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Is that guano we smell?

Keeping It Underground In Oregon’s Lava Caves

By Joseph Friedrichs, 11-04-09

A crawl beneath Central Oregon. Photo by Joseph Friedrichs.

For the past several days a walnut-sized lump has been throbbing on the top of my skull. This morning when I attempted to shampoo my hair, the scrubbing motion nearly brought me to tears. I can’t wear my blue baseball hat without feeling pain.

The cause of the hideous and horribly painful lump on this writer’s noggin? It came from a sharp-ass rock in a dark-ass cave.

A lava cave, to be precise.

And despite the injury, I encourage everyone to go check out the lava caves in central and eastern Oregon for themselves. Just try not to be an idiot and hurt yourself, okay?

I’ve lived in Bend for a combined total of three years and until recently had never visited the abundance of lava caves in the area. A majority of them are within 30 miles of town, and for some lackadaisical reason I never got around to exploring the network of tunnels, hollows and unusual underground-rock formations until this week. Fishing the Deschutes or hiking in the Cascades has always taken precedent to exploring the high-desert country to the east. Until now.

My first stop was Boyd Cave, a well-preserved lava tube with a total length of nearly 2,000 feet. Boyd Cave is open all year, there is no fee and apparently receives few visitors this time of year, although I did come across an empty 40 oz. bottle of Old English malt liquor deep in the dark confines of a tunnel. Boyd was interesting, and even mildly frightening, particularly when I turned out all the flashlights and headlamps and started to discuss the existence of “cave people.” My photographer failed to see the humor in the situation. She apparently doesn’t think it’s cool to have no vision in a mysterious cave with thoughts of primitive beings lurking about. Personally, I thought it was great. Who wouldn’t want to be ripped to shreds in a cave by a drooling beast with hollow eyes, sharp claws and jagged teeth?

All the same, Boyd Cave is among the largest and most easily accessible of the lava caves in the state. Most of the caves in Central Oregon trace their beginnings to the Newberry Crater volcano, which last erupted about 100,000 years ago. As the surface of the lava flows cooled, the interior flows continued, eventually draining the tube and leaving a long, narrow, hollow chamber, according to the Oregon Department of State Lands.

During my day of cave exploration I also stopped at Skeleton Cave, located just several miles to the east of Boyd. The main branch of the cave is presently closed to protect bats during hibernation, but there is still some exploring to do in the area. If nothing else, a stroll across the high desert and views of the snow covered Cascade peaks make the trip to Skeleton worthwhile.

Many cave snobs will tell you that Oregon’s lava tube caves are inferior to those formed by dripping water in limestone caves. And although Central Oregon’s lava caves may lack the visual stimulation of a limestone cave, they certainly make up for in abundance. There are at least 300 known caves on the Deschutes National Forest, with the location of many caves still believed to be unknown. Western big-eared bats spend their winters in the caves. Moths and other critters take refuge in the dark narrows of the caves. The interior of the caves typically maintain temperatures in the 40s, meaning they are a great place to cool down in the summer or escape the snow and freezing temps of winter.

Truth be told, the lava caves are not the most exciting tourist destinations or recreational opportunities Oregon has to offer. However, it’s something to do and is much more interesting than sitting on the sofa waiting for pizza and eventually death. So get outdoors, crawl in a cave and watch your head. There are a lot of sharp rocks out there.

Getting There: Boyd Cave
This is the first cave heading east on China Hat Road (Road 18) off of Highway 97. Turn left (north) at the junction of 18 & 18-242. This junction is just before the cattle guard where the paved road turns to gravel. Travel approximately 1/8 mile to parking area.

In addition, Lava River Cave is on the east side of U.S. 97, 10 miles south of Bend, but is open only during summer. Numerous other caves along China Hat Road stretch out about 10 miles southeast of Bend.

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