Great place for small hike. only $5 to get in. well paved walk way. Nice landscape on sunny day

Fun but spooky experience going through the tube! It is completely dark, so bring a good light source, and quite chilly, so wear long pants and a sweatshirt! We were there when the outside temperature was 80° but the cave was in the 40s! You can go quite a far distance in, but we turned around after about halfway.

Different experience! Total dark. A mile long tube with 2 layers in some parts.Bring warm clothes, a good flashlight and closed toe shoes. The parking lot get full very early so plan to reach before it opens.

Great little local visit spot. Quick and informative briefing before entry. Friendly staff to explain what to expect. Bring torches if you have them. Powerful torches available to hire for $5 if needed! Walk is a little uneven underfoot!

This is my utmost favorite place I have ever been too. You must go! Bring your family and enjoy a mile long hike through a big cave. It was so amazing!!!

Nice lava tube to walk through. The terrain isnt for everyone though... stairs &rough ground in spots. Not handicap friendly. Advertising as last group goes in at 4pm but we were swept out at 4:15. Disappointing to not finish.

Amazing lava tube. One of the largest Ive seen. If you can find time to go during the week its a better experience just from having less people in it. Its a great way to spend an afternoon with the family.

Slightly chilly (unless youre from Minnesota ) hike about a mile into complete darkness. The $5 spotlight rental is well worth it if you didnt bring a VERY bright flashlight for yourself and it goes to a good cause. Have fun spelunking!

Loved it. Need a very bright light to see more. Its pitch dark. And need a good camera for good picture.

Creepy to walk in a lava cave, but did it anyway. Turn off your little rented lights and you cant see your hand in front of your face. Wear decent hiking shoes or sneakers, can be slippery and rocky. Definitely wear a sweatshirt, is cooler the farther you go in.

Lava cave is definitely closed because of covid-19 and has 300 dollar fine for trespassing. Surveillance cameras are in use.

Have been many times before but the orientation was new for us. Just requires a day pass and you can rent flash lights there for a fee or bring your own. Took us just over an hour to see the whole thing with 2 kids in tow. Its really cold in the cave so I definitely recommend a sweatshirt. During the busy summer months definitely try to be there by 9-9:30 am as there is very limited parking! And waiting for a group to come out can take a while.

Really neat experience! About a mile in and another mile back but its a nice walk. The stairs can be difficult for those not prepared but the trek is worth it. Make sure to bring a layer and a bright enough light. Summer months also fill up early so give yourself time if there is a line.

This is a fun place to stop if you are in the Bend or Sunriver area. There are places for RVs or oversized vehicles to park as well as regular vehicle parking but it fills up fast in Summer. It is free to explore the caves which is wonderful. Before you go inside the caves the park rangers do a brief speech asking if you have visited any caves before. They let you know about disease that can spread from other caves to bats. The caves are at a lower elevation and temperatures drop in the 40 degree range, so bring a coat if that is cold for you. Wear headlamps or bring flashlights because the caves are very dark. The caves are also longer than we expected. They are about a mile long. We brought our kids along for the journey. They enjoyed the cave. We had a guy say out loud “this isn’t a place to bring your baby!” I thought that was rude but I didn’t say anything. My daughter, at 16 months old and son at almost 4 years old did great. There are some bumps on the trail to watch out for, handrails everywhere but nothing too dangerous. There were other kids in there and a baby younger than ours being perfectly protected in her mother’s carrier. The cave may be too long for some. I would recommend checking out this cave but if you don’t hike to the end you aren’t missing much if you turn around early. The cave looks pretty much the same throughout but there is one spot that the cave narrows for a few steps so you have to duck down for a bit.

If you like spooky closed spaces then youd rate this 5 stars. The opening on the way back was the best sight I ever saw

Freezing cold. Be sure you wear pants, a coat and perferably gloves. We walked the entire way to the end and back and the kids complained of hands getting cold from holding flashlights. We hadnt thought of gloves but in the future we will. Its a fun experience but be physically fit enough to climb all the stairs and walk through uneven terrain.

Must do! It is great! The cave is super cold but well worth it! I recommend a light per person.

This is a nice easy 2 mile round trip hike. It’s 42 degrees and pitch in the cave so bring a jacket and light. (Or you can rent lights for $5.) It’s neat to see the different sections of the cave and how it really is it’s own ecosystem. Read the signs throughout your trip, you’ll learn a lot!

The Lava River Cave is absolutely the best thing in the greater Bend area. We all agree it was our favorite thing out of our whole trip. Here is some tips:*Get there early or 1.5 hours after opening time. Parking gets full and we had to wait 20 minutes for a parking spot. It goes fast if you get there just when people are getting out of the cave. I know it sounds like way too long but trust me, its worth it!*Wear warm clothes. It is very chilly. Make sure you wear long pants, a sweatshirt, closed-toe shoes and gloves. Also bring a strong flashlight so you can enjoy the natural beauty of the cave.We will be back again! So so so fun! Have fun!

Loved this great experience would definitely do it again and again

Lava River Cave is a few miles South outside Bend, OR just off highway 97. You will need to go through a brief orientation after which you can rent a flashlight if you dont have one of your own. They will ask you to leave an item behind, like your car keys or ID, for collateral if you rent a flashlight. Rental cost is $5 per light and 1 light is good for two people, although I preferred to have one for myself. There are 125 steps down into the cave, which goes one mile in. The cave is damp and chilly sitting around 42 degrees (in May). The park closes at 4pm. Bring a coat and have fun!

Nice place to check out lava rocks. Be sure to check hours of operation before you go in 2020

A super nice walk and change of scenery. I grew up in bend and I just went for my first time and changed my view on the area. Is absolutely pitch black inside and lights are rented but cost money and there is usually a wait. Phones work but I recommend a nicer light to see the ceilings

This is a great little hike and a cool cave,literally. Be sure to wear a light jacket and hiking shoes with good ankle support, the floor of the cave is quit rough in places. There is no installed lighting so bring good flashlights. Flashlights can be rented on site.

Bring warm clothing, the deeper you go inside the lava tube, it gets a little chilly. Bring a flash light to (limited amount is supplied by the park), it gets dark. Its just awesome watching mother nature in action.

Get over your spontaneous fear of the total dark as you descend, steel yourself up to the fact that its a brisk and damp forty-two degrees (even as the summer temperatures bake above the surface), take a deep breath, pretend you have zero claustrophobia, and GO TO THE LAVA CAVE.I dont know, call me a nerd but I thought this place was super cool. This underground lava tunnel goes for a mile underground, even crossing under the highway! At some points, the ceiling is impressively vaulted way high above your head; at other times, you may have to stoop or duck under some boulders to continue. The texture of the stone is always changing, and it fascinating to explore underground. It doesnt take too long, and an underground lava tube isnt something you visit every day. (Check out the Ape Caves near Mt. St. Helens too if you like this sort of thing!) Bring flashlights, headlamps, and glowsticks...but if you forget, no worries, you can rent a lamp for a few bucks.There are some steep metal steps and slippery stone stairs near the entrance of the cave, as well as some uncomfortable jagged stones to navigate over. However, a lot of the more difficult terrain has a metal handrail to aid visitors. If you can continue beyond the initial descent, I found the remainder of the lava tube to be much easier to hike, with smooth sandy stone to trek on. Tough it out if you can... I saw older couples and very young kids: if they can do it, so can you!

Very interesting place! Ive been in couple of very interesting and bigger longer caves, but all of those ones were other origin, this one is volcanic, its a lava tube, which was very interesting for me. If you are in Bend area, visit it! Its very near.

Very interesting and very fun My family, friends and I had a great time

Amazing natural lava cave(technically a tube)! This lava tube was created during the nearby volcanic eruption. Its lava flowed through the nowadays highway 97 and all the way to todays entrance! The cave is really dark so getting a lantern is a must. The walk inside the cave is about a mile so walking roundtrip takes around an hour. Bear in mind its really cold down there so wear more and keep warm!

Had a fantastic time! Got there early and explored in a small group. Pack warm clothes! Its a pretty constant 42° in there. Also bring lots of flashlights. Bright ones.

Cool, huge cave!!This lava tube is gigantic - 30+ foot ceilings!- even on a 90 day, it was quite chilly inside. I was super glad for the hat and headlight which were critical. I had a medium jacket and it got colder halfway through the tunnel, but I didnt need the gloves I brought (I expected more climbing). everyone noted runny noses at the end of the tunnel due to the cold.- the first part was indeed a bit of a rocky climb into it, but overall the cave ground is more flattened with all odd steps up and down.- we were all very glad to have both headlamps and flashlights. even with two light sources each, depth perception was difficult due to the deep darkness and odd flooring.- I didnt feel it was claustrophobic - being 5 feet tall there was only one area where I had to duck a bit. overall the cave seemed spacious for a cave.- parking was tough on a july weekday afternoon - we got lucky. took about 15 minutes to do the orientation and sign in to get to the cave. we went slow going in and taking pictures, so it was 45 minutes to the end (midway~30 minutes to sand garden). coming out, we went at a steady pace and it took 30 minutes. So overall, plan about 1.5 hours here to do this.- saw tons of young kids... I think a lot of them wanted to be carried at the end because it was strenuous. its a better teenager activity.- no bats or critters, but there were some drippy areas with cave slime! you are there for the nature, after all. no stalagtites left in this cave we could see.

Such a beautiful area. Started to go in, however I had second thoughts. We were told by a lady who has been there its a nice experience.

Well worth the $5 admission fee per car. There were seven of us in a van. Bring a bright flash light for about every two people in your group. They rent really good spot lights there for $5 each. It truly is cold. Was 80 but around 45 degrees in cave. Steep metal steps going in and some rocky, slippery areas. We did see people with young children and seemed to do fine. There is about a 5-10 minute orientation before you can go in discussing safety etc. Parking can be a challenge. We circled for about 15 minutes before finding a spot. Come when they open or later in the afternoon. It has to be before 4:00 PM

Fun experience! Make sure you arrive early as the parking lot fills up quick. Prepare to rent a flashlight from the Rangers for $5. The tubes are DARK and even our brightest flashlight wasn’t enough. Dress accordingly as it’s pretty cold once you descend into the tubes.

DO THIS fun activity! Tips: use their flashlights. Bring your USFS parking pass or pay $5 on site. Dress for 48 degree, cold, damp weather (jacket, tennis shoes and bicycle gloves). You’ll have a great time.

This is very near to Sunriver Resort and very interesting place. Good time to visit in summer as it gets really cold inside. Ensure to bring a fleece jacket in summers (yes in peak summer). It gets really cold inside and it takes 2-3 hours to complete the walk. Most of the cave is spacious except the initial stretch. Parking is super limited so be ready to wait. We were allowed to park in RV area, so explore that with the staff.

Parking lot is not big enough to accommodate all the cars on a busy day. Our ranger giving the orientation seemed to not like that there were so many visiting the cave. Over all the attraction is worthwhile.

I love this cave, it is so large. You really need a high powered flashlight to see everything adequately though. Most headlamps dont have a strong enough beam to see all the details on some of the high ceilings.

I really like that the cave is self guide.

Great experience. The orientation took a lot longer than I thought it would, about 30 minutes but it was worth it. Its not as cold as people say I went with pants and a t shirt and I was just fine. You will need a good flashlight if you want to actually see the walls and ceiling. They rent good ones but could have a wait. The walk is pretty much straight except for in the beginning. If you want to go to the stop sign its about a mile.

Fascinating cave. You can rent a flashlight from the ranger. Honest much better than what you would bring. My flashlight pales in comparison. Lava rocks soak up a lot of light. Cave is very cold. Definitely wear very sturdy shoes and a warm jacket.

I had a great time in the caves.

Great family activity . Excitement, exercise and the walk goes quick due to the changing dynamics of the cave it was the first time spelunking for my boys and my first time exploring a lava tube . There were animal tracks in the sandy rock floor and it was really appealing to my teenager.

This is well worth the trip off the main freeway. Its only 5 bucks to park and 5 bucks to rent a very good light. Its a mile long and always cold. Very very cool. Be advised that parking can be tight but the rangers are very polite and helpful.

Where to begin. I love caves, and this didnt disappoint. Its relatively easy to traverse, with the entrance being the most difficult with the stairs. Its about a mile to the end, so a 2 mile round trip. Its a fascinating walk and has some areas only about 4 - 5 feet from floor to ceiling, with others seeming nearly 40 feet tall. You can rent lights and they have a good educational talk before they let you in. Dont go in if youve been to other caves! Theres a bat disease that gets on people clothes and then infects the cave.

Self paced mile long tour, cool rock formations. Wear warm clothes and close toed shoes.

Dont come...it is closed. Fyi

Dress warm and bring a powerful headlamp. Make sure to also take in the view from Lava Butte.

This was an awesome hike underground bring your headlamps, flashlights and a warm coat because it’s cold and pitch black down there.

My kids loved it! It makes a perfect family outing. And it is bigger and longer than you would suppose. Now we cant wait to take our grandkids.

Ill put one caveat... Its only specular if you like to imagine how things came to be. That being said, its well taken care of and theres plenty of interesting information strewn about. Its absolutely fascinating. The wall is easy going, and really nice in the heat of summer because its nice and cool.Even then though, Id suggest a sweatshirt no matter how hot it is outside. Bring a headlamp if you like, but they also have some nice lanterns for rent.With this, lava Butte, the lava cast forest, and the big obsidian flow nearby, is easy to make a lava focussed day trip.

AMAZING place to go to. Wear old cloths, warm jack/gloves and bring plenty of lights. It is so dark you cant see your hand but great place to visit. At times uneven ground why you need pleaty of light. Low ceiling at times.

Cost about $5 per car. Awesome walk through the lava tubes. Bring your own flashlight. If you forget one you can rent one from the rangers right there at the entrance to the tubes. Its about a mile in and another mile out and is great for kids.

Bring warm clothes, sturdy closed toe shoes, and lots of patience!The parking lot is almost always full, so youll need to wait for people exiting the cave to get their spot. Wait times can be up to 30 minutes, so plan extra time into your schedule.A 5-10 minute orientation with a Ranger is required once you get parked, and you may need to wait a few minutes before it starts.Its worth it, and knowing ahead of time will help folks stay chill. Its all about protecting an amazing natural resource and our wildlife.

Its great places to explore. Its good idea to bring your own good flashlight or rent one at the entrance. Its about 2 miles in and out.

It was nice experience. Make sure you dont wear any clothing which you wore to another cave.The staff was friendly and gave us a small orientation, history and guidance. Get your headlamps or rent them.Its a 2mile RT walk/hike. Gets cold as you go deep into the cave. Its pretty cool.

This was a really cool experience! My wife and I really enjoyed ourselves! You get to walk about a mile and a half into a cave and on most of the parts you cant hear or see anything inside! And after getting hounded for about 10 minutes on how I could spread spores to other bats white nose spores to be exact I was then allowed into the cave and the flashlight was only $5 so that was pretty good deal!

This Lava Tube trail is a fun place to go on a hot day! The cave sits at a cool 42 degrees always! Though be weary this hike isnt for small kids (3-4) the trail is very rocky. Also be sure to wear either hiking boots or shoes with good traction your feet will thank you. WARNING! If you have any gear that has been in other caves in the past couple of years, dont bring it here! There is a white fungus epidemic that has been hitting all across the west coast. It is spread from clothing and shoes. And it will kill off entire bat populations!

Very cool cave but come prepared as its about 42 degrees in the cave. Bring lights if you have them or rent one for $5 as its pitch black. Good adventure for kids as they get to hike through a lava tunnel and check out the rock formations.

As of 9/28/20 still closed for the season, bummer! Doesnt say anywhere when they are expected to re-open.

We had fun walking through the lava tube looking for bats. We didnt see any bats, but we did enjoy some of the formations. This is somewhere you should go once, but you wont need to come back. Definitely rent one of the super powerful scuba lights for $5. Definitely worth it.

Great way to safely explore the under world.

Easy and family-friendly unique experience. Dont forget long layers and a headlamp or flashlight! Lights are also available to rent.

Definitely go if you have ~2 hours of time, worth checking out!

So much more wonderful and exciting than Id first thought it would be inside. I must confess we went to the visitors center 1st to determine if there were too narrow or too low passages for me to comfortably even go in. (A mile is a long way dang it!).I loved it.

Great experience! There is a $5 parking pass required and a rental change for lights (I believe it was another $5) so bring cash! The light rentals are definitely worth it...they can project light much farther than a cell phone flashlight so you can actually see the walls inside the cave.

It’s a great hiking experience through the caves. Be sure to have clothes and shoes not worn in other caves as they’re currently expecting some diseases spreading to the wildlife from other caves

Easy to access with metal steps and walkways. Well worth the stop. I recommend renting at least one of their lights. I always bring plenty of my own but theirs are very bright and better for pointing out specific features of the cave.

Fun, inexpensive. Dont be scared off by the stairs. My small children did just fine on them. They rent high powered lamps there that have more wattage than the cheap, ineffective flashlights we had picked up at the grocery store.

No reviews state that this place is closed October 1 through April it currently shows that it’s open and busy on November 22. Hopefully read this before you go. We will go back and update the review in spring

Great tour, theres some walking and stairs involved so no for the unhealthy.

Cool place to check out. Literally! Temp in the cave is about 40 degrees F. Incredibly dark. Bring a jacket or good sweater. Good tennis shoes are ok & you can rent good lanterns for $5.

Awesome to go into! It’s huge. I was told it was around 2 miles. You need a really bright flashlight for this. It’s pitch black you can’t see your hand in front of your face. They rent flashlights for 5 dollars a piece. Wear a jacket since it is around 46 degrees F.

Such a fun experience! You definitely need warm clothes... it gets cold after you are down there for a bit. You need a good flash light, not just your phone light. They also have lights to rent.

Geological wonder!! First cave Ive ever explored... very comfortable inside. Although walking surface is uneven in some places, its mostly packed sand on the ground. A few metal staircases to navigate, and its air is about 42 degrees, so 1 good coat should keep you warm.

Amazing 2 mile walk inside an underground lava cave

Excellent first cave experience for our family. My 6 and 8 y.o. both did well. Rent the $5 flashlights...I sent my husband back to rent 2 more bc 1 wasn’t enough, even with our home flashlights. It’s relatively flat, but with kids, you want enough light that they don’t trip and fall.

Absolutely incredible!

You really should be using a very strong light, best just to rent it for 5$. DONT THINK THAT a single led (cell phone) will be sufficient, dont be cheap. If u are not so comfortable on hikes (those that are older) in the very beg it is rocky, it does get better after that but the sand does not present itself for a good grip. And remember wear sneakers, not shoes or Crocks!! enjoy!

Wow! This place is amazing. Bring the brightest flashlight you can find. Your phone is not even close to bright enough in here. We brought headlamps and my mag light was the only thing that really worked. The tunnel is long but relatively easy to walk. There are stairs and some rocks in the path. So make sure to pay attention! It’s really long and totally worth it. Turn our your lights in the middle and soak it in!

Great day in the cave!

It was a great afternoon activity. Bring a coat and flashlights! And shoes that have never been in a cave before.

Super fun exploring lava tube. Get there early to ensure available parking. Parking limited. Well worth renting flashlights from them.

Awesome cave! Great hike down into a lava formed cave. Great experience

Kids loved it. Nice hike, not too strenuous. Great for a rainy day.

Popular tourist attraction. Make sure you bring a bright light as it is pitch black.

Need a very strong flashlight for each person. Dress warm, even wear light weight gloves ad a good tread on your shoes. Tennis are slippery.

Entertaining and educational...edutainment galore. So much fun studying all the fascinating surfaces in the cave. Would highly recommend for anyone adult and child.

Great place to take your kids for a short hike make sure you dress warm, wear shoes can be a little wet and bring your own flashlights or pay a small fee to rent their lanterns.

Absolutely amazing! I do suggest a few things. Rent a torch from them you wont regret it. Dont count on your phone flashlight to help you. It wont. You will need it for seeing the ceiling 35 feet above you & the rocky uneven ground at your feet. Wear sturdy shoes, again rocky uneven ground. Also, be very aware in a few places the ceiling becomes extremely low. Im 53 & I had to duck a couple of times.

How fun. Take a really good flashlight.

It was very impressive to see how deep is the cave, you can walk for about 1 houre before reaching the end. Bring some hot clothes it is very cold inside!

Its pitch dark.... We were there in mid June. There is a drastic temperature drop in the cave so ensure to carry a jacket. Outside temperature was around high 70s but inside the cave it was around 40s. Also you get lantern rentals in the cave compound. Parking might be an issue so plan your trip accordingly. You have to go through an orientation before entering the cave.

Fun hike down into the cold dark abyss. Definitely a fun time :)

Very fun experience!! Would go again in a heartbeat. Kid friendly too. My four year old made it to the end, but had to be carried half way out.

Great experience cave isn’t to hard navigate (bring a strong flashlight) -1 star bc parking is really bad... small lot nowhere near big enough for the number of people wanting to explore the cave! Parks Dept. you gotta address that issue!

So cool! Well worth it!

Amazing must see if you are in the Bend area!

You cannot pass this up! This is an experience you and your family wont forget. Be sure to bring a jacket as its cold down there! Also, renting the flashlights from here is also recommended as their lights will be better than yours!

Love this cave. Bring a coat. Great for adults and kids