Flagstaff
Published on Oct 5, 2006 at 11:32 am.
4 Comments.
Filed under travel.
This past weekend the local newspaper had a large article on Flagstaff on the cover of the Travel Section of the Sunday paper. Well, I read through it, and the article talked about how wonderful Flagstaff is to visit and how much there is to do there. It talked about biking, hiking, camping, etc. It went on about all the volcanic features in the area. It mentioned that it isn’t too far from the Grand Canyon. It raved about how much there was in the area to see in order to appreciate the beauty of nature. Then it ended.
Huh?!? I thought that I’d missed something. Nope. This quite long article missed out on two wonderful things to see and do in the Flagstaff area! Both are astronomy oriented, so this sort of is a hint that the reporter didn’t think much of astronomy. Well, I already know that this paper doesn’t really think a lot of astronomy from how they cover astronomy news in the area. So, what are these two things to see and do in Flagstaff?
Well, first, since the article was going on and on about geological wonders to go look at, I was shocked that they didn’t include Barringer Crater in the article — at all. Barringer Crater is a wonderful example of a well preserved impact crater on the Earth’s surface. A while back, I wrote a blog about the crater just west of Odessa, Texas. Well, that crater is mostly filled be erosion, and it isn’t so impressive to look at. Barringer Crater is different. It is also much bigger. It is quite impressive. And, it is only a few miles east of Flagstaff. As for geology, it is wonderful, because the impact turned back and exposed many layers of rocks. And it is a meteorite crater! You can see lots of volcanos around the Earth, but how many well preserved meteorite craters are this easy to get to? The Odessa Crater is a county park, and it is free to visit. Barringer Crater is privately owned, and there is an admisison charge. I looked at their web site, but I didn’t find the current admission price anywhere. It used to be $15, which was really very reasonable for what you got.
Now, 
the other attraction missed is Lowell Observatory. This is where Pluto was found! OK, even if it isn’t a planet, it is famous! And Lowell Observatory has been involved in a great many very famous and important research projects. Many of the big names in astronomy have done research there. And research is still going on at Lowell! This is a working observatory and a museum. 
Surely you can’t miss this! And admission is only $5! That’s hard to beat. You can go in the day and tour the facilities, see the telescope that found Pluto, and look at some of the many things on display. It is quite an educational experience. And, there are occasional night visits available. You can actually look at the sky from atop the mountain! The only word of caution is that the altitude of the observatory is over 7000 feet above sea level. If you are not used to that sort of altitude, then take it easy. Oh, and Lowell isn’t hard to get to from Flagstaff — it is in Flagstaff! Well, OK, it is on a mountain adjacent to the city, but the road leading to the observatory leads there from right near downtown!
So, if you are in the Flagstaff area, then make sure that you take in these two astronomical sights. If you are reading my blog, then I am sure that you’d love them!
-Astroprof
dawn on October 7, 2006 at 11:30 am: 1
I agree about both of them. However, Barringer’s is more than a few miles east of Flag AND it’s quite expensive to visit. It’s cool - no doubt about it.
Lowell is lovely. I enjoy going up there whenever I get the chance.
Astroprof on October 7, 2006 at 3:25 pm: 2
Well, “a few miles” is relative, I guess. If you fly into Flagstaff, then Barringer is quite far. If you are driving through, then it is less than an hour away, and I’d call that a few miles. As for price, like I said, I don’t know the current price, but I figure that one should see it at least once.
Flygirl on October 8, 2006 at 2:33 pm: 3
I love Flagstaff!!! I went to Riddle in Prescott so we used to take little road trips up there. Your right, Barringer’s is amazing. I have yet to go to Lowell but I will now that I know about it!
Furious Ferret on October 27, 2006 at 9:26 pm: 4
There is so much to do around the Flagstaff area, that it would be impossible to list it all in little newspaper article.
That being said, the drive out to the crater is well worth it. The crater is HUGE! But you can not go down and walk in the crater. There is a museum built on the rim, and there are viewing platforms and a few short trails.
And, of course, there is a good-sized souvenir shop.