Excellent views are common throughout the backcountry. Big Elk Creek is also home to the Idaho Falls YMCA camp, which has year-round facilities available and hosts summer youth camps. While some people have called the lava flows bleak and barren, others see mystery and enchantment in the landscape. The volcanic terrain seems harsh, but animals and vegetation flourish here. Spring and summer bring an array of wildflowers to the monument.
Visitors can tour the craggy lava flows and monoliths.