Hiking The Tree Molds Trail In Craters of the Moon National Monument

The Tree Molds Trail is located in Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve in Idaho.

This easy two-mile out-and-back hike only has around 140 feet of elevation gain.

This trail winds through stands of limber pine in the Craters of the Moon Wilderness before reaching the edge of the Blue Dragon Flow.

The trail ends at the unique geological feature known as tree molds.

Tree molds are formed when still molten lava flow knocks down and ignites trees. These tree trunks then leave impressions in the lava rock.

There are two tree molds at the end of the trail.

One is a vertical tree mold and the other is an impression of a fallen tree. Both are marked with signs so you won’t miss them.

I wasn’t too impressed with the tree molds (picture above for reference). The hubby thought they were cool though.

Despite being underwhelmed by the tree molds I still really enjoyed the hike. Along the way, you get to see a small crater and trek through an expansive lava field.

This is a fun and easy hike you shouldn’t miss during your visit to the park.

If you want to do a bit more hiking the Broken Top Loop Trail also starts in this parking lot. It’s supposed to be nice and is 1.8 miles long. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to hike it.