Kate Zullo

Plan the best field trip of the year!

 Educational Opportunities at Lava Beds

Lava Beds offers many opportunities to enhance the education of students of all ages. Examples of geology, history, Modoc Indian culture, and high desert ecology abound. Students can crawl through lava tube caves, walk in the footsteps of Modoc warriors and US Army soldiers, ponder the meaning of ancient petroglyphs, and encounter a wide variety of plants and wildlife both above and below ground.

We encourage you to make the most of your visit by borrowing a traveling trunk for your classroom or-- if your school is near Lava Beds-- scheduling an in-classroom ranger program before you come, and/or participating in a ranger led program during your time at Lava Beds. These activities have been specifically tailored to match California and Oregon curriculum goals for 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th graders with the diverse resources of the monument. Programs can be modified for older or younger students, and new activities are always under development!  

Requests for programs and traveling trunk loans should be made at least 6 weeks in advance of a field trip, so plan ahead to ensure we can meet your needs! Remember also as you plan your trip that our busiest months are May and June. You may find less congestion, more lanterns, smoother logistics, and a greater likelihood of receiving requested programs and materials if you plan your visit for March or April, or anytime during the fall.

Please call Education Coordinator Angela Sutton at 530-667-8119 or the monument's Visitor Center at 530-667-8113 for trunk and program reservations, and any other assistance you might need.

New in 2008/09: In-Classroom Ranger Led Programs

more information about Traveling Trunks (including new Cave Life Trunks and new Birding Trunks for 2009!)

more information about On-Site Ranger Led Programs

Entrance Fee Waivers

Entrance fees are collected all year, as mandated by Congress. Groups visiting for educational purposes are often entitled to have these fees waived. The fee waiver should be submitted at least one month in advance of the planned visit. Download the form here: Fee Waiver form

The completed form should be returned along with a letter on school letterhead describing the educational nature of the visit. A signed copy of the fee waiver will be returned to the school. Bring it with you to present for entry into the monument.

Caving

The safest way to take a large group caving is to divide into groups of 6-8 students with at least one adult assigned to each group. Cavers can walk around the 2-mile loop road from the Visitor Center with each small group exploring a different cave.

We highly suggest that groups planning to cave on their own do at least one of the following activities:

1) Complete activities on caving ethics and safety in the Geology Traveling Trunk or Cave Life Trunk.

2) Schedule an in-classroom ranger presentation that includes information about caving.

3) Attend a Mushpot Cave Geology Program before going caving on your own, or schedule a ranger led tour of Valentine Cave as your first activity.

4) Arrange a short “Cave Safely, Cave Softly” orientation with a ranger before going caving.

Rangers are happy to help you choose appropriate caves for your group—please contact us! You can also review caving etiquette with your students in advance of your visit and find cave descriptions on our Caves brochure.

For safety, each individual, including adults, should have sturdy closed-toed footwear, long pants and sleeves, and a hardhat. Bicycle helmets work well in caves-- ask students to bring them from home! Gloves are also recommended to protect hands from rough rocks. Hardhats are available for purchase in the Visitor Center for $6.44 each. If you plan to purchase a large number of hardhats for your class, we can set them aside prior to your visit and let you know the exact amount to bring on your school check.

Each person should have at least one light. A limited number of battery-operated lanterns are available at no charge on a first-come, first-served basis. Please encourage students to bring flashlights from home, especially if you are visiting late in the school year, but they must be battery-operated. Determine the total number of lights your group will need to borrow and have an adult check them out for the entire group.

Camping

Some groups choose to extend their visit by camping at Indian Well Campground. (*Please note that your educational fee waiver does not cover the cost of camping.) One group site is available. Reservations for this site are required, and may be made up to three months in advance. This fairly primitive site can accommodate 15-40 people. It offers a central meeting area, picnic tables, water spigot, a fire ring, and pit toilets. Vehicles may drive into the group site to unload gear, but the site only accommodates 2 parked vehicles. All other vehicles must be parked in overflow parking, about 1/8 mile (0.2 km) away. The fee for the group site is $3/person/night up to a maximum of $60/night. Reservations cannot be made for sites in the main campground. There are 43 sites which accommodate up to 8 people and two vehicles per site at a cost of $10/site/night. When the campground is busy in May-June and on holiday weekends, your group may not be able to acquire adjacent sites.

Please set the expectation that students must be respectful of other visitors in the campground. Quiet hours are from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. and all campground rules apply to groups. Download our Campground brochure for more information.