The Armchair Traveler Ritual
Before we step onto this alien landscape, set the scene: Turn up the heater in your room, turn on a loud fan to simulate the roaring wind, and imagine the harsh, metallic crunch of black lava rock beneath your hiking boots. Get ready to descend into the belly of the earth!
🎵 Shauna's Soundtrack
To match the epic, ancient, and slightly foreboding energy of these massive lava fields, I highly recommend playing "The Titan" by Scott Buckley in the background while you read!
⚡ The Quick Scoop
The Vibe: An otherworldly, pitch-black sea of ancient lava flows, cinder cones, and deep underground caves that feel completely alien.
Must See: The blue, iridescent "Dragon's Skin" lava flows, and the descent into the massive Indian Tunnel.
Accessibility: ♿ While some main overlooks are paved, exploring the caves and climbing the cinder cones involves steep, incredibly sharp, and uneven volcanic rock.
Shauna's Rating: 💎💎💎💎💎 (5 out of 5 Diamonds for being truly out of this world!)
What if a legend was so powerful it left behind its own physical proof? You come to a place like Craters of the Moon expecting nothing but a wasteland of dead, black rock. But if you look closely, you find something else entirely. You find the skin of the dragon.
This was the question that echoed in my mind as I stepped out onto the vast, alien landscape of Craters of the Moon in Idaho. I honestly didn't know if I would enjoy this park—how exciting can 600 square miles of just lava be? I soon learned it can be *very* cool.
The Shoshone people spoke of a great serpent whose furious battle with lightning shaped this land. For me, that legend became the perfect guide. We were determined to follow the trail of the dragon, and in its story, uncover the violent, fiery birth of this amazing place. This project was more than just a video; it was a true adventure filled with incredible discoveries and a story that felt like it was being whispered directly from the land itself.
👇 Choose Your Path
The Local Legend: The Great Serpent
To truly appreciate the violence of this landscape, you have to look at it through the eyes of those who have lived here for thousands of years. The Shoshone people have a legend that perfectly explains the chaos of the Craters.
🐉 The Serpent and the Lightning
The legend tells of a massive, ancient serpent that lived on the mountain. One day, a furious storm rolled in, and the serpent was struck by a powerful bolt of lightning. Enraged, the giant snake coiled itself around the mountain, squeezing it so tightly with its massive body that the earth literally cracked open, bursting into liquid fire and raining destruction across the entire valley!
When you stand at the top of Inferno Cone and look out over the miles and miles of jagged, rolling black rock that looks exactly like petrified scales, it is incredibly easy to believe that a giant serpent truly raged across this land.
This dragon-shaped lava rock, now a canvas for bright yellow lichen, is a perfect symbol of the park.
The Golden Nugget: The Dragon's Breath
My #1 tip for Craters of the Moon isn't about water or shoes—it's about the wind. From the moment you step onto the lava, a relentless, roaring wind is your constant companion. It’s so powerful it feels personal, like a living presence. We came to call it the "Dragon's Breath," as if the sleeping giant was trying to warn us away from its secrets.
🎬 Behind the Scenes: The Missing Mic!
This "dragon's breath" actually became a huge challenge for me during production! While we were exploring, we stopped to help a stranded traveler. In the chaotic, windy rush of helping them out, the unthinkable happened: I lost my high-end, expensive surround-sound microphone to the park!
It was devastating. All my pristine, professional audio was gone. I was so upset. But later, while sitting in the editing room, I realized something profound: the harsh, roaring wind audio that I *did* manage to capture with my backup mic wasn't a flaw. It was the story. This wasn't a bug; it was a feature! We wove the roaring "dragon's breath" into the entire narrative of the video, and it made the adventure feel so much more real and gritty.
The Dragon's Back (The Surface)
Our physical journey started by climbing onto what felt like the dragon's very back: the summit of Inferno Cone. It is a short, steep hike straight up a hill made entirely of black volcanic cinders. Up here, the wind was a physical force, a constant roar.
The entire landscape is a monument to the earth's furious struggle. We found "Breadcrust Bombs" (massive chunks of lava that expanded and cracked like bread crust as they flew through the air) and jagged formations that looked exactly like the throat of a sleeping lava monster.
👻 The Ghostly Forest & Todd's Quick Wit
We next tackled the Tree Molds Trail. Honestly, it started out seeming a bit unexciting. But it quickly turned into a fascinating treasure hunt! We found the ghostly, hollowed-out imprints of ancient trees—places where lava wrapped completely around a living tree, burning the wood away but leaving a perfect, petrified mold of its bark in the rock!
Walking up to a massive tree mold laying on its side, I was so curious to touch it. It was surprisingly smooth, perfectly retaining the fun bumps and texture of the ancient tree bark, yet it was petrified hard and very hot to the touch from the blazing sun.
These molds have scale-like features that look exactly like a huge serpent snake! Seeing them, you understand instantly how the legends started—it looks like the lava had a literal battle with an evil serpent. Right as we were looking at them, Todd cracked one of his silly, quick-witted jokes. He is always so hilarious, and I sometimes feel bad that I haven't managed to capture his funny character on video, especially now that my videos focus on quiet "Slow TV" without talking. But trust me, he keeps me laughing on the trail!
🧭 The Explorer's Plight
Looking out at this insane, jagged terrain while standing by the hot tree molds, I realized how impossible it must have been for early explorers to navigate this huge expanse. Honestly, trekking through miles of sharp, shoe-shredding lava rock might be even harder than wandering through a flat desert!
The ghostly, hollowed-out imprint of an ancient tree bark preserved in lava.
The Dragon's Veins (The Descent)
The greatest secrets of this park, however, are hidden completely from sight. We descended the metal stairs into the Indian Tunnel, and the world immediately changed. The roaring dragon's breath was silenced, replaced by an ancient, heavy, cool stillness.
It truly felt like we were walking through the hollowed-out veins of the beast. This massive lava tube was created when the outer crust of a lava river cooled and hardened, while the super-heated magma inside kept flowing, eventually draining out and leaving a giant tunnel behind.
🧗♀️ The Scramble to the Light
We saw massive scars where the roof of the tunnel had collapsed over the centuries, letting huge beams of sunlight pierce the darkness. The path forward through the tunnel wasn't a grand, paved doorway. Eventually, it turned into a rugged scramble.
To get out, we had to navigate our way up, finding one stable boulder to step on, then reaching for another one higher up. The exit was a small, round hole directly above our heads—it felt incredibly dramatic and was such a cool way to emerge! The contrast was wild: down in the lava tunnels, the rocks were worn pretty smooth, but the second we popped out of that hole, it was like, Oh yeah, look at the lava. The texture instantly changed back to that sharp, unforgiving crust.
Looking down into the massive maw of Indian Tunnel.
Left: The Dragon's Veins. Right: The pitch-black back of the tunnel (only for hardcore spelunkers!).
360° VR & Cinematic Tours
I've created two versions of this story: a cinematic film and a fully immersive 360° experience (coming Nov 11th!). Grab your headset for the 360 video if you have one—it's the absolute best way to feel the dragon's breath!
🔎 VR Video Treasure Hunt!
- 🔎 The Dragon's Eye: Find the shot where it looks exactly like you are staring into the throat of a lava monster!
- 🔎 The Dragon's Ghost: Spot the ghostly, hollowed-out imprint of the ancient tree in the lava.
- 🔎 The Dragon's Heart: Look for the broken, heart-shaped rock that holds the film's message.
- 🔎 The Dragon's Egg: Find the final, mysterious secret the land shared with us at the end of the video!
Cinematic Journey: The Dragon in the Stone
Immersive VR 360° Journey
For the best experience, wear headphones to hear the wind!
Interactive Adventure Map
Would you like to chase the Dragon here at Craters of the Moon? I've compiled all my favorite spots, trailheads, and photo ops into this custom Google Map to help you plan your trip! (I highly recommend downloading this map to your phone, as cell service out here is very spotty!)
Inside the Big Cinder Cone Volcano.
The Explorer's Trail Guide
🗺️ Adventure at a Glance
- 🏞️ Location: Craters of the Moon National Monument, Idaho
- 🥾 Activity: Exploring lava fields, cinder cones, and massive lava tubes.
- 📏 Distance: Varies (Inferno Cone is ~0.4 mi, Indian Tunnel is ~1.6 mi)
- ⭐ Shauna's Rating: 💎💎💎💎💎 (Truly alien and otherworldly)
- ⛰️ Difficulty: Easy, with some light, dark scrambling in the caves.
🎒 What's in My Pack?
For this specific, harsh volcanic adventure, these are the 3 items I wouldn't leave home without:
Headlamps
You will absolutely need a real headlamp (not just a weak phone light!) to explore the Indian Tunnel and other lava tubes safely.
Sturdy Shoes
Lava rock is incredibly sharp, jagged, and unforgiving. Close-toed, thick-soled hiking shoes or boots are a strict necessity.
Tons of Water
There is almost zero shade on the surface trails, and the black rock radiates the summer heat. Carry more water than you think you will need!
🦇 The Mandatory Cave Permit
Crucial Step: You MUST get a free (but mandatory) cave permit from the Visitor Center before entering ANY lava tubes. This is a quick screening process to help prevent the spread of White-Nose Syndrome, a fungus which is incredibly fatal to the local bat populations! Please protect the bats!
Shauna's Blessing: A Beautiful Future
For all the epic Shoshone legends and massive volcanoes, the real magic of this trip was found in the small, quiet moments. After miles of stark, powerful black rock, I found a small rock shaped exactly like a broken heart.
"The most beautiful things don't grow in spite of the broken places. They grow *because* of them."
✨ The Dragon's Egg
Around the time I filmed this, it felt like so many people were losing hope, feeling like there was no way the world would get better or find its way back to a bright future. But that broken heart rock proved the land's deepest secret: our own scars and broken hearts are not just damage; they are the exact places where our resilience takes root.
As our journey ended, the land gave us one final secret... a promise. A rock that looked perfectly like a dragon's egg. It represents a choice. It asks us to believe that the future isn't permanently written in stone. Holding onto a vision of a beautiful future is what helps me stay happy. It helps me hold onto Joy each day, even when the world outside feels a little too crazy and worrisome. I choose to believe in a world where seeds of hope can heal, and I hope you'll choose to believe in it, too.
✨ Ask the Volcanic Guide
Curious about the Shoshone serpent legend, the lost microphone blooper, or the dramatic round-hole cave exit? Ask our AI Guide!
The Magic is Yours
Craters of the Moon is proof that even in a landscape born of absolute fire and destruction, life and beauty find a way to return. I hope this VR journey inspires you to explore the alien worlds right here on Earth, to protect your headlamps in the caves, and to always look for the seeds of hope in the ashes.
🐉 Easter Egg Hunt: Did you spot the hidden Dragon emoji in today's story? Tell me where you found it in the comments!
Sending Love and Positive Vibes,
Shauna @ VRGetaway
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