Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, National monument in Coconino County, Arizona, United States.

Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument protects Sunset Crater, a cinder cone that erupted between 1040 and 1100 and is the most recent and least eroded of the 600 volcanoes in the San Francisco Volcanic Field. The cone rises above dark lava and ash, and about half of the area affected by the eruption remains bare. Pinyon pine, ponderosa pine and poplar have grown there for 250 years.

The Sunset Crater cone formed during a series of eruptions between 1040 and 1100, making it the most recent and least eroded of the 600 volcanoes in the San Francisco Volcanic Field. In 1928 a Hollywood studio proposed blowing up the crater to film a landslide for a Zane Grey movie; public outcry helped lead President Herbert Hoover to proclaim the national monument on 26 May 1930. The name was changed to Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument in 1990.

The Sinagua people living in this area adapted their farming after the eruption by using the cinder layer to help their crops retain water. This practical response to landscape change shaped how they continued to live on this land.

A scenic loop road about 34 miles (55 kilometers) long connects this area to the nearby Wupatki National Monument, allowing you to explore both sites in one visit. The visitor center at the entrance provides maps and educational materials to help orient yourself on the grounds.

The crater's rim of red and yellow pumice resembles the colors of a sunset, which gave the volcano its name. The cone is the most recent and least eroded of the 600 volcanoes in the San Francisco Volcanic Field.