With its iconic mountains, rivers, and coastline, it’s easy to overlook the adventure of discovering some of Oregon’s underground wonders. Oregon is home to some of the best examples of deep caves and ancient lava beds formed ages ago from the many volcanoes in Oregon’s geological history. So significant that one of them was used by NASA as training grounds for lunar landings.
The two are linked as some of the best caves are, in fact, a lava tube, which is a natural tunnel formed by flowing lava moving underneath the hardened surface of a lava flow. Tubes act as a pressure relief valve of sorts, a natural drainage for the molten rock when an eruption occurs. When cooled, the tube, up to miles in length, is like other naturally forming caves — home to wildlife and even plant life. And the source of many a ghost tale or tales of hideouts and burial grounds.
You might already know that temperature-wise, caves are uniformly cool with little fluctuation in readings. They can be cooler by far and somewhat warmer than the surface above them. When it nears 100 in July, a cave is a great place to be. And if it’s in the teens outside, it is still likely to be in the 40s in the cave.
Many caves in Oregon, however, are off-limits in the colder months primarily to give aid and comfort to the struggling bat population and to give the caves with their own life cycle time to heal from the annual visitation of adventurers. You don’t have to be a hardcore spelunker (cave explorer) to get awed by caves in Oregon.
Lava River Cave
It’s a mile-long, self-guided lava tube. Around 42 degrees year-round means a jacket or fleece and, to be sure, have two light sources, preferably the standard flashlight and a miner’s or camp lamp, or the Forest Service will rent you a lantern.
It’s cold, and the floor is uneven, some of it’s boardwalk and stairways, the first of which is the 55 stepper that descends into the tube. The first 1,000 feet might still have fallen rocks, even ice patches into June.
The cave is open only from May 1 into September. It’s a highly popular Central Oregon outing. Get there early, maybe 9:30 for the 10:00 opening, or plan a hefty walk from and to your car. The interpretive signage, outside the cave, is exceptional and will give you all you need to know once you are inside, if you can remember it.
The cave, a continuous tube, has sections, six in all. Each is distinctly different in feel and texture.
Arnold Ice Caves
Yes, there is ice in the cave, and at times blocking or impeding exploration; however, the ice forms some interesting stalagmites. The icy cave, really a series of 19 connected caves, once produced ice for businesses in Bend and was home to various mining operations, evidence of which can still be found.
Regrettably, Wind Cave, nearly 4,000 feet in length, is closed for the protection of its important bat population. The caves, lava tubes, to be more precise, are situated on the boundary of Newberry Volcano.
The caves are typically open from May to October.
Not to fret. At least seven other caves in the system are accessible, including Pictograph Cave, 1,640 feet long. Plus: Deg, Bat, Charcoal (closed for bat rehabilitation), Dar Hole, and Stookey Ranch Cave. The names alone are symbolic of the caves’ heritage.
Another three miles northwest gets you to Skeleton or Boyd Caves.
Skeleton is only possible via Wanderlust Tours in Bend, who hold the permit for visiting. It’s a 2,900-footer full of enlightenment. Boyd, on the other hand, is permit-free and open pretty much year-round.
It is right at 1,800 feet and easy to explore with little collapse over the millennia. A small hole in the ceiling is the access point and down a metal staircase.
It’s a cluster of fives caves dating 6,000 years with a long history of use by Native Americans. Being right in the city limits of Redmond and open year-round, they are the most accessible of all our favorite Oregon caves.
Twisting underground trails connect caves 1 and 3. Cave 4 also has a less serpentine trail. Like our other favorite caves, remember they are dark, without any light source, are cool (often damp) with uneven footing. In the case of Redmond Caves, you might also be sharing it with a rattler. The caves are jointly managed by the City of Redmond and BLM. There are no fees to enter and are self-guided.
Skylight Cave
This is one of those must-see places. It is very special, even by Oregon standards. Skylight Cave has three openings in the ceiling allowing light to enter the cave. At certain times of the day, primarily early morning and the two days before or after the summer solstice, the penetrating light makes ethereal spotlights on the cave floor.
On clear days, the entire color spectrum is possible in cosmic rays of varying widths. The seasonal illumination, deep in the Deschutes National Forest, is not exactly hidden but is not easy to find either.
It’s roughly a 30-minute drive from Sisters, including some 6-7 miles on a non-maintained forest service road. The cave, a lava tube, is 900 feet in total length. The marked entry has a metal ladder that descends to the uneven floor. The “skylights” are 300 feet into the cave. The mist coming off the cool, damp floor, when caught by the light, is an added dimension to the phenomena.
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