The Ancient California Lava Caves with a Fierce Battle History & Native American Petroglyphs

Lava Beds National Monument

Right where California meets Oregon, there’s a place that takes you underground instead of up mountains. Lava Beds National Monument is home to the largest concentration of lava tube caves in North America, Native American rock art sites, and the biggest Medicine Lake shield volcano in the Cascade Range.

Here are some interesting facts, plus what do know before your visit.

Ice That Stays Frozen Even in Summer Heat

Imagine walking from 100-degree summer heat into a natural freezer.

That’s what happens when you descend into Skull Cave. This refrigeration system has worked the same way for thousands of years.

Visit Crystal Ice Cave, but you’ll need to join a guided tour to see it. Recent measurements show these ice formations are shrinking by about 4 inches every year.

Scientists have found some ice deposits older than 1,000 years and contain ancient air bubbles that tell stories about past climates.

Where Bats Raise Their Families in Peace

Meet some of the 14 bat species that live here. Lava Beds has the largest bat hibernation site on the entire West Coast.

The park takes bat parenting seriously too, closing caves when mother Townsend’s Big-eared Bats are raising babies because even your quiet footsteps might make a nervous mom abandon her young.

The bat tracking program here started back in 1988 and has gathered more information than almost anywhere else in the National Park System.

Join the “Adopt-a-Bat” program and support research to keep them safe.

Bacteria That Makes Cave Walls Glow Gold

Golden Dome Cave’s natural light show comes from tiny water droplets sitting on mats of bacteria growing on the lava rock.

Scientists call them actinomycetes and are studying them because they might help create new antibiotics. In 2024, researchers found three completely new bacterial species that only exist in these caves.

You’ll need to crouch down and squeeze through narrow passages, but seeing this natural wonder makes every tight squeeze worthwhile.

Where A Small Tribe Fought the US Army and Won

During the Modoc War of 1872-73, a small band of Modoc fighters used this natural fortress to hold off 300 U.S. soldiers who had no idea how to navigate this maze.

During peace talks, a Modoc woman named Winema (also called Toby Riddle) and her husband Frank served as translators between the groups. In January 2025, members of the Modoc Nation worked with park staff to create new exhibits that tell this story from their perspective.

Archaeological work in 2024 uncovered more firing positions and artifacts on how the Modoc used this landscape as a natural defense system.

Ancient Artists Left Their Mark on Stone

The northeastern section preserves Native American rock art dating back 4,000 years. You’ll find both painted pictographs and carved petroglyphs, many created when Tule Lake was higher and partially covered what’s now called Petroglyph Point.

A 2024 study found artists made their pigments from local minerals including red hematite, yellow limonite, and black manganese.

You can visit Symbol Bridge and Big Painted Cave with a ranger, but other sites remain off-limits to protect these irreplaceable treasures.

Maze of Tunnels Stretches for Miles

With over 800 caves, Lava Beds has one of the highest concentrations of lava tubes found anywhere on Earth. These hollow tunnels formed when flowing lava hardened on the outside. The longest connected system stretches nearly 7 miles underground.

You can pick your adventure level from easy paths with plenty of headroom to challenging routes where you’ll crawl through tight spaces.

See Stars You Can’t Find in the City

Owing to its remote location and high altitude, Lava Beds makes for the perfect dark sky preserve where light pollution can’t reach.

This earned it the prestigious International Dark Sky Park designation in 2023. During summer months, join evening astronomy programs where park rangers provide telescopes for stargazing.

The park only uses special lighting fixtures that point downward to keep the night sky naturally dark. Spend a night camping here and you’ll see stars so numerous they look like dust scattered across the sky.

The Cave with Walls Like Chocolate

Hopkins Chocolate Cave isn’t made of candy, but its rich brown walls comprise iron and manganese compounds from the original lava flow that created it.

Walk through collapsed sections that form natural stone arches while exploring one of the oldest cave systems in the monument, with passages dating back 30,000 years.

Scientists studying air movement inside discovered this cave “breathes,” pulling air in or pushing it out as outside temperatures change with the seasons.

The Secret Whiskey Factory Underground

Prohibition created some creative entrepreneurs, including Jim Howard who turned Merrill Cave into an underground distillery. The steady cave temperature provided perfect conditions for making whiskey, while ice deposits supplied clean, cold water.

Park archeologists found evidence of this operation during a 2019 survey, including broken barrel pieces and old glass bottles.

Before becoming a secret whiskey factory, Merrill Cave served as part of a 1920s tourist resort where guests could ice skate by lantern light inside the cave.

This Volcano Could Erupt Again Someday

Wind, rain, and ice constantly reshape the surface features you see today. The youngest, called the Callahan flow, erupted just 1,110 years ago.

Beneath the surface, the Medicine Lake shields some volcanic remains, with geothermal heat still prevalent under your feet.

Geologists calculate this volcano has a 1-in-3,000 chance of erupting in any given year, making it an active part of California’s volcanic systems that could someday add new features to this ever-changing landscape.

Plants and Animals Move Between Lands

Lava Beds connects to the larger Klamath Network that links ecosystems from coastal forests all the way to dry steppe habitats.

These connected lands allow animals to move freely between different habitats as seasons change. From tiny lichens to desert sage and blazing star flowers, plant life flourishes in collapsed tube systems throughout the monument.

Keep your eyes open for pronghorn antelope, mule deer, and golden eagles traveling these natural wildlife corridors that stretch across multiple protected areas.

Everything You Need for Your Visit

You’ll find Lava Beds in a truly remote corner of northern California, just below the Oregon border near the town of Tulelake.

Main access comes via California State Routes 161 and 139, with Forest Service Routes 49 and 10 providing seasonal alternatives.

Hours & Payment:

• The monument welcomes visitors daily year-round, closing only on Christmas Day
• If you have an America the Beautiful Pass, your entry is covered. Without a pass, expect to pay $25 per vehicle for a 7-day stay or $45 for an annual monument pass
• Plan your visit around one of five annual fee-free days to save money

Camping Options:

You can set up a tent or park your RV (up to 30 feet) at Indian Well Campground, which has 43 sites equipped with picnic tables, fire rings, and grills. Sites cost $10 per night and give you access to restrooms with running water and flush toilet.