Subway Cave: California Attraction
OLD STATION, CALIF. — It can be 101 degrees outside on a hot summer day but just step into Subway Cave where the temperature is 46 degrees year round, and you’ll soon be wanting a jacket or sweater. Formed by lava flow some 20,000 yeas ago a river of lava covered the floor of Hat Creek Valley. While the top crust cooled and hardened, rivers of red-hot lava insulated by newly formed rock above, continued to flow. Eventually, the lava drained away, leaving tube-like caves. Today visitors to the Lassen National Forest in Northern California can take self-guided tours of the cave, which is pitch black inside — bring a flashlight! Subway Cave is open late May through October offering zero visibility. Take a dependable flashlight with you. The trail signs will direct you–if you can see them.
Here’s another cave with a scary “womb room”!
SUBWAY CAVE
- 1,300 feet of winding lava tube.The total trail length is 1/3 mile.
- Roof Thickness varies from 8 to 24 feet.
- Height – Varies from 6 to 17 feet.
- See:fs.usda.gov
