Canyon Diablo

Canyon Diablo is a ghost town in Coconino County, Arizona, situated along the edge of the arroyo that shares its name. It came into being in 1880 as a supply settlement for laborers constructing a transcontinental railroad, and by the early twentieth century the community had faded away entirely.

The town holds a small footnote in scientific history: when a meteorite fragment was studied and named in 1891, Canyon Diablo was the nearest post office to what is now known as Meteor Crater, located roughly 12 miles to the southeast. Visitors today are drawn more by that historical curiosity and the raw, open landscape than by any standing structures. Expect a sparse, windswept site rather than preserved buildings, and plan a visit to Meteor Crater as a natural companion stop.