Hiking Subway Cave Lava Tubes in the Northern California Cascades

Looking for more places to visit near Subway Cave Lava Tubes?
It’s only a short drive south to the amazing Lassen Volcanic National Park. To the north, don’t miss the enchanting Burney Falls.

CURRENT INFO

For up-to-date information, visit the U.S. Forest Service webpage for Subway Cave. For more detailed trail information, see the Subway Cave posting on AllTrails.

GOOD TO KNOW

• Subway Cave is open from April through October.
• Don’t forget to bring flashlights! I recommend both headlamps plus flashlights or lanterns. Using both makes navigation easier, and lets you better observe the rock formations up close.
• Bring a jacket and additional layers as needed, as the temperature inside the cave is 46 degrees F year round.
• There is no fee to park at the trailhead, but donations are welcome.
• Vault toilets and picnic tables are available.
• No pets are allowed in the cave.
• On summer weekends, free guided tours may be available.
• Strangely, there appeared to be two trail options at the cave exit, with no sign indicating which one to use. News flash: they will both get you back to the parking lot, so you’re covered! Still, it would be nice if this were clearly noted.

HIGHLIGHTS

Subway Cave itself is the highlight, of course! It’s easy to access (although not ADA accessible due to the stairs and uneven terrain), and makes a fun road trip stop if you’re in the area. Informative signs provide information about the site’s geological history and unique formations.

THE KIDS’ TAKE

How often do you get to walk through a lava tube? This is a perfect easy cave experience for kids. It’s exciting to put on headlamps and explore, and because the cave is tall and wide, it doesn’t feel too scary.

WHILE YOU’RE HERE

Subway Cave makes a great stop en route to Lassen Volcanic National Park if you’re coming from the north. For those spending more time in the area, I recommend camping at Manzanita Lake Campground, which lies within the national park, but is only a short drive from Subway Cave.

North of Subway Cave, be sure to stop by beautiful Burney Falls. If you’re looking for a place to another place to camp, Cave Campground is located just across the road from Subway Cave.

We stopped by Subway Cave en route to Lassen Volcanic National Park. Since the cave is technically an ancient lava tube, it ties in perfectly with a visit to Lassen. Here you have the chance to explore another kind of volcanic formation, one you won’t find within the boundaries of the national park. Plus, with it’s location immediately off Highway 89, it’s a quick stop for anyone entering Lassen from the north.

After reading up on the geological history of Subway Cave posted by the parking lot, we followed the short, dusty trail to the cave entrance. Stairs zig-zagged their way into the mouth of the lava tube, where the temperature noticeably dropped. Outside, the sky was a bleak grey as wildfire smoke wafted across Northern California. Inside, the air smelled of damp earth and rock. Immersed in this underground world, we momentarily forgot about the hazy skies outside, fascinated instead by the near perfect arch of the ceiling above us. Subway Cave is indeed aptly named.

The kids wanted to run, even in the dark of the cave. I checked that their headlamps were working and convinced them to slow down.

“Watch your step! There are rocks and holes!” I said, being the typical mom.

Still, even though Subway Cave provides an easier cave walk than many, any underground excursion requires caution. And while this isn’t the kind of cave where you’ll find stalactites, stalagmites, or other such dramatic rock formations, it does have a few surprises. Maps and signs throughout the tube point out the unique features. Take, for example, the two mini-volcanoes that appear on the floor midway through the tunnel, looking like melted mud pies.

On the walls and ceiling, different textures and shades of brown and grey create whimsical patterns. Where the cave widens, the rooms are given fanciful names, ranging from the heavenly (“The Sanctum”) to the hellish (“Lucifer’s Cul-de-Sac”).

The cave is only one third of a mile in length, and it felt like our explorations were only just beginning when light began to appear at the end of the tunnel, so to speak. It’s a one-way passage, so you’ll climb a different set of stairs as you exit. I gave J permission to head back to the parking lot as I waited for Michael and T.

This is where it got a little confusing: there were two trails. Which one to take? Both looked equally legitimate. To make it even more confusing, I didn’t know which trail J had taken. Could he be lost? After following one trail a short distance ahead, I started to doubt myself and turned around to try the other option.

This trail, too, seemed to wander aimlessly through the scrub, but eventually I saw the parking lot below. Trusting that all would work out, I kept going, and the trail finally wound its way down to the lot. There, waiting for us, was J, wondering what had taken us so long. He had taken the other, apparently shorter, trail, fully confident in his choice.

As it turns out, both trails lead back to the parking lot, so you (probably) can’t go wrong. It would be nice, however, if the U.S. Forest Service could post a little sign at the cave exit noting this. Indeed, we weren’t the only ones who were perplexed; I encountered a few others looking forlorn and mystified as they hesitantly made their way back.

But really, this is a minor quibble. Subway Cave is well worth stopping for, and a captivating peek into the world beneath our our feet.