On the Road Through California’s Stark and Cave-Riddled Lava Lands

Cycling along the paved road, I felt as free as an eagle in flight. Suddenly a herd of deer greeted me, then bounded off across the sagebrush plains, their short tails erect, slender legs like pogo sticks. Sometimes I try to race the graceful creatures, but they remained well ahead of me.

I had moved to Lava Beds National Monument to spend the winter and part of the spring. My husband (a photographer) and I (a writer-photographer), with our Samoyed, Sam, had decided to explore this remote corner of northeast California during the off-season.

We lived in our travel-trailer at a site provided by the National Park Service, since we had volunteered to help count eagles as part of the monument’s Bald Eagle Project.

Wrapped in what felt like 10 layers of clothing, I cycled around the park, navy-blue polypro head mask on under my helmet, black neoprene shoe covers on my feet.

I tried to ride when the temperature was above 35 degrees, but once it dropped to a frigid 31, causing my shoe covers to freeze solid to the pedals. I freed myself, but soon after my feet froze to the pedals once again and I decided to turn around and head for home.

I continued to ride in the coming days, but looked forward to the day when the sun would shine bright and warm. Soon it was April and a heat wave was upon us. We had 60s for highs and I was in heaven. Now I could begin my 33-mile ride through the park--for me, one of the main objectives of our stay there. Cycling and cave exploration are two of the area’s favored pastimes.

In a remote corner of northeast California, Lava Beds was born centuries ago when volcanoes spewed enormous amounts of molten basaltic lava over the area. The rivers of lava cooled and hardened, creating a rugged landscape where today you can cycle, explore caves, climb cinder cones, observe wildlife and follow the steps of those who fought in the Modoc War between the Modoc Indians and the U.S. Army.

Established as a National Monument on Nov. 21, 1925, Lava Beds is about 30 miles south of the town of Tulelake in Siskiyou County. Two paved roads lead to the 72-square-mile park, whose visitor center is open year-round.

I began my ride that day about 26 miles north of the town of Canby, at the junction of California Highway 139 and the Forest Service road that leads northwest from the highway to the park. Most of the route from here is rolling terrain. I suggest starting at this end, with a pickup arranged at the north end of the park.

The climbing is steeper in the other direction--north to south--but if you like that, the north entrance is located off Highway 139, about five miles south of Tulelake.

The road is fairly flat for the first 12 miles of this ride, skirting through flatlands blanketed with a rich cover of sagebrush and bitterbrush, here and there a lonely pine. In the distance are the high mountain peaks of the Cascade Range; nearby, the blunt heads of several buttes rise like a freshly baked souffle. Deer are plentiful, as well as pronghorn antelope and a variety of birds.

The road edges upward as you reach the southern boundary of the park. Winding along the base of Cougar and Caldwell buttes, the turnoff to Valentine Cave soon appears, a must-see for all spelunkers and cavers.

Just 16 miles from my starting point is the visitor center, which lends lights to cavers free of charge. Cyclists will find a bike rack and restrooms open all day, every day of the year. Inside, there is a small museum, books and other items for sale, friendly park personnel and free information about ranger-guided activities, wildlife and cave exploration.

Mushpot Cave, an extension of the visitor center, is the only lighted cave in the park. A self-guided walk explains features formed during the births of caves. At Mushpot, you’ll learn to recognize lavacicles, lava benches and lava cascades.

There are 21 developed caves (safety checked and with paths cleared) available for exploration in the park, as well as more than 100 wilderness caves. Excluding Mushpot, there are 14 caves located southwest of the visitor center, off two-mile-long Cave Loop Road, each with something different to offer. Sunshine Cave will delight plant enthusiasts--a variety of plants flourish in collapse areas in which sunshine has penetrated the darkness.

At Sentenial Cave, look for the natural bridge on your right as you enter through the Upper Sentinel entrance. And notice the cave walls and ceilings in Golden Dome and Hopkins Chocolate caves.

Skull Cave can be described in many ways, but I would say it is mind-boggling. It’s also a fun ride from the visitor center to the cave. Except for a short climb, it’s all downhill. To reach the cave, ride, as I did, two miles north of the visitor center to Lyons Road, turn right, then cycle a little more than a mile to the end of the road. You can’t miss it.

With a ceiling more than 80 feet high, Skull Cave possesses the largest entrance of any cave in the monument. As you walk through this 500-foot-long cave, notice that the floor of the upper tube collapses into a lower tube where trapped winter air keeps ice frozen all year. Sixty-five steps lead to the chilly lower tube.

If exploring ice caves is to your liking, you’ll want to visit Merrill Cave. Back on the main road, cycle north about a half-mile to Whitney Butte Trailhead Road and turn left. In less than a mile you’ll reach the end of the road, and the cave.

Before turning off the main road, notice Schonchin Butte on your right. If you’re so inclined, you can hike the three-quarter-mile trail to the top of the butte, a 476-foot climb.

Cyclists heading north through Lava Beds are traversing a historically rich area. There are pictographs (figures painted on rocks somewhere between AD 500 and 1600) at Symbol Bridge and Big Painted caves, and petroglyphs (figures carved or pecked into the rock surface) near the northeast entrance.

Cycling north, I couldn’t resist the urge to stop at the many sites of the Modoc War of 1872-73. At the Thomas-Wright Battlefield, descriptive markers explain how a small band of Modoc Indians ambushed army soldiers, killing half the troop.

Farther on, I cycled down through a giant lava flow, then stopped at Gillem’s Camp. There, I imagined an active army camp, tents pitched on the rugged terrain, the waters of Tule Lake lapping nearby.

Heading east now, along the northern boundary of Lava Beds and the southern edge of the Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge, I stopped at Canby’s Cross for a bite to eat.

The historical sites I had just passed, and those ahead of me, describe the only major Indian war fought in California. Canby’s Cross takes its name from General E.R.S. Canby, who was shot and killed at the site during peace negotiations between the Modocs and the U.S. Army.

The area and the land to the north had been the Modocs’ home for centuries, when they were asked to move to a reservation with Indians who were their traditional enemies. The Modocs initially agreed to the unwelcome arrangement, but it didn’t last. They soon left the reservation, led by Modoc chief Captain Jack.

In the latter part of 1872, the U.S. Army ordered the Modocs to return to the reservation. Instead, they fled to Lava Beds, and for five months, Captain Jack and his band of 52 warriors held off a growing U.S. Army of nearly 1,000 men.

Taunted by fellow Indians, and angry over the fact that his people would not be granted a reservation on their homeland, Captain Jack shot and killed Canby.

As I got back on my bike and continued riding east, I wondered how a handful of Modocs were able to hold off so many soldiers. At Captain Jack’s Stronghold, I found the answer--the rugged, inhospitable terrain.

You can relive the Modoc War as you travel through this natural rock fortress. A self-guided brochure (available at the visitor center or at the trail head) provides clues to how the Modocs survived. In the end, though, the Modocs were captured and sent to a reservation in Oklahoma; Captain Jack and three other leaders were hanged.

As I neared the end of my warm, sunny ride, I stopped at two wildlife overlooks and gazed at flocks of geese flying overhead in V-formation, chattering all the while. I peered through the small magnified tunnels of binoculars at a bald eagle perched in a lonely snag tree. On an island in Tule Lake to the northeast, several white pelicans were preening, their giant wings spread wider than a man is tall.

I thought of the wildlife I had seen during my ride: the deer by the roadside, the badger rolling across the level terrain, three bald eagles and a golden eagle soaring high above.

I had laughed at the antics of a porcupine waddling across the road, then slowly climbing up a sticky juniper tree, and marveled at the hunting techniques of a northern harrier, also known as a marsh hawk.

At that moment I realized that a ride through Lava Beds is great any time of the year. But it’s best when the days are a little warm and long. Then, it’s like a little bit of heaven.