Explore the uncharted Lost River Valley when you soar into a jet charter airport in Arco, Idaho.
Located along the shores of Big Lost River, Arco, Idaho is the gateway to the state’s Lost River Range. Originally located five miles south at the junction of two stagecoach lines and known locally as Root Hog, the town later moved alongside the stage station and named Arco after a German engineer visiting Washington.
With a population of less than 1,000, Arco gained national recognition in 1955 when it become the world’s first town lit by electricity generated by nuclear power alone. Powered by the BORAX-III reactor at what is now the Idaho National Laboratory, Arco’s history is tied to the National Reactor Testing Station.
Today, tourists to Arco flock to Idaho’s Experimental Breeder Reactor No. 1, also known as the world’s first atomic power plant, which opens its doors to visitors intrigued in roleplaying a nuclear meltdown.
Beyond Arco’s nuclear history, explore the stunning natural surroundings of mountains and the lava fields in the Snake River Plain.
With more than 50 campsites, the Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve calls these ancient lava fields home. Stretching across nearly 400 square miles of Idaho’s grasslands, these protected lava fields sit along the Great Rift of Idaho. Here, you will find the deepest rift on earth measuring 800 feet.
Scientists estimate lava flowed in the region between 15,000 and 2,000 years ago.
