While extinction-level events are thrilling to experience in paperback novels and Hollywood blockbusters, it’s definitely for the best that they stay there. Many actual disaster sites that were extinction-level when they hit the planet millions of years ago attract millions of tourists every year. For a vacation destination off the beaten path, check out these ten cool impact craters.

Barringer Crater

Known also as Meteor Crater and Canyon Diablo Crater, Barringer is a meteorite impact crater some 70 km east of beautiful Flagstaff, Arizona. Some scientists proclaim it the best on the planet in terms of preservation and overall scope (1,200 m in diameter and 170 m deep).

Bosumtwi Crater

Some impact craters no longer exist in their original form of course. Lake Bosumtwi in Ghana is a fine example. The only freshwater lake in the country sits on a meteorite impact crater, some one million years old. Within a dense rainforest region of Ghana, the lake supports some 70,000 people and is a popular resort area.

Chesapeake Bay

Though the millions who pass over the awesome Chesapeake Bay Bridge every year may not realize it, the body of water and geology below them is the result of a tremendous impact event some 35 million years ago. All in all, a wonderful region of the United States to visit, with many fine destinations to discover in both Maryland and Virginia.

Chicxulub Crater

The small town of Chicxulub in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico is near the center of the big one – the 65 million-year-old impact event that many scientists believe led to the Cretaceous–Tertiary mass extinction of animals and plants species in a relatively short period of time. Is that epic or what? Sadly, millions who vacation on the Yucatan coast every year have no idea the Chicxulub Crater exists. Which is crazy, since it measures more than 180 km across.

Kaali Craters

The Baltic Sea island of Saaremaa has a ton of tourist appeal for visitors to Estonia. From castles to war memorials, cliffs and miles of idyllic coastline, the island is home to 40,000 fortunate inhabitants. The group of nine meteorite crates known as Kaali form the most popular attraction on Saaremaa however and date back to the relatively recent 7th century B.C.

Qarokul

The 25 km-wide inland Qarokul Lake in the Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan epitomizes the rough, rugged and beautiful landscape of the country and indeed, of Central Asia as a whole. The lake sits in a 5 million-year-old meteorite impact crater with a diameter of 45 km.

Lake Manicouagan

The massive province of Quebec dwarfs the size of most nations and offers visitors with a lot of pristine wilderness to explore beyond Montreal and Quebec City. Lake Manicouagan, also known as the Manicouagan Reservoir, is one example. Clearly visible from space, the lake is the result of a massive asteroid impact that took place some 200 million years ago. Scientists estimate the asteroid was 5 km across and left a crater with a diameter of 100 km. Overall, Manicouagan ranks fifth in crater size on Earth.

Panther Mountain

The Catskills section of the Adirondacks in New York state have been a vital vacation and recreation spot for decades. Many visitors may not realize however, that one of the most impressive mountains in the range sits on the site of a meteorite impact crater. The discovery that Panther Mountain is different from others in the range is a relatively new one, with estimates that the impact took place 375 million years ago. Speculation is that the crater is some 800 m below the surface and measures 10 km wide.

Sudbury Basin

A significant geologic structure in Ontario, Canada, the Sudbury Basin ranks second in impact crater size in the world and perhaps more impressively, dates back some 1.85 billion years. The gigantic meteorite strike that took place here left a debris pattern of 1.6 million square km and is the main reason why the city of Sudbury has the nickname “Nickel City”.

Henbury Meteorites Conservation Reserve

The Northern Territory of Australia is home to some of the most spectacular and rugged beauty in the country. About 145 km south west of Alice Springs is the phenomenal Henbury Meteorites Conservation Reserve, which protects a crater field with more than a dozen meteor impacts.

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