Arizona already has plenty to brag about, small towns to visit year-round, national parks and a growing city that includes entertainment, food and sights. But just when you think the state has shown off enough, along comes Meteor Crater, casually reminding everyone that even space has left its mark here.
This massive, nearly mile-wide crater, formed over 50,000 years ago by a meteor impact, recently earned a spot among America’s most popular roadside attractions.
The ranking, put together by Betway Casino, didn’t just rely on one metric. Instead, it combined several signals of popularity: how many people review it on TripAdvisor, how highly they rate it, how often it shows up on Instagram and how frequently people search for it online. In other words, it measured both real-world visits and digital buzz.
Meteor Crater made the list thanks to its strong reviews, solid ratings, thousands of social media posts and steady global interest.
Here’s where it was ranked.
What is the best roadside attraction in the US?
A recent study by Betway Casino ranked some of the most popular roadside attractions across the U.S., and Meteor Crater earned the 11th spot overall.
The ranking came from a study that analyzed more than 80 roadside attractions across the country. Meteor Crater stood out with thousands of reviews, over 31,000 Instagram posts and about 74,000 annual searches.
Can you visit Meteor Crater for free?
No, visiting Meteor Crater is not free.
It’s a privately owned attraction, so there’s an admission fee to access the main viewing areas, visitor center and exhibits. The ticket typically includes guided rim tours, indoor displays on meteor impacts and observation points overlooking the crater itself.
General admission is $29 for adults; kids 5 and under and active duty U.S. military members enter for free. For more information on ticket prices, check out their website.
Can you walk down into a Meteor Crater?
No, you can’t walk down into Meteor Crater. Visitors may only view the crater from the rim. The interior is closed to the public to protect both safety and preservation. The crater is extremely steep, about 550 feet deep, with loose rock and unstable slopes, making it dangerous to climb down.
Reporting by Tiffany Acosta, Arizona Republic
