Lava Beds National Monument
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!
Alerts
- InformationNPS ↗White-Nose Syndrome / Cave Permit
Please Do Not bring clothing or caving gear used in caves or mines outside of Lava Beds into our caves. This will help slow the spread of white-nose syndrome, a bat disease that is killing bats outside of the park.
Fire nearby
- PrescribedHarris Ub Rx
25 mi from the park's reference point
- PrescribedElk Flat Ub Rx
37 mi from the park's reference point
Within 50 miles, as of 2026-10-14. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Check the park's alerts and the managing office before you drive.
Fees & passes
| Type | Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Private VehiclePark Entrance is $25 per vehicle and is good for 7 days. | $25 | |
| MotorcycleValid for 7 days. Admits up to 2 private, non-commercial motorcycles with up to 4 total passengers. | $20 | |
| Per PersonPark Entrance is $15 per person and is good for 7 days. | $15 | |
| Passes | ||
| Annual Entrance - ParkLava 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. | $55 | |
Entrance fees are collected seasonally at the fee booth at the north end of the park. If that is closed, please proceed to the park's visitor center. Staff there can collect your fees and answer any questions that you may have about the park.
Hours
| Lava Beds National Monument | Daily · All Day |
When to go
July draws the most visits here and January the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Campgrounds
| Indian Well Campground | 43 sites | |
| $20 a night · There is a self-pay station at the campground, so visitors can check in at any time. Campers are required to also get a cave permit, at the visitor center. · 1 reservable, 43 first-come | ||
| Group Campsite | 1 site | |
| $60 a night · The group campsite is only open April 1st - October 31st. A loop of the main campground is open year-round. · 1 reservable | ||
Every campground here has its own page on Campsite Atlas, with site counts, hookups, rig limits and booking windows. All of them on one page → How park camping works
Visitor centers
- Lava Beds Visitor CenterPassport stamp
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.
Explore
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
Webcams
Camera images load live from the National Park Service and partner agencies
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
Historic landmarks nearby
Public land nearby
Distances are approximate. Wilderness Atlas publishes a center point and an acreage for each area rather than a boundary, so each area is treated here as a circle of the same size and the figure is the gap to that circle.
Forest Service trails nearby
These trails are outside the park on National Forest land, within 15 miles of Lava Beds. Each one opens on Trailhead Atlas.
Distance is measured from the park's reference point to the nearer end of the trail.
Guidebooks for Lava Beds National Monument and California's national parks
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
- Monitoring the American Pika in the Pacific West Region: Crater Lake National Park, Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, Lassen Volcanic National Park, and Lava Beds National Monument: Standard Operating ProceduresNational Park Service, 2013Find at Bookshop.org
Local history books for Lava Beds National Monument
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Seen this monthAmerican White Pelican 2× · Prairie Falcon 1× · Coyote 1× · American Barn Owl 1×Research-grade observations within 25 km, last 30 days, via iNaturalist
Full checklist: 232 birds, 55 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsAmerican barn owl · American kestrel · Flammulated Owl · bald eagle · burrowing owl · cooper's hawk · ferruginous hawk · golden eagle · great gray owl · great horned owl · long-eared owl · merlin · northern harrier · northern pygmy-owl · northern saw-whet owl · osprey · peregrine falcon · prairie falcon · red-tailed hawk · rough-legged hawk · sharp-shinned hawk · short-eared owl · swainson's hawk · turkey vulture · western screech-owl
Waterfowl & wadersAmerican Wigeon · Barrow's Goldeneye · Blue Goose · Blue-winged Teal · Cinnamon Teal · Emperor Goose · Eurasian Wigeon · Green Heron · Red-breasted Merganser · Ross's Goose · Sandhill crane · american bittern · american coot · american white pelican · black-crowned night-heron · bufflehead · canada goose · common goldeneye · common loon · common merganser · double-crested cormorant · eared grebe · great blue heron · great egret · greater scaup · greater white-fronted goose · green-winged teal · hooded merganser · horned grebe · lesser scaup · northern pintail · pied-billed grebe · ring-necked duck · ruddy duck · snowy egret · tundra swan · virginia rail · western grebe · white-faced ibis · wood duck
Shorebirds & seabirdsBonaparte's Gull · California Gull · European Herring Gull · Ring-billed Gull · Wilson's snipe · american avocet · baird's sandpiper · black tern · black-bellied plover · caspian tern · dunlin · forster's tern · greater yellowlegs · killdeer · least sandpiper · lesser yellowlegs · long-billed curlew · long-billed dowitcher · marbled godwit · red-necked phalarope · snowy plover · spotted sandpiper · western sandpiper · willet · wilson's phalarope
Gamebirds & dovesCalifornia quail · Common Pigeon · Eurasian collared dove · Greater sage grouse · Mourning Dove · Sooty Grouse · Wild turkey · band-tailed pigeon · mountain quail · ring-necked pheasant · ruffed grouse
WoodpeckersCommon flicker · Downy Woodpecker · Lewis' woodpecker · White-headed Woodpecker · Williamson's sapsucker · black-backed woodpecker · pileated woodpecker · red-breasted sapsucker
Hummingbirds & swiftsWhite-throated Swift · anna's hummingbird · black-chinned hummingbird · broad-tailed hummingbird · calliope hummingbird · rufous hummingbird · vaux's swift
Also on the checklistAmerican Pipit · American Tree Sparrow · Black Phoebe · Black-billed Magpie · Brewer's blackbird · California scrub-jay · Cassin's Vireo · Cassin's finch · Clark's nutcracker · Common nighthawk · Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) · Gadwall · Golden-crowned Sparrow · Green-tailed towhee · Hammond's flycatcher · Juniper titmouse · Lincoln's Sparrow · Loggerhead shrike · Mountain chickadee · Northern Shoveler · Northern house wren · Oak Titmouse · Pinyon jay · Ruby-crowned Kinglet · Steller's jay · Western kingbird · Western meadowlark · Western tanager · White-throated Sparrow · american goldfinch · american robin · ash-throated flycatcher · bank swallow · barn swallow · belted kingfisher · bewick's wren · black-headed grosbeak · black-necked stilt · black-throated gray warbler · black-throated sparrow · blue-gray gnatcatcher · bohemian waxwing · brewer's sparrow · brown creeper · brown-headed cowbird · bullock's oriole · bushtit · california towhee · canvasback · canyon wren · cedar waxwing · chipping sparrow · chukar · cliff swallow · common poorwill · common raven · common yellowthroat · dark-eyed junco · dusky flycatcher · european starling · evening grosbeak · fox sparrow · golden-crowned kinglet · gray flycatcher · hermit thrush · hermit warbler · horned lark · house finch · house sparrow · lapland longspur · lark sparrow · lazuli bunting · lesser goldfinch · macgillivray's warbler · mallard · marsh wren · mountain bluebird · nashville warbler · northern goshawk · northern rough-winged swallow · northern shrike · olive-sided flycatcher · orange-crowned warbler · pine siskin · purple finch · purple martin · pygmy nuthatch · red crossbill · red-breasted nuthatch · red-winged blackbird · redhead · rock wren · sage thrasher · savannah sparrow · say's phoebe · song sparrow · sora · spotted towhee · townsend's solitaire · townsend's warbler · tree swallow · tricolored blackbird · varied thrush · vesper sparrow · violet-green swallow · warbling vireo · western bluebird · western wood-pewee · white-breasted nuthatch · white-crowned sparrow · white-winged scoter · wilson's warbler · winter wren · yellow warbler · yellow-headed blackbird · yellow-rumped warbler
Small mammalsAmerican pika · Belding's ground squirrel · Black-tailed jackrabbit · Broad-footed mole · Bushy-tailed woodrat · California ground squirrel · California kangaroo rat · California vole · Canyon deermouse · Douglas' squirrel · Dusky-footed woodrat · Golden-mantled ground squirrel · Great Basin pocket mouse · Least chipmunk · Long-tailed vole · Merriam's shrew · Montane vole · Mountain cottontail · North American deermouse · North American porcupine · Piñon deermouse · Trowbridge's shrew · Vagrant shrew · Western harvest mouse · Yellow-bellied marmot · Yellow-pine chipmunk
PredatorsAmerican black bear · Badger · Bobcat · Coyote · Gray fox · Long-tailed weasel · Mountain lion · Northern raccoon · Red fox · Striped skunk · Western spotted skunk
Hoofed mammalsMule deer · Pronghorn
BatsBig brown bat · California myotis · Fringed myotis · Hoary Bat · Little brown myotis · Long-eared myotis · Long-legged myotis · Mexican free-tailed bat · Pallid bat · Silver-haired bat · Spotted bat · Townsend's big-eared bat · Western pipistrelle · Western red bat · Western small-footed myotis · Yuma myotis
Activities
Activity guides for this park Birdwatching in the national parks · Camping in the national parks · Hiking in the national parks · Skiing in the national parks · Stargazing in the national parks · Wildlife watching in the national parks
Weather & climate
Park elevations range from 4,000 to 5,700 feet. Cold weather is possible any time of year, and snow has been recorded in all months. Winter daytime highs average 40°F; lows average 20°F. Morning fog is frequent from autumn through spring. Summer daytime highs average 75° to 80°F; lows average 50°F. Occasional thunderstorms occur in summer.
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to enter Lava Beds?
Entrance is $25 per private vehicle, $20 per motorcycle, and $15 per person on foot or bike. Park Entrance is $25 per vehicle and is good for 7 days.
Source: National Park Service
Which passes work at Lava Beds?
The $80 America the Beautiful pass covers the entrance fee here, and a Lava Beds-only annual pass is $55.
Source: Is the pass worth it
Can I pay the entrance fee in cash?
No. Lava Beds takes cards only at the entrance.
Source: National Park Service
When is entrance to Lava Beds free?
Next on October 27, Theodore Roosevelt's birthday. 2 fee-free days are left this year, for US residents only.
Source: Free entrance days
Do I need a reservation to enter Lava Beds?
No. There is no timed-entry or entrance reservation at Lava Beds. Camping and some tours have their own reservations.
Source: National Park Service
Is Lava Beds open year-round?
Yes. The grounds are open 24 hours a day, year-round.
Source: National Park Service
Can I camp in Lava Beds?
Yes. The Park Service lists 2 campgrounds in Lava Beds: Indian Well and Group Campsite. 2 take reservations through Recreation.gov.
Do any Lava Beds campgrounds have hookups or showers?
No. None of the 2 listed campgrounds report showers, electric hookups, or a dump station.
Source: Campgrounds
Do camping fees at Lava Beds include the entrance fee?
No. Camping is charged per night on top of the entrance fee or a pass; Indian Well is $20 a night.
Source: Campgrounds
Is anything closed at Lava Beds right now?
1 active alert as of October 14, 2026: White-Nose Syndrome / Cave Permit.
Source: Alerts
How busy is Lava Beds?
143,659 recreation visits in 2025, number 193 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
Is there cell service at Lava Beds?
At the park's reference point, FCC coverage maps show AT&T 4G LTE and T-Mobile 4G LTE. No reported coverage for Verizon. Coverage inside the park varies by location.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
Follow this park
- Alerts feed (RSS)
- Every active Park Service alert for this unit, one item each, rebuilt with the nightly data refresh.
- Add dates to your calendar (.ics file)
- Fee-free entrance days that apply here and each published hours exception, as all-day events.
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