Virtual Guidebook to Lassen Volcanic National Park and the Modoc Plateau
Lava Beds
Lava Beds National Monument, California

Vicously jagged black rock covers most of this small national monument, lava flows from recent geologic times - which could erupt again any time now. The whole area is riddled with lava tube caves, some with developed access, others completely wild and many probably still undiscovered.

The human history of Lava Beds focuses on the dramatic events of the 1872 Modoc Indian War. It is a fascinating, tragic story, and you can stand right where the Modocs shot the peace commisioner, then trace the cracks and ridges where Captain Jack and handful of Modocs held out (for a while) against overwhelming odds.