Discover Volcanic Wonders and Native History in Siskiyou County
A long tunnel of sharp lava stalagmites stretched out just a few feet beneath a low ceiling of jagged stalactites. Flashlights spotted no end to the cave’s passage, but a map showed they were on course. So three young men crawled further into the darkness, a few painful inches at a time.
Lava Beds National Monument, located in Siskiyou County near the California-Oregon border, protects 46,000 acres and some 900 caves formed by volcanic activity.
Delving deep into rarely visited wilderness caves excites the most adventurous visitors, but one need not embrace dark and rocky suffering to experience spelunking here. Visitors can walk freely through any number of easily accessible caverns, enjoying the rock formations and cool air. The monument’s open access is sure to delight anyone who’s ever taken an expensive underground tour on private property and longed for a more independent experience. 
First-time visitors to Lava Beds can fill several days exploring the attractions of Cave Loop Road. The ultra-easy Mushpot Cave has lights and interpretive signs explaining its formations, and is the most suitable for families with children. Other less challenging outings include Sentinel, Valentine and Skull caves. Each has large open passages with high ceilings and relatively smooth floors.
Exploring most developed caves requires no special skill or experience, but buying a map book from the visitor center will help you find your way through the longer passages.
Blue Grotto, Sunshine, and Balcony caves offer moderately challenging excursions which may involve brief stooping and rocky footing but no prolonged crawling.
The monument’s caves date back up to 40,000 years, when volcanic activity created lava tubes, which cooled and drained to create tunnels of rock known as lava beds. Spelunkers can see a variety of interesting features such as collapsed roofs, year-round ice, and Modoc pictographs.
Native history adds more appeal for non-spelunking visitors. Petroglyph Point, a hill of volcanic tuff, attracted Indigenous people who created more than 5,000 carvings over millennia. Modocs believe that Kamookumpts, the creator of the world, sleeps here. A short walk reveals one of the largest concentrations of Native rock art in North America.
Another point of interest is nearby Captain Jack’s Stronghold, a maze of rocky trenches that hosted the Modoc War in 1872-1873. Visitors can hike through the Modoc position from which the Natives held off a US Army force 20 times their size for five months. Ultimately the Army forced the Modocs to leave their home for a reservation in Oklahoma and executed their principal headman Kientpoos (Captain Jack) and three others.
But spelunking is Lava Beds’ primary draw. If the monument’s warm-up caves leave you wanting more, then consider Thunderbolt, Labyrinth and especially Catacombs. These caves present greater challenges, requiring extensive crawling and above-average physical fitness.
Those who attempt them should come prepared. The National Park Service lends flashlights for free, but bring backups. If you get trapped below the surface without light, nothing short of a rescue will get you out again. Buy a map book.
Wear helmets, long shirts and pants. No matter how hot it gets outside, beneath the surface you’ll be cool, if not chilly.
Gloves and knee pads will reduce the pain and misery of crawling across sharp lava. Tunnels range from vast to barely passable. Some passages are so small that squeezing through them feels like reenacting your own birth.
The three youngsters mentioned earlier spent most of a day touring Catacombs, the monument’s longest cave at 6,900 feet. A favorite of Lava Beds pioneer Judson Howard, Catacombs features some of the monument’s finest examples of lava flowstone, stalactites, and ribs. More memorable to the youths was the laughter and camaraderie of shared suffering. Hours later, they emerged lightly bruised but proud from the most difficult cave adventure any of them had attempted.
Recently I enjoyed that memory when I returned to Lava Beds 30 years later. Now in my 50s, I’m active in outdoor pursuits but crawling across sharp rocks no longer intrigues me. However, I still enjoyed visiting, and revisiting, several of the caves.
In particular, Golden Dome Cave afforded me a rewarding excursion. I marveled at its ceiling’s brilliant color which inspired the name, and watched with quiet amusement as a young boy and girl eagerly squeezed through a narrow passage.
With new appreciation, I hiked again through Captain Jack’s Stronghold; I feel the monument should use his real name, Kientpoos. Petroglyph Point, which did not interest me previously, showed me a window to a people and the past.
While I’ve changed considerably in three decades, I was glad to see that Lava Beds has not. This land of history and underground adventure deserves a visit.
If You Go
Permits: The monument requires visitors to obtain a free permit at the visitor center before entering caves.
Lodging: Within the monument, Indian Wells Campground offers 43 sites on a first-come, first-served basis. Nearby Tulelake offers other lodging.
Food: There are no food services within the monument, so come prepared. The nearest stores and restaurants are in Tulelake, about a half-hour drive.
For more info visit nps.gov/labe, or call (530) 667-8100.
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Main image: Looking down from the entrance of a lava tube (Discover Siskiyou)
Read more by Matt Johanson here.
