This summer we finally crossed something off that’s been on our travel bucket list for awhile. Our family loves trying to see all the federal and state lands around us that we can so we knew we had to visit Lava Beds National Monument. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much but by the time we had to leave to head home, I was wishing we had a few more hours. Lava Beds National Monument with kids is a fun place to explore and spend a day, or two. Keep reading for all our tips!
where is Lava Beds National Monument?
We had originally tried to visit Lava Beds National Monument in northern California on our first trip to Crater Lake. It takes up more than 46,000 acres of land, including large lava beds and the highest concentration of lava tube caves in North America. If you’re planning to explore Lava Beds National Monument with kids, here are the distances to nearby cities:
- Klamath Falls, OR–47 minutes
- Medford, OR–2 hours
- Redding, CA–2 hours 41 minutes
- Reno, NV–3 hours 38 minutes
- Sacramento, CA–5 hours
how are lava tubes and beds formed?
You’ll find both lava beds and lava tubes when you’re discovering Lava Beds National Monument with kids. Lava beds are the large expanses of ancient lava flows. The variety of geologic features left behind make up the “bed”, and this includes lava tubes. Lava tubes are formed as lava flows from a volcano and hardens over time. The top layer hardens first as the lava continues to flow underneath, eventually emptying out and leaving behind a tube, or cave, made from lava.
Driving into Lava Beds National Monument, few people realize that they are
https://www.nps.gov/labe/planyourvisit
traveling up the side of a massive volcano. The monument is located on the
Medicine Lake shield volcano, which is the largest volcano by volume in the
Cascade Range at 144 cubic miles. Shield volcanoes are broad, gently sloping
mountains that form from many dispersed, low energy eruptions of very fluid
molten rock. These liquid rock flows are able to travel great distances before
hardening, and result in a large, low-profile volcano.
tips for visiting Lava Beds National Monument with kids
easy caves to access
Although there are over 800 caves in Lava Beds National Monument, “only” 24 can be explored. These are some of the easiest caves that are more doable with kids, although Mike was able to take the five older ones (age 5 and up) into Labyrinth Cave on our recent trip. Mushpot Cave is a short walk from the Visitor Center and is a good starting point for your cave exploration.
- Mushpot Cave
- Valentine Cave
- Skull Cave
- Sentinel Cave
- Merrill Ice Cave
- Heppe Ice Cave
- Big Painted Cave
- Symbol Bridge Cave
- Ovis Cave
- Paradise Alleys
Hardhats can be purchased and flashlights are available to borrow from the Visitor Center. Do not go caving without telling someone where you are and taking light with you.
become a junior ranger
Of course, our family always recommends doing the Junior Ranger program at any of our National Park lands! Insider tip–you don’t need to be a “junior” to participate, adults can join in on the fun too! Lava Beds National Monument even has a Junior Pika Ranger program for the littlest explorers so they’re not left out. You can also inquire about the Junior Cave Scientist and the Junior Ranger Night Explorers programs. Or choose to download the Night Explorers booklet at home.
| Read: How to Visit National Parks for Free with your 4th Grader |
be sure to obtain your cave permit
If you plan to enter a cave (aka. lava tube) you will need to obtain a free cave permit. These are available either upon entry to the park or at the Visitor Center. By answering a few questions and getting your cave permit, it ensures that you won’t be transferring WNS and that you’ve reviewed the rules for caving.
WNS stands for White Noise Syndrome and has become wide-spread in the US since its discovery in 2007. It’s a fungus that causes infected bats to use energy twice as fast as healthy bats. This leads to them using up their fat stores, becoming dehydrated, and pH imbalance–especially during periods of hibernation. WNS is not transferrable to humans.
If your family loves lava tubes and volcanoes, you might also like these posts:
Crater Lake National Park with Kids
Mount Rainier National Park with Kids
Volcano Study Unit with Printables
