You climb down a ladder into this Mojave lava tube, and at midday the sun drops a spotlight through its ceiling
The coolest room in the Mojave Desert is underground, and the only way in is a metal ladder through a collapsed roof. Pick the right hour and the sun follows you down, dropping a spotlight through the ceiling onto the cave floor.
It’s the Lava Tube in Mojave National Preserve, a tunnel left behind by a river of molten rock. The walk is tiny, the photo payoff is huge, and the drive in is the only part that’ll make you work for it. Sound like your kind of weekend?
Psst, we made you a West Coast Adventure Map. Nearly 1,900 of our favorite spots, already pinned, ready to load into Google Maps in two clicks: grab it here.
A tunnel poured by a volcano
The tube sits in a field of cinder cones, red and black volcanic hills that pop up out of the desert like someone scattered giant anthills across it. The National Park Service counts 32 of them visible from Interstate 15 and Kelbaker Road, and they started forming about 7.6 million years ago.
The tunnel itself formed when the top of a lava flow cooled and hardened while the molten rock underneath kept moving. Once the lava drained out, it left a hollow tube behind, and part of the roof later collapsed, which is how you get in today.
The youngest lava flow out here is only about 10,000 years old, practically yesterday in volcano time. The cones were named a National Natural Landmark back in 1973.
📍 GET THE ULTIMATE CALIFORNIA MAP 🗺️
Get our curated list of the best adventures and things to do north of LA loaded onto your maps with just two clicks!
✅ Waterfalls ✅ Hikes ✅ Viewpoints
✅ National Parks ✅ 1400+ Pins
The drive is the real challenge
Here’s the honest part: getting to the trailhead takes more effort than the hike. The tube is about 5 miles down Aiken Mine Road, an unpaved turnoff from Kelbaker Road marked by a small street sign.
The Park Service describes that road as narrow, rough, sandy and washboarded, with the occasional bigger rock in the way. It recommends a high-clearance vehicle, advises against low-clearance cars, and says to allow at least 30 minutes for the drive in.
Right now, the preserve’s alerts page lists the route as open but 4WD only, with soft sand, mud holes and rocks in the roadway after a recent storm. Conditions change, so check the Mojave National Preserve conditions page before you head out.
Once you’re rolling, bear left at the fork around the 4.5-mile mark and keep going about a quarter mile to a circular parking area.
Down the ladder and into the dark
From the parking area, the walk is barely a warm-up: about half a mile round trip with very little climbing. You head uphill a few hundred yards to a fence, turn right, and follow the beaten path until a metal ladder appears, dropping straight into the ground.
Once you’re down, the tube squeezes for a bit before it opens into the main chamber. There are spots where the ceiling hangs so low that you’ll need to crawl, so this one’s a fun little adventure, not a stroll.
The Park Service doesn’t maintain the tube, and it warns about loose rocks, that low ceiling and snakes. Bring a light (a headlamp keeps your hands free) and go in knowing it’s at your own risk.
Time it for the light show
This is the whole reason people make the bumpy drive. Openings in the cave ceiling let sunlight pour into the main chamber, and when the sun is high, it cuts through the dust in solid golden beams.
Aim for around noon, give or take an hour or two. Our photos here were taken around 2 PM in June, and standing in a lava cave watching a sunbeam hit the floor is one of the weirdest, best things you can do in the California desert.
Want the full rundown with more photos? Our Mojave Lava Tube guide walks you through every step.
Before you go
There are no bathrooms, pit toilets or trash cans at the trailhead, so pack out everything you bring. Water, snacks and a full tank before you leave pavement are smart moves out here.
My one strong opinion? Leave the sedan at home. The tube is easy, but the road in is not, and you’ll enjoy the whole trip a lot more with real clearance (and four-wheel drive) under you.
Trip tips: grab a rental car to get out here, lock in your hotel before the good rooms are gone, or skip both and book a camper van instead.
So, would you climb down that ladder, or are low ceilings and the dark a hard no? Tell us in the comments, and share your favorite underground spot in California while you’re at it!
