Lava Beds National Monument

Took the Boy Scout Troop up here for a 3 night 4 day stay, we had a great time! We stayed in the group campsite, it had plenty of space, a nice large fire pit, 4 large tables, and a tree for some shade. The restrooms were very basic (a pit toilet) but seemed to be pretty well maintained. The biggest hassle as far as the camp site was that you couldn't park your car at the site, you had to unpack then drive a few hundred yards down the road to park. Not the end of the world but a bit of a hassle. The lava beds and caves were awesome! The boys liked the upper and lower sentinel and skull caves the most (the ice in skull cave was pretty awesome). The smaller boys tackled catacombs and made it about 80% through the cave before turning back. Make sure you do some basic research on what to bring to explore the caves, it will make your exploration safer and more enjoyable.
8 years ago (25-07-2017)

Good adventure. Bring extra lights and water if it's hot. Several caves of varying choices and difficulty. So be prepared to crawl if you want to see some of the harder ones. Worth the trip and time. You can get a guided tour if you choose. I've been here on multiple occasions and will probably go again. You can also camp and hike several trails as well.
8 years ago (06-09-2017)

Wow! Go as soon as possible. It is a really cool place to visit. So many lava tube caves to explore. I just happened to be waking out of the visitor center when the tour was starting and loved going through a part of the most challenging tour with a group. I was only really planning on passing through but spent so much time I stayed at the campground, which was really nice as well. It was only $10 and had bathrooms with flush toilets.
8 years ago (29-08-2017)

Incredibly underrated national monument (should be a National​ Park), with a small but informative visitors center. If you love volcanoes and/or earth science you love this place and all the lava tubes to explore! Don't forget that the visitors center loans out flashlights so you don't have to rely on you phone for light while you're exploring the tubes.
8 years ago (23-09-2017)

Three of us went to Lava Beds for 1 day on a long weekend. It wasn't busy at all considering the long weekend chaos that you see at more popular places. This place is a gem, just amazing. There is a lot to do for a day here both under the ground caving and a couple of short and good hikes above the ground. Helmets is a necessity if you want to explore a lot of caves and for the more difficult ones who would need knee pads and gloves also. The visitor center staff is very helpful and helped us to plan our day there. The most amazing part is the atmosphere difference you get to see within 100 feet distance outside and inside the caves. Some caves were chilling even in summer so a jacket is recommended. To sum up, this is nature at its very best, don't miss it! One summer day is enough for exploring most of the caves and outdoor hikes.
8 years ago (06-06-2017)