IMPORTANT NEWS: If you plan to go caving at Lava Beds and have been caving or exploring mines East of the Rocky Mountains recently (within the past 5 years), please read this important information to protect Lava Beds' bats from a deadly disease: White-nose Syndrome

Annual Timeline Living History - Education Event

Make sure to reserve your classes spot for our annual Timeline Living History Event on Friday, May 11, 2012. 

During the event, school groups will travel through time as they visit 5 Living History camps were they will learn what life was like as a fur trader in 1826, a pioneer traveling along the Oregon/Applegate trail, and an Army solider druing the Modoc war. You class will also explore the lava flows and caves with J.D. Howard, who is known for finding and naming over 120 caves and geologic formations here at Lava Beds. Students will also learn what traditional life was like for a Modoc-Klamath Indian, and the Merrills who tried to homestead in Lava Beds.

We are currently acepting reservation for our 2012 Timeline event. If you are thinking of atteneding please keep in mind this is an all day event. School groups typically arrive between 9:00 am and 10:00 am, and stay till 1:30 pm or 2:00 pm.

This event is best suited for 3rd - 5th grade social studies classes.  

If you are interested in attending, or have questions please call Education Coordinator, Angela Sutton, at 530-667-8119.

If transpertation funding is an issue please let Angela know, we might be able to help.

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.

On a trip to Lava Beds, 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, and/or-- if your school is near Lava Beds-- scheduling an Ranger in the Classroom 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!  
Link to Oregon and California curriculum standards met by our programs and materials

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 for trunk and program reservations, and any other assistance you might need.

We have offered Ranger in the Classroom Programs on geology, Modoc cultural history, local history, food chain, and bats.  If you would like us to come present on a different topic please feel free to ask.  

Our Traveling Trunks are one Geology, Cultural History, Cave Life, Birds, and Bats

Current Ranger Led Programs include Stronghold walks, Mushpot Cave geology programs, and Valentine Cave tours, and Caving Safely, Caving Softly porch talks.

Financial Assistance for Field Trips

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

If you are planning a field trip to Lava Beds and funding is an issue, please let us know we might be able to help. In response to school funding hardships, some  National Park Service funds have been set aside to help pay for school transportation costs for field trips to Lava Beds. These funds will be provided to schools on a first-come, first-served basis, so please contact us soon. Funds can be used for this school year or early next school year. Please call education coordinator Angela Sutton at 530-667-8119 for more information.

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 $6.50 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.