Lava Tube Trail | Mojave National Preserve

Lava Tube
in Mojave National Preserve

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Lava Tube Trail Mojave National Preserve California desert hike lava cave basalt

A field of cinder cones stands out dramatically from the surrounding Mojave Desert between the city of Baker and Kelso Depot Visitor Center. Within the lava field is a short trail leading to a tube formed long ago by molten lava. A ladder takes hikers down into the tube where skylights (holes in the rock ceiling) illuminate a subterranean world.

From the trailhead, hike 0.18 miles up a rough jeep trail. Turn right at the first junction onto a single-track trail, and continue 0.1 miles past two holes in the ground to the tube entrance. An impressive metal ladder has been cemented in place to enable access to the tube below.

Mojave Lava Tube Trail
The entrance of the lave tube

Descend the metal steps and turn left, climbing down boulders that once made up the ceiling of the tube. Beyond the boulders, the bottom of the tube is flat and dusty. Make your way beneath a low hanging ceiling and enter the main chamber. A flashlight is a handy thing to have through this dark crossing.

Mojave Lava Tube Trail
A shaft of light illuminates the lava tube

The ceiling rises and the tube opens up on a shadowy room exposed by a spotlight of sunlight. The chamber is only a couple hundred feet long, but is a place worth lingering in. Explore the walls of dark hardened lava and take pictures in the dramatic lighting. As an added bonus, the lava tube is a great place to escape the heat up on the surface.

Mojave Lava Tube Trail
Looking up through the hole in the ceiling of the tube

To get to the trailhead: From Kelso Depot Visitor Center, head west 15 miles on Kelbaker Road. Turn right on the unmarked Aiken Mine Road (the turnoff is 19 miles form Baker for those coming in the opposite direction). Drive north on Aiken Mine Road past water tanks, corrals, and cinder cones. Take it slow over this rough road, which should be passable for most vehicles. After 4.5 miles, turn left at a fork in the road, following a sign for the lava tube. Drive another ¼ mile to the parking area at the trailhead.

Use the map below to create your own directions:

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Photos

These photos were taken in May of 2010. Click to enlarge.

Nearby Trails

	Kelso Dunes This 3-mile round trip hike climbs 470 feet to the highest point in this 45 square mile dune field.
	Lava Tube This short 0.6-mile hike drops below the surface into an old lava tube.
	Teutonia Peak The 4-mile round trip hike crosses a Joshua tree forest to summit a short peak with a great view of Cima Dome.
	New York Peak This 7 to 9-mile round trip hike summits the highest point of the New York Range in the northeast corner of the preserve.
	Hole-in-the-Wall Rings Trail This 1.5-mile loop takes visitors through a landscape of pocketed rocks. Ringbolts allow fun passage through narrow canyons.
	Fountain PeakThis 5-mile off trail trek summits a peak with commanding views over the Providence Mountains.
	Silver Peak This 8.5-mile hike summits a 6.365-foot peak in the Granite Mountains.
	Amboy Crater This 3-mile round trip hike travels up and into this ‘Mojave National Preserve adjacent’ crater.
	Hikes in the California Desert Explore more trails in Death Valley National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, and Mojave National Preserve.

Similar Trails

	Caves Trail in Craters of the Moon National Monument This 1.6 mile travels above and below the surface, exploring lava tubes in the Great Rift Lava Flow.
	Ape Cave in Mount Saint Helens National Volcanic Monument This adventurous underground hike travels through one of the longest lava tubes in the world created by Washington’s Mount Saint Helens.