Burney Falls & Lava Beds N.M.
Days Seven & Eight - Crater Lake & Lassen Volcanic National Parks - 2025
A couple of alibi stops in Lassen Volcanic National Park, followed by visit to Burney Falls before a full morning at Lava Beds National Monument.
1. Lake Helen #1
Lake Helen is named for Helen Tanner Brodt, an artist who was the first woman to reach the top of Lassen Peak in 1864.
On my fifth day in Lassen Volcanic National Park, I finally drove the entirety of the Scenic Byway. Since I left Chester at a relatively decent time, I was able to stop at Lake Helen before the parking lot completely filled up.
2. Lake Helen #2
Often, Lake Helen remains free of ice only four months of the year.
There was a couple of people taking a dip in the lake - that’s a “no” from me, it must have been insanely cold water!
3. Manzanita Lake #1
Manzanita Lake sits at the base of Chaos Crags, an approximately 1,000 year-old lava dome; shortly after formation, an explosion cause the blockage of a stream resulting in Manzanita Lake.
I then made my way to Manzanita Lake in the far northwest corner of the park. Here, you can take a nice stroll around the perimeter of the lake which gives you great views of the nearby Chaos Crags, as well as Lassen Peak and the surrounding area.
Two more photographs from Manzanita Lake follow.
4. Manzanita Lake #2
5. Manzanita Lake #3
6. Subway Cave
Subway Cave is a 1,300 foot / 400 meter lava tube formed less than 20,000 year ago.
Just outside the boundary of Lassen Volcanic National Park is Subway Cave, a short lava tube adjacent to a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it turn-off from Route 89. It’s worth a stop if you happen to be passing by, but nothing compared to Lava Beds National Monument (which we’ll talk about shortly!)
7. Burney Falls #1
Burney Falls is an example of a nearly entirely spring-fed waterfall, resulting in a near constant flow of water year-round independent of recent precipitation.
I then pulled in for a visit to Burney Falls. I actually passed the falls earlier in the week as it is nearby to the Stand By Me Bridge, but I knew I’d have a little bit more time on this day to explore.
8. Burney Falls #2
Obviously the falls are the main draw here, but there are also some lovely short hiking paths which are worth a bit of your time (especially if you had to pay the park fee as I did as it is a California State property.)
9. Burney Falls #3
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10. The Beginning of the Cascade Range
After this I headed to my overnight stay in Fall River Mills, a small agricultural town. En route, I passed an overlook with a great view over the southern end of the Cascade Range (well, I pulled over on the soft shoulder, sue me.) After a tremendously filling dinner at a Mexican restaurant (California Mexican restaurants don’t hold back!) I hit the hay.
11. Mushpot Cave #1
Between 30,000 and 40,000 years ago, lava spewed forth from Mammoth Crater downwards to the area which is now Lava Beds National Monument.
My last day of the trip was going to be a long one - first I’d visit Lava Beds National Monument before returning to Medford, Oregon in advance of an early morning flight. For better or worse, this put me a bit under the gun in terms of timing, so I made my way to Lava Beds as early as I could muster.
When I arrived at the Visitor Center, there was a suspiciously large number of cars in the parking lot for a National Monument in super remote far northeastern California. Little did I know I arrived on the occasion of the monument’s 100th anniversary which the park marked with guest speakers, events, and informational tables. Lucky me, it was worth checking out!
A centennial celebration notwithstanding, the main draw of the National Monument is its collection of lava tubes; the park has hundreds on the property, of which you can climb down into about two dozen. I explored seven caves in total: Mushpot (which is adjacent to the Visitor Center), five on the Cave Loop (Golden Dome, Blue Grotto, Catacombs, Sunshine, and Sentinel), and Skull Cave. I wish I had more time, equipment, and experience to explore others … and, perhaps, an exploration companion in case I got stuck somewhere!
Information provided at the Visitor Center will tell you the challenge level of each cave. I highly encourage you to bring a head torch; otherwise, you can borrow a flashlight from the Information Desk. Only one cave -Mushpot- is lighted and paved, so if you are claustrophobic or dislike dark spaces, this is the one for you.
Ten photographs from my time at Lava Beds National Monument follow.
Photographer’s Comment: As you might expect, photography in caves is rather tricky, but I did the best I could in the few spots with artificial or natural light. This is one of those “go experience it for yourself” moments!
12. Mushpot Cave #2
As the top of the lava flow cooled and hardened due to contact with air, the still hot underground lava continued to flow away; this resulted in a tunnel formed by the remaining ceiling.
13. Mushpot Cave #3
While over 500 lava tubes are known to be present on the grounds of Lava Beds National Monument, 24 are marked for visitors, including one -Mushpot Cave- with a walkway and lighting.
14. Entrance to Golden Dome Cave #1
Ten of these caves are located in close proximity along the so-called “Cave Loop” and range in difficulty from “Least Challenging” -requiring only a flashlight and sturdy shoes- to “Most Challenging” - requiring caving experience and equipment.
15. Entrance to Golden Dome Cave #2
The majority of the caves at Lava Beds National Monument are accessed via steep staircases and require some degree of ducking through constrained or otherwise tight spaces.
16. Entrance to Sunshine Cave #1
17. Entrance to Sunshine Cave #2
18. Sunshine Cave #1
19. Sunshine Cave #2
20. Skull Cave #1
21. Skull Cave #2
After my visit to Lava Beds National Monument (and a failed attempt to visit the apparently seasonally-closed Tule Lake Relocation Center), I made the long trek back to Medford and my trip was done, save a quick stop at the rental car office for a drop-off and a flight back to the East Coast. You know you’ve had a good trip when you can look back at the places you’ve been and say, “Ooh, I can’t wait to go back there!” Well, I can’t wait to do more astrophotography at Crater Lake, I can’t wait to watch another sunset from Heart Lake, I can’t wait to section hike the Pacific Crest Trail through Lassen Volcanic National Park and Burney Falls passing right next to the Stand By Me Bridge en route, and I can’t wait to do some more exploration at Lava Beds National Monument. Until next time!
