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In the background between the two visitor centers you can see three windmill blades; altho I didn't really notice at the time I took this picture. Otherwise, I would have tried to get a picture. It is amazing that I've seen two windmills between Butte and here.
Anyway, these are very nice rest areas and there is hiking on both north and southbound. The southbound has the longer trail though. My video: [ youtube video ]
Molten rock, forced upward for 30 to 50 miles through fissures in the earth, has cooled into the hard lava found here.
Continued pressure from below has made great cracks in the contorted surface. This lava solidified only a few thousand years ago, and not very much soil covers it yet. But vegetation is getting a start, and unless new flows intervene, windblown soils will cover these rock layers. Then the surface here will look the same as the surrounding plains, which also are layers of lava and windblown soils.
Anyway, these are very nice rest areas and there is hiking on both north and southbound. The southbound has the longer trail though. My video: [ youtube video ]
Molten rock, forced upward for 30 to 50 miles through fissures in the earth, has cooled into the hard lava found here.
Continued pressure from below has made great cracks in the contorted surface. This lava solidified only a few thousand years ago, and not very much soil covers it yet. But vegetation is getting a start, and unless new flows intervene, windblown soils will cover these rock layers. Then the surface here will look the same as the surrounding plains, which also are layers of lava and windblown soils.