Lava River Cave

"Very cool experience. The cave can only be accessed by an unpaved road, so your car will need to be able to handle the bumps. It is a very short walk from parking to the cave entrance, with a few picnic tables on the way. We went in December, so there was plenty of ice near the cave entrance. The first portion of the cave is very rocky and will require steady footing and a bit of climbing. We brought our 6 year old daughter, and she was able to navigate the terrain well. The hike will not be possible without lamps, and head lamps are highly recommended to keep your hands free while navigating the first portion of the cave. It is recommended that each person has 3 light sources, as well as a backpack with some water bottles (also to keep your hands free). It is a very cool experience and I would highly recommend."

"We loved the lava river cave! As others have mentioned, it is a dirt road to get there so plan ahead. Also definitely bring head lamps and backup light sources. If you turn your lights off you can't even see your hand in front of your face. Good hiking shoes are a must as well because there are a lot of loose rocks and some scrambling in the first section of the cave. We saw some trash in the cave, so please remember to bring out whatever you brought in out of respect for everyone else and the animals that live in there. It took us closer to 3 hours to complete the hike because we stopped and took a lot of photos, but you could definitely do it quicker if needed. Some areas of the cave do get quite low, but never to the point of you needing to crawl, just crouch a whole lot (coming from a 6ft tall person). If you want to avoid a really low part, I suggest taking a left at the split, as the right side gets quite low."

"What a neat spot to visit if you are looking for a fun outdoor adventure! It was a big plus that there is a small dirt parking lot along with an actual bathroom at the trail head since there is no entrance fee I figured there wouldn't be a bathroom. This is a small cave tucked away in the woods, you'll travel down a long bumpy dirt road and your cell reception might not be the greatest. I would keep that in mind if you do not think you'll be able to climb down slippery rocks and back up again as it will take a while for rescuers to arrive if you get hurt. It was pretty neat seeing how much ice could be found just inside the entrance to the cave, I knew we would see some but I didn't expect as much as we seen. The climb down into the entrance is a little steep, and it can be wet/very slippery so wear shoes with good grip. Once you get past the initial decent the hike inside isn't too bad! There are some tighter spots, some areas where you'll need to duck down low and it is super dark so bring plenty of light sources. There were quite a few people here when we went so you won't be alone in the cave, but everyone was nice and helped make sure everyone could get past one another without any issues. There were quite a few people who visited & started to explore the cave, but realized they couldn't do it and left. Our group had three people stay behind while three explored the cave, if you end up being someone who decides not to go down there are a lot of little hiking trails around the cave."

"*Please note, my ratings are for the cave, not the trail. Read below how accessible the trail to the cave entrance is. Google Maps took me onto four or so miles of well-maintained and marked forester service roads. There was a parking lot with a steady stream of visitors, but it didn’t feel too full or crowded. I saw families, military, and locals – and you could tell that the experience levels varied drastically as they took in the entrance of the cave (I’ll get to that). This cave is open access. Meaning there’s no Park staff posted on site at all times. Situations like this comes with great responsibility. Right off the parking lot there are signs about Conservation efforts to protect the site from vandalism, toxic air quality, and more. As you choose to abide by the posted rules, please remember that what is listed as prohibited has been learned the hard way. So, be better than a good visitor. Be a protector. The cave entrance is just a few hundred feet from the parking lot and the trail is flat, so going out to see the cave entrance felt accessible to most. The mouth of the cave is surrounded by a circular stone wall and when you see the boulder laden mouth of the cave, you understand why a little wall to define the entrance might come in handy. No doubt fully known and utilized by Indigenous residents for thousands of years, the cave was “rediscovered” in 1915 and used by homesteaders primarily for collecting ice and refrigeration. The cave is ¾ of a mile carved by lava flow around 675,000 years ago. The lavacicle formations, flow ripples, splashdowns, and cooling cracks inside show the geology of how lava flowed through here at an incredibly hot 2,000 degrees farenheit (or 1093 celsius) and in pretty short time (geologically) cooled enough to be what we see today. The temperature drops to as low as freezing – 32 degrees farenheit or 0 celcius. The moment I passed the wall surrounding the entrance, I felt major temperature drops that went beyond a feeling of relief on a hot day. I made my way down the rock fall past the mouth, assessing what I could. It’s a steep drop that doesn’t require ropes, but you do need to be careful and take your time."

"Fun experience but be prepared. Definitely need a reliable and bright hand lamp ideally. Flashlight is fine but you use your hands to get and out and in some tight spots inside where the ceiling is very low. Too bad people put Graffiti at the far end. Thankfully we didn't see any, anywhere else. Very uneven ground. When you turn off your light source it is black. It is cool inside but we overdressed. A long sleeve top and long pants are really all that is needed. Stay left at the fork if you don't want to crawl, but two of our group went right and enjoyed the experience. There are port toilets at the parking lot. We had 4 different trackers running and NONE worked inside the cave."