Lava River Caves a ‘cool’ holiday destination for many

As usual, visitors flocked to Central Oregon for the Memorial Day weekend. The Lava Lands Visitor Center near Sunriver was one of the places many people visited.

It was a packed parking lot at the Lava River Caves Monday. Dozens of people arrived in the mid-afternoon, eager to head underground and check out the caves.

Memorial Day weekend is typically one of the busiest times of year for the Newberry National Volcanic Monument.

Tourists from across the country and around the world were at the site. And despite the beautiful, sunny weather, plenty of people were more than willing to take the staircase down into the dark and chilly cave.

At 42 degrees, some young people we spoke with said the cave was very cold.

“My cave experience was scary, and it was cold and very steep and rocky,” Emilee Glenn said.
“Freezing,” Abby Glenn said.

According to Forest Service Ranger Jim Elliott, nearly 1,000 people visited the Lava River Caves on Sunday.

“We’ve been very busy so far with all this very nice weather. We’ve had large crowds both here and at the visitor center and at Newberry Caldera, which is south of the monument,” he said.

Elliott said they expect a similar turnout for Monday.

But, that can be tough on parking, at least two dozen cars were parked along Cottonwood Road because the parking lot was full.

Visitors are required to go though an orientation before entering the cave. The Forest Service wants to make sure none of visitors’ clothing had been in caves across the country that may have bats carrying White Nose Syndrome.

If you’re interested in checking out the Lava River Caves, they’re open every day from 9 to 5

To learn more: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/deschutes/recarea/?recid=38396.