Lava Beds Nat'l Monument - anyone been recently?

[Vic]

We've got a 3 day weekend coming up in a few weeks and was thinking of heading up to Lava Beds NM - am keeping up my tradition of visiting all of the out of the way national parks and monuments. Just wondered if anyone has been there recently? Not into caves big time but I'm sure we'll wander into a few.

 

[Edgewood]

It's been a few years but Lava Beds is a great place to visit in the fall. Read up on the Modoc indian wars then visit the sites. Run or walk the loop trail on the east part of the park. Go up to Tulelake for bird watching. I camped on a small cone just outside south park boundary littered with arrow flakes. Camped at park campground and was only one there. Camped on road heading west outside north park boundary. Lava Beds is a hidden gem.

 

[RicoV]

"Hidden gem" is an apt descriptor of Lava Beds NM. The camping brims with solitude (at least when we were there in late Sept), and the caves are a lot of fun. But it's the overall general sense of isolation in big sky country that really does it for me. A return trip there is planned for the near future.

 

[craig333]

Its been way too long since I was there (while I was working for CDF). Just don't bring a helicopter.

 

[Vic]

Thanks all - looking forward to it. We'll probably be there the end of the month and I'll make sure I post an update.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Vic, it's a great place, with much to see. Be careful in the lava/caves. The lava is really sharp, and there are low ceilings in some of the tubes.