This Route 66 volcano faked an eruption for a 1959 Hollywood film, and October opens the season to hike into it

Most people flying across the Mojave on I-40 have no idea they’re passing a real volcano. Amboy Crater sits just off old Route 66, a near-perfect black cone rising out of a sea of frozen lava, and you can walk right into the middle of it for free.

It even has a Hollywood résumé. For the 1959 film Journey to the Center of the Earth, the crew set fires inside the cone to fake an eruption, and the crater stood in for both an Icelandic volcano and Italy’s Stromboli on screen.

The catch? Summer out here is brutal, and the Bureau of Land Management suggests planning hikes between October and April. Which means the window to go is opening right now.

What you’re actually looking at

Amboy Crater is a cinder cone, 250 feet tall and 1,500 feet across, built from layers of ash and cinders. Its most recent eruption was roughly 10,000 years ago, which puts it in one of the youngest volcanic fields in the United States.

Look at the west side and you’ll see where the crater wall blew open. Lava poured out of that breach and spread across about 24 square miles, leaving behind pressure ridges, squeeze-ups, and bowl-shaped sinks that make the ground look like a burnt brownie the size of a small city.

The crater was named a National Natural Landmark in 1973, around the same time Interstate 40 pulled most of the traffic off this stretch of Route 66. Before that, generations of road-trippers pulled over here just so they could say they’d climbed a real volcano.

Hiking into the crater

The trail starts at the day-use parking area and crosses the lava field before swinging around to the west side of the cone. Plan on 4.1 miles round trip with about 423 feet of elevation gain, and a moderate rating overall.

Most of it is flat, so the real work saves itself for the end. You’ll walk in through the breach and tackle a short, steep push of about 80 feet up loose cinders to reach the rim.

Then the whole thing opens up. Below you sits a solidified lava lake, and around you there’s nothing but black rock, pale desert flats, and far-off mountains in every direction!

My take: walk the rim. The loop around the top is where the scale finally lands, and turning back at the first viewpoint is like leaving a movie right before the ending.

Not up for the full hike? A shaded overlook with benches sits a short walk from the parking lot, with a clean view of the cone and no lava scrambling required.

Know this before you go

This is remote desert, and the BLM is blunt about it: little to no cell service, emergency help far away, and temperatures that climb quickly by early afternoon. There’s no running water at the site either, so read the BLM’s Amboy Crater page for their full guidance before you head out.

The lava rock along the trail is sharp, so sturdy shoes earn their spot here. Rattlesnakes call this place home too, which is one more reason to stay on the marked route.

Getting there is half the fun. From I-40, take Kelbaker Road south to National Trails Highway (that’s old Route 66), then head east to Crater Road and look for the entrance kiosk. The site sits roughly halfway between Barstow and Needles, with two small paved parking lots.

Make it a full volcano day

One lava field not enough? North of I-40, inside Mojave National Preserve, the Mojave Lava Tube lets you climb down a ladder into a cave where beams of sunlight pour through holes in the ceiling.

The dirt road out to the lava tube can be rough, so give yourself extra time. Pair the two and you’ve got a volcanic crater in the morning and an underground lava cave in the afternoon, which is a pretty great way to spend a cool desert day.

Trip tips: grab a rental car to get out here, lock in your hotel before the good rooms are gone, or skip both and book a camper van and turn it into a full desert road trip.

So, would you hike into a Mojave volcano, or is the shaded overlook more your speed? Tell us in the comments.

Rules and fees change, so always confirm current requirements before you go.

Sharing is caring!