The other reason to go to Amboy is to hike up the crater. There is a volcanic crater which was last active around 10,000 years ago. It sticks out of the landscape like a blackened wart, and for a few miles around it are chunks of black volcanic rock. You can hike right on to the crater and around the rim. The views from the top across the desert are beautiful, but it is the otherworldy-ness of the crater that makes the experience truly worthwhile.
