Lava Beds National Monument Travel Guide — Things to Do, Food & Hotels
national monument in the United States
About Lava Beds National Monument
The Medicine Lake volcano has erupted intermittently for approximately half a million years. The most recent flows of pumice and obsidian at Glass Mountain (south of Lava Beds in the Modoc National Forest) occurred less than 900 years ago. Since there have been no eruptions within historical times, and there are no signs that the volcano is getting ready to erupt soon, geologists consider Medicine Lake dormant. The park displays the hardened results of over thirty separate lava flows exposed at Lava Beds. Rocks visible within the monument range from 2,000,000-year-old volcanic tuff at Gillem Bluff in the northwest corner to approximately 1,100-year-old basalt at the Callahan Flow in the southwest corner. Multiple eruptions of liquid basalt that flowed from Mammoth and Modoc Craters (on t
Top Attractions in Lava Beds National Monument
Explore the best things to see and do in Lava Beds National Monument:
- ★Balcony Cave and Boulevard Cave
- ★Big Nasty Trail
- ★Big Painted Cave and Symbol Bridge
- ★Blue Grotto Cave
- ★Bunchgrass Trail
- ★Captain Jacks Stronghold Trail
- ★Catacombs Cave
- ★Gillem Bluff Trail
Where to Stay in Lava Beds National Monument
- 🏨Indian Well Campground
Lava Beds National Monument Travel Guide Sections
Our comprehensive guide covers 12 sections including: