Cinder Cone Trail

This trail is basically a hike across a moonscape followed by a steep slog up a giant pile of volcanic gravel — and it's fantastic. You'll start on a relatively flat path through sparse forest before emerging into the Fantastic Lava Beds, a surreal field of chunky black lava rock that looks like it cooled last week (it's been a few centuries, but still). Then comes the cone itself: a relentless climb up loose cinder where every step slides back a half-step, like hiking up a dune made of crushed charcoal. The payoff at the rim is worth every sliding footstep — you'll peer into a multicolored crater while the Painted Dunes spread out below in swirls of orange, red, and yellow that look almost artificial. Geology nerds, photographers, and anyone who wants to feel like they're hiking on another planet will be in heaven.