Lava Beds National Monument

Lava Beds hides one of America's great caving landscapes: more than 800 lava tube caves on the flank of Medicine Lake Volcano, from easy walk-throughs like Mushpot Cave to the deep Catacombs. This was also the battleground of the 1872-73 Modoc War, when Captain Jack's band held off the Army in the natural fortress now called Captain Jack's Stronghold.

Explore the lighted caves, crawl easy tubes with a helmet, and walk the Stronghold's lava trenches. For a challenge, tackle the monument's difficult deep caves, crawling and scrambling far underground.