In earlier times the Shoshone Indians hunted in the Craters of the Moon area. Pioneers in covered wagons skirted the lava flows, cattle ranchers stayed away, and miners staked claims beyond its reaches. Geologists predict the landscape will erupt again. Instead of one volcano, lava flowed out through fissure vents and volcanic cones about 15,000 years ago and continued to do so until about 2,000 years ago. Mule deer are sometimes seen, and bobcats and great horned owls hunt here.
Plant life is also amazingly abundant.
Wildflowers carpet the park from early May until late August. Sagebrush, antelope bitterbush and rubber bitterbrush are established on the older lava flows. On the younger flows, mockorange and tansybush fill deeper crevices where soil and organic matter have accumulated. The park's loop road is open from April to mid-November, when it is closed by snow. A visitors center, which offers displays, a dramatic video about erupting volcanoes, and history, is open year-round, except for holidays in winter.