Entrance Fee
$25.00
/ Entrance - Private Vehicle
Park Hours (Today)
All Day
Lava Beds Visitor Center: 9:30AM - 4:30PM
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About the Park
Lava Beds National Monument is a land of turmoil, both geological and historical. Over the last half-million years, volcanic eruptions on the Medicine Lake shield volcano have created a rugged landscape dotted with diverse volcanic features. More than 800 caves, Native American rock art sites, historic battlefields and campsites, and a high desert wilderness experience await you!
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Visitor Centers
Lava Beds Visitor Center
Lava Beds is home to one visitor center located at the south end of the park, near cave loop road. An entrance station is located at the north end of the park, but is only open in the summer. As you drive through the park you can find information kiosks with park maps at Petroglyph Point, and Gillem's Camp.
Where to Stay
Indian Well Campground
Indian Well Campground is located 1/2 mile (0.8 km) from the Visitor Center. There are 43 sites available on a first-come, first serve basis. Included in the standard campsites are a picnic table, fire ring, and cooking grill. The campground typically only fills on summer weekends near holidays. Sites can accommodate tents, pickup campers, small trailers and motor homes up to 30 feet. Note: not all sites can accommodate motor homes.
Group Campsite
The Group Campsite is in the B-Loop of the Indian Well Campground. The group site is only for groups with a minimum of 15 and a maximum of 40 campers. The group campsite includes picnic tables, grills, two pit toilets, a group fire ring, water spigot and a large cooking grill. Group site is open April 1st - October 31st. It can be reserved up to 6 months in advanced.
Getting Here & Transit
How to Get Here
Lava Beds is a truly remote park, in a corner of California most people never visit. Most roads into this area wind through mountains, and along rivers, and travel may take longer than expected. Services are few and far between and winter driving conditions can be encountered anytime between fall and spring.
Park Amenities
Entrance Fees & Passes
Standard Fees
Entrance - Private Vehicle
$25.00Park Entrance is $25 per vehicle and is good for 7 days.
Entrance - Motorcycle
$20.00Valid for 7 days. Admits up to 2 private, non-commercial motorcycles with up to 4 total passengers.
Entrance - Per Person
$15.00Park Entrance is $15 per person and is good for 7 days.
Annual & Lifetime Passes
Annual Entrance - Park
$55.00Lava Beds National Monument, Crater Lake National Park, Lassen Volcanic National Park, and Whiskeytown National Recreation Area all share an annual pass. It is $55.00 and is valid for a year from the date of purchase.
Operating Hours
Lava Beds National Monument
The park is open 24 hours a day, year-round. The visitor center is typically only closed on Christmas Day but will sometimes temporarily close in the winter due to weather or maintenance. Temporary closures are usually posted as an alert and/or on our social media. For visitor center hours please the Visitor Center section below.
- MondayAll Day
- TuesdayAll Day
- WednesdayAll Day
- ThursdayAll Day
- FridayAll Day
- SaturdayAll Day
- SundayAll Day
Live Webcams
Click any camera to open the live feed on the NPS website.
Photos
Sunset at Lava Beds
Paintbrush along park trail
Schonchin Butte & Skull Cave
snowy sunrise at Hopkins Chocolate Cave
When to Go
Crowd CalendarPlan your trip around peak seasons to avoid crowds or embrace the energy of the busy months. Our crowd predictions are based on historical NPS Visitor Use Statistics.
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Best Time
May-September
Trip Length
1 day
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Planning Lava Beds National Monument
These common questions go deeper into logistics and planning. For real-time updates on road closures and current conditions, always check the Alerts section above.