Cinder cones, craters and other debris of a thousand years of volcanic activity litter the Modoc Plateau that forms California’s sparsely-inhabited north-eastern corner. It is amid these bleak scenes that the Lava Beds National Monument sits, uniquely possessed of hundreds of lava tubes: cylindrical caves created just a few feet below ground level by cooling molten magma.

Nineteen of the lava caves are open for self-guided exploration but an essential first stop is the Visitor Center, at the monument’s southern entrance, for the all-important flashlights (which can be borrowed here) and the electricaliy-lit Mushpot Cave, in which explanatory texts and displays describe the caves’ creation. Despite being dark and cold, the caves are relatively easy to explore. For maximum safety, however, you might prefer to see them in the company of a park ranger on the guided tours conducted daily (except Wednesday) during the summer, see here for more information (https://www.nps.gov/labe/planyourvisit/guidedtours.htm)

Native Americans were aware of the lava beds area long before Europeans set foot in California. Petroglyphs – prehistoric Native American rock paintings – can be seen inside many caves; the best collection decorates Big Painted Cave. Furthermore, the area known as Captain Jack’s Stronghold was where 52 Modoc Indians held off a thousand U.S. soldiers for five months from November 1872, turning the natural terrain into a fortress in their struggle against forced reloca­tion. Eventually removed after a two-day mortar bombardment, the Modocs’ chief, Kentipoos (known to whites as Captain Jack), along with three other leaders, was tried and executed.

Detour –Subway Cave

If you’re not going all the way to Lava Beds National Monument, you’ll get a taste of what you’ll be missing with Subway Cave, a mile-long lava tube formed as molten lava cooled just beneath the earth’s surface. A short trail from the car-park leads to the cave’s entrance.