huge, and is about as close to a circle as it could be. You could get very good views and photos from one of the many observation decks they have. Many good info and photos inside about the site and meteors in general. Only downside, in my opinion, was the steep entry price. Almost $ 20 a person.

Drove the 45 out of Flagstaff to see the Meteor Crater. We were worried the kids (4, 6, 9) would be underwhelmed by the crater. But it was well worth the drive and the kids loved it. The movie and museum were great. We did not do the guided tour but still enjoyed seeing the crater from the observation decks. We bought a few cool souvenirs. Overall a cool do it once experience.

I rate this a 4 because I had a great time. While it is $ 18 for adults I appreciate seeing what a meteor did in person. My son (age 10) has interest in space and science, found the experience amazing. He was moved by the impact left to our Earth and the site sparks questions on what the force would conpare to. The staff were friendly and answered questions. Also the telescopes don’t require quarters and aren’t timed so that is a plus:) I recommend taking kids and going if you are into space.

Not pet friendly. You can’t bring your dog into the private meteor park. The pet area is outdoors, outside the gate, and all pets must be attended by owners at all times. The extreme AZ heat means that you can’t leave pets safely in the car, so you have two options: one member of your family has to miss the attraction to wait outside with your pet or you have to leave. We saw five angry pet owners with dogs all drive away without seeing the site in the 5 min we figured this out then left ourselves. Very poor indeed, especially with most visitors bringing pets on family trips to the Grand Canyon, etc. Terrible planning for a tourist site.
Why you can’t pay to walk around the crater with your dog is beyond me. Save your money for somewhere that cares about their guests.

Admission is $ 18 per person. I think this is highway robbery and they are 6 miles away from it. We passed on this and I am $ 36 ahead.
Meh!

Beautiful private facility. Very good displays. Only place like it in the world. My wife was not interested and stayed behind. Witness numerous families entering and leaving because of cost. Glad owners of crator built a first class facility. Could be much worst.
Makes you appreciate National park service.

My kids have been reading about space and we found out we have a crater right in our own backyard. Pretty amazing to think this happened here and all that has been learned about the site. If you have kids or family interested in science, space and asteroids — great place to spend a few hours.

This was on my bucket list. I am so happy I got to go see it. It truly makes a person feel small in the vastness of things. It was extremely beautiful and impressively large. We also visited the museum and gift shop. They also have a Subway if you are hungry. There was a wealth of information on the crater and also others that have been known to hit the Earth and other planets. The prices are steep so be prepared to bring a lot of money! It is also extremely windy so make sure you hang on to those little kids!

This isn’t going to be a review of this crater so much as it is going to be a question to raise discussion within the Unilocal community. The question is:
Why do we allow natural wonders of planet Earth to be privately owned?
The fact is this crater is a natural geological and extraterrestrial wonder. And one of a kind, given it’s pristine condition. As such, it should be experienced by any and all human beings at an affordable OR free of charge. It’s like charging me to simply take a peek at the Grand Canyon.
Why do we allow this to happen? What can be done to stop it? I don’t have these answers but I know that this Unilocal community is made of many a smart motherfucker and so I’m thinking someone somewhere has an idea that would benefit all parties involved.
Thank you,
Jonesy

First, understand that this tour was free for me because my wife and I are both Active duty military. I know that the cost for what you get is what drives the poor reviews, but for me it was a non issue thus, the higher rating; however, too be fair it is a hole in the ground so for me some of the reviews were a bit ridiculous.
This is a privately owned site so you can’t see anything from the road or the parking lot and will need to pay to get in and look around.
At the end of the day it is a hole in the ground with some viewing platforms. I have wanted to visit this site since watching Starman as a kid. Ultimately we were there for 20 minute staring at a hole but for me it fulfilled a lifelong dream.

We stopped here on our way to Snowflake Arizona. We watched a movie about the meteor crater and saw the meteor crater in various views. It’s a pretty cool sight and glad we stopped here.

This place was a major disappointment. Save yourself the long drive and just Google it. Feel like I was lured all the way out here with the ads and 1610AM station. $ 18 for entrance, which wasn’t advertised until I got here. Too expensive for what you get.

This is an average tourist location/​trap.
But, if you like space, NASA, geology, sciencey-​Big Bang Theory places — this is YOUR place Dr. Howard Wollowitz!
It’s a big hole and yet so much more.
There is a tour to explain the history and significance of the meteor. A rocket capsule onsite lets you imagine what it was like being in that cramped space.

Unfortunately this place is such a waste of $ 18! I figured before making the 45 minute drive this way it would be ok to drop like 5 – 8 bucks to see… well a huge hole in the ground. Upon arriving we find out it was quite a bit more expensive then we were expecting, and almost didn’t go in. Well I’ve spent more on stupider things so of course my two buddies and I bit the bullet and went in. They had an old Apollo mission capsule that you can stand in front of and take a picture, they had a museum, a gift shop and a… subway? That was kind of strange. Anyhow what bothered me about this place is this as follows.
First, they have a video that you can watch that talks about unlocking the mystery of the crater. After wasting 15 minutes of my life watching this video they never did reveal the secret. They touched on a few small facts but didn’t get into anything of any value for the effort of the video. Afterwards you can go out and finally the big reveal. The hole in the earth!
Granted its pretty impressive to see this huge hole that is almost 2 miles wide, but after about 10 seconds you kinda get the idea. This brings me to my second point that irritated the shit out of me. They have these telescopes that are fixed on certain key points of interest like pieces to the old mine that are inside the crater, that were never talked about in the video. Well all but about 3 of the telescopes actually worked. They had dust caked up inside the housing over the eyepiece. You would think if your charging someone nearly $ 20 to see the crater that your telescopes can get some maintenance every now and then.
Ultimately this place is pretty dated. Its a huge facility that they built for I’m guessing old NASA research from back in the day, but aside from all the tourists, and the subway restaurant, there isn’t even much going on here. In a nutshell, if your reading this thinking of driving here. Unless you absolutely love science and want to make your own assumptions about the secrets of meteor crater, then save your gas and drive up to see the volcano, and the ruins instead!

Channeling my inner Howard Wolowitz. The museum is a bit pricey ($ 18/​person) but if you love geology or astronomy, it is well worth it.
The size of the creator is impressive, but even more astounding is learning more about its origins (how in less than 10 seconds this massive crater was formed more than 50,000 years ago, and is so well preserved today.) The video shown in the museum is very informative, and the museum is great, too. There are big renovations planned off the next 2 years, and it will be incredible to see the impact and new resources created!

Pretty cool if you’re a science nerd like me. I really liked how you’re able to see it on your own and avoid the tour if you don’t want to take it. The rock shop staff were nice too, despite the crystals needing to be cleaned. They were also a smidge overpriced, but I understand markups when you’re in the middle of nowhere.
Enjoyed the film when you initially get there, was informative and helped the size perspective to sink in.
The tour guide who did a mini talk was great too!

A BIG hole in the ground!
If you enjoy geology, astronomy, or mysteries of the cosmos in general, you will get a kick out of this. Otherwise save yourself the $ 18 per adult fee ($ 16 for senior citizens)! I have been there about 4 times over the span of 20+ years, and my first stop was by far the most interesting and the cheapest! Inflation has taken its toll since my first visit.
The visitor center is very interesting and has plenty of stuff to look at and there is a Subway if you are hungry and dig a sandwich, but other than that it is pretty much all about the big hole in the ground and there is only so many minutes you can stare at it!

Yes, it’s a REALLY BIG CRATER! And it’s off the beaten path. And for those that bring this up, it’s $ 18 per person (without a discount). One more thing, there’s a really nice museum inside.
Is it all worth the drive and the entrance fee? I would emphatically say, YES!
The view is beautiful, The Crater is well preserved. The museum is well laid out. And where it is located is simply so serene. It is just a wonderful experience.
I’ve been a tourist in nearly every state, and in many countries; and have paid far more and gotten far less. But, this was definitely worth seeing.
I was actually flying down the freeway, and my wife was asleep. But, we hit a bump on the road and jostled her awake and she saw the sign — Meteor Crater ahead. And that’s all she wrote!
We got there with about 35 minutes left until closing, and it was still worth the entrance fee.
Plus, part of the proceeds goes to science research anyway; and that is definitely worth it as far as we were concerned.
It was enjoyable, and the views all around, besides the meteor were breathtaking!
Definitely a must see.