- San Francisco Peaks
Composite or stratovolcanoes have sharp peaks or less steep sides. Mount St. Helens, Mount Fuji, and the San Francisco Peaks, seen here in the distance, are examples of this classic volcano type. - Survival in Extremes
Notice the different patterns of vegetation around you. Volcanic eruptions alter plant communities, destroying some, creating new habitat for others, and changing growth rates for those remaining. On the lava flow in front of you most soil has come from wind-blown material that collects in cracks and holds water. Consequently, soil and moisture vary dramatically across the flow. And, since seeds blow in, colonization is quite random. Classic succession with lichens breaking down rock into soil, and plants returning in predictable sequence is not occurring here. As plants return to the barren landscape, so do the animals that use the plants for food and shelter. Many animals that live here are nocturnal. Some take shelter in the lava flow. Others blend in so well with their surroundings that they are difficult to spot. A careful observer may see evidence such as tracks or droppings. - Introduction to the Trail
A sculpture garden of extraordinary shapes and forms awaits you on this walk through the lava flow and cinder fields. This moderate (1 mile, 1.6 km) trail has rough surfaces and takes you through lava flows and cinder barrens to the base - not to the top - of Sunset Crater. In person, you need water and sturdy footwear. There is also an alternate 1/4-mile (0.4 km), easy, wheelchair accessible paved loop.
Throughout this virtual trail guide, you will find benchmark pages and interpretive station pages. The benchmarks are those numbered in the guidebook, and the interpretative stations are text and photo displays placed along the trail itself. - Penstemon
Along the perimeter of the flow, a unique microhabitat for plants exists. In places, water collects on the surface of the flow and is then channeled through fractures to the edge where it locally benefits plants. White-barked aspen trees grow around the perimeter of the flow and along fracture systems. In area of deep cinder, like the dunes in the distance to your left, specialized plants have evolved. The Sunset Crater penstemon evolved new traits which allow it to live on cinder soils but also make this endemic plant dependent on this habitat. It cannot survive elsewhere.