National Monument | Raven About The Parks

California

Established 1925

46,239 acres

Overview

Near California’s northern border lies isolated Lava Beds National Monument. There are 700 lava tubes within the monument and many of them are open for self-guided caving. Lava tubes form when the rapidly cooling surface solidifies into rock and free flowing lava drains out beneath.

Highlights

Skull Cave, Golden Dome, Petroglyph Point, Captain Jack’s Stronghold

Must-Do Activity

Only one cave near the visitor center is lit, the others all require flashlights, with hardhats and kneepads recommended for some of the tighter squeezes. Explore as many lava tubes as you have time for, like Skull Cave with its wide entrance or one of several caves that contain ice year round.

Best Trail

1.5-mile roundtrip hike to top of Schonchin Butte where a fire lookout offers panoramic views across lava flows to Tule Lake, Glass Mountain, and Mount Shasta.

Instagram-worthy Photo

All you need is a flashlight to walk less than half a mile underground to Golden Dome, the most spectacular feature of the park. The gold flecks are actually colonies of hydrophobic bacteria that thrive in this humid, lightless environment. Other caves containing them include Thunderbolt and Blue Grotto.

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Peak Season

Open year round, but due to its elevation (5,000 feet) the aboveground surface can get a bit hot in summer and cold in winter, but it is usually nice inside the lava tubes.

Hours

https://www.nps.gov/labe/planyourvisit/hours.htm

Fees

$20 per vehicle or America the Beautiful pass

Road Conditions

The entrance road from Oregon and Cave Loop Road are paved, but most are dirt south of the park in Modoc National Forest.

Camping

Indian Well Campground is located near the visitor center and Cave Loop Road. Dirt roads in the neighboring Modoc National Forest provide free dispersed camping.

Related Sites

Klamath National Forest (California-Oregon)

Butte Valley National Grassland (California)

Tule Lake National Monument (California)

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LABE3 — Standing in the wide entrance to Skull Cave.

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LABE5 — Lavasicles hang from the ceiling inside a narrow section of lava tube.

Hydrophobic bacteria light up in Golden Dome — Group shot under the Golden Dome.

IMGP2400 — Tiff with our guidebook in the Catacombs.

LABE — This is what Lava Beds looks like above the surface.

Captain Jack's Stronghold — Captain Jack’s Stronghold

June 2022 Oregon 236 June 2022 Oregon 259

June 2022 Oregon 831 — Mt. Shasta in the distance

Explore More – How did 60 Modoc warriors led by Captain Jack keep 1,000 U.S. troops at bay for six months in the 1870s?

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

Arizona

Managed by National Park Service

Established 1937

330,688 acres

Website: nps.gov/orpi

Overview

“The green desert” is home to dense stands of saguaros, ocotillos, and its namesake organ pipe cacti. The monument’s 330,689 acres sit on the Mexican border of Arizona and were recognized as a UNESCO International Biosphere Reserve in 1976. The park has a reputation for being dangerous, which it can be for NPS Law Enforcement due to its border location, but tourists should encounter no problems while enjoying the beautiful landscape.

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Highlights

Ajo Mountain Loop, Alamo Canyon, birding, earn an “I Hike For Health” pin

Must-Do Activity

The namesake cactus is more common further south and shares this landscape with 27 other species of cacti, including the famous saguaro. To see the cacti at their best, I recommend driving the 21-mile dirt road Ajo Mountain Loop in the evening before turning in for the night at the campground.

Best Trail

The National Park Service (NPS) runs a shuttle some mornings to Senita Basin from where you can hike back to the visitor center (with an optional side trip to the abandoned Victoria Mine).

Photographic Opportunity

The park’s Ajo Mountains are mostly volcanic rhyolite and their jagged outlines photograph well in the twilight hours with the famous saguaro cactus silhouetted in the foreground.

Peak Season

Anytime but summer when temperatures regularly soar above 100°F.

Hours

https://www.nps.gov/orpi/planyourvisit/hours.htm

Fees

$25 per vehicle or America the Beautiful pass

Road Conditions

The highway is paved to Kris Eggle Visitor Center and Twin Peaks Campground, but most of the dirt roads are passable for all vehicles.

Camping

The park has the very nice Twin Peaks Campground (with solar showers) where you can pick up free hiker shuttles that allow for one-way trips back to your tent. There are also a couple dry campsites (permit required) on Alamo Canyon Road. A permit is required for backcountry camping.

Related Sites

Coronado National Memorial (Arizona)

Chiricahua National Monument (Arizona)

Tumacácori National Historical Park (Arizona)

Nearest National Park

Saguaro