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Lava Beds National Monument

Looking Through A Side Tube Of Catacombs Cave At Lava Beds National Monument

Cave Specialist Shane Fryer looking through a side tube of Catacombs Cave, Lava Beds National Monument

Lava Beds National Monument in California is chock full of crazy geology and much history. According to the National Park Service, "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!"

National Park Service

Catch The Annular Eclipse At Big Thicket National Preserve

Big Thicket National Preserve in Texas is one of the National Park System units in the path of the annular solar eclipse next month and park staff are offering solar-filtered telescopes and eclipse glasses for safe viewing, ranger programs, and a sneak peek at the preserve's 50th anniversary celebrations in 2024.

Exploring The National Park System By RV: Lava Beds National Monument

What comes to mind when you think about California’s best national parks for RVers? Yosemite? Sequoia? The Redwoods? If you’re like most people, RVing to Lava Beds National Monument is not on the radar. Ranked as the 214th most visited location out of 423 National Park System sites, few people are willing to make the trek. But their loss is your gain if you go.

Sunlit Opening Seen From A Lava Tube At Lava Beds National Monument

Looking back to the sunlit entrance from inside a lava tube at Lava Beds National Monument in California

According to the NPS: "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!"

Matthew Dillon
Lava Beds National Monument

National Parks Traveler Episode 21: Can Guns Protect You Against Bear Attacks?

Tom Smith, a professor of wildlife sciences at Brigham Young University and a member of the National Rifle Association, discusses how effective guns in backcountry locations are in defending against bear attacks. What he says might surprise you. This episode also looks at the Volcanic Legacy Highway that ties Lassen Volcanic National Park and Crater Lake National Park together.

National Parks Well Represented On List Of Volcanoes Posing Highest Threats

Have you visited Hawai'i National Park and gotten close to the Kīlauea Volcano, enjoyed Paradise at Mount Rainier National Park, climbed to the top of Lassen Peak in its namesake park, or hiked down to Crater Lake? If so, you've placed yourself in the midst of some of the country's most dangerous volcanoes in terms of the threats they pose, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

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