How to Explore Lava Beds National Monument

Lava Beds National Monument is a remote, vast and somewhat desolate looking area in the northeast corner of California. With a rich history of indigenous population and, unfortunately, war and occupation, this wilderness offers much more than initially meets the eye. What lies below the land is also intriguing for adventurous visitors. An intricate network of lava tubes, created by volcanic activity, has left multiple caves that can be safely explored, even with kids.

Here is everything you need to know to plan a fantastic visit to Lava Beds National Monument.

Quick Tips:

• You need a car, this is not a place you can explore without a vehicle.
• No matter how hot it is outside, bring a jacket and closed-toe shoes with good traction.
• Bring a flashlight (more than your phone) or borrow one from the Visitor Center.
• Pick up the newspaper at the Visitor Center because it has details on every cave such as the difficulty level, etc.
• Take a quick visit to Tule Lake since it’s close by and of historical interest.
• Don’t miss the Petroglyphs on the way out of the park.

Getting Started

In all of my national parks/national monuments posts I always recommend that you start at the visitors center. Even at parks I’ve visited multiple times, I stop at the visitors center to check on current conditions, get up-to-date advice from the rangers about closures, etc. and find out about new trails or activities I might not have known about before.

At Lava Beds, the Visitors Center is tiny, but super important because you can pick up flashlights, helmets and kneepads if you don’t have your own. Your phone flashlight really won’t be enough in many of the caves. And if you’re doing any crawling you will want the helmet and kneepads (and possibly gloves).

Pro tip: We used headlamps that we have from hiking and camping. They are inexpensive to buy (we use this model) and make caving much easier because they free up your hands for climbing, crawling and holding onto your kids!

At this point you can also decide what level of caving you’re up for, and ask the rangers to direct you to the appropriate caves for your level.  For example, I am claustrophobic and won’t go into any cave that I have to crawl in. My husband and daughter did the crawling caves, but I made sure to find out ahead of time which ones to skip.

The newspaper at the visitors center will give you a detailed guide to all of the caves as well as other areas around the park such as hiking trails and historic sites.

Things to Do at Lava Beds National Monument

Caving:

As I mentioned, I do not love caves and I think that makes me the perfect person to give advice on caving! I’m kidding…  sort of. The reason my advice might help is because if you feel at all apprehensive about getting into the Lava Beds, I’m here as a claustrophobic, middle aged, somewhat out-of-shape woman, to tell you to just do it! There really are caves for every level of fitness and comfort. I ventured farther than I expected I would, but I also sat some of them out while my husband and daughter crawled through tunnels that would set my heart racing! And we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

In the park newspaper you’ll find a map that shows each cave on the Cave Loop, a fairly small section of the park just up the road from the Visitors Center. There are plenty of caves in the loop to keep you occupied for hours, but there are also caves outside the loop, a little farther away, with special features that might interest you.

Most caves have an easy entrance, but several have ladders. Some caves have wide openings and let in lots of light, others get really dark pretty quickly. This is definitely not a case of ‘you’ve seen one cave, you’ve seen them all’ because each cave has unique features like pictographs or a specific color of rock.

Remember to wear closed toe shoes and bring a jacket! It gets super cold in there, even in the extreme heat of summer.

History:

Lava Beds National Monument is on land originally belonging to the Modoc people. It is also the site of the Modoc War, where the tribe made a last stand to resist U.S. efforts to forcibly remove them to a reservation. You can drive to different battlefields within Lava Beds or hike to some of them. The park brochure and some of the lookout points describe the history of the Modoc People and the details of the battles.

Hiking:

There are numerous hiking trails at Lava Beds. Trail guides can be picked up in the Visitors Center. A few things to keep in mind: it is very hot and dry in the summer, and the terrain is pretty unforgiving. There is almost no shade at all. Be prepared in terms of your clothing and water supply.

Petroglyphs:

Just outside the East side of Lava Beds is one of the largest petroglyph panels in the United States. It’s incredibly impressive and a wonderful example of the rock art of the indigenous people of the area.  Many of the caves also have rock art, often at the entrances, in the form of pictographs (painted on rather than carved into the rock.)

Getting to Lava Beds National Monument:

Lava Beds National Monument is somewhat remote, but if you’re anywhere within a few hours’ drive, it is absolutely worth it! We were staying in the Mt. Shasta area and decided to make a day trip out to the Lava Beds, with a quick stop at the Tule Lake National Monument on the way. It is also an easy drive from the Klamath Falls area of southern Oregon. More specific directions can be found on the Lava Beds NPS website.

Unfortunately, there is no public transportation that can get you to Lava Beds

Where to stay at Lava Beds National Monument

This is sort of a hard one. Travelers come from all different directions to get here. And I already suggested that you make this a day trip from one of the nearby areas like Klamath Falls, Oregon or the Mt. Shasta area in California.

Camping:

If you want to stay right at the Lava Beds, there is a camping area at Indian Wells, only a short distance from the visitors center.  It is rustic camping – now hook ups, no showers or amenities, and there are 43 sites. RVs can camp here if they are <30 feet. For tips on RVing in National Parks, check out this post.

Hotels:

If you search for hotels near Lava Beds, most of the places that come up are in surrounding areas like Klamath Falls and the Mt. Shasta area. I highly recommend combining your Lava Beds trip with one of these other areas.

Lava Beds is definitely one of our less visited National Monuments, probably due to its remote location, but that makes it a really easy place to navigate and explore! Drop your hints in the comments if you have good ideas on how to explore Lava Beds National Monument!