Subway Cave: Explore An Awesome Lava Tube Near Burney Falls
5 minute read | Contains affiliate links
Subway Cave, located just a short distance from Lassen Volcanic National Park, is the largest and most easily accessible lava tube in the world.
The access road is right off of highway 44 and the cave itself is a short, five-minute walk from its decently sized parking lot.
If you’ve ever wanted to explore a cave but you don’t feel like crawling through tight spaces, Subway Cave is perfect for you as it’s large and wide open.
So how do you get there? What’s the inside of the cave like? We answer these questions and much more below!
Quick Stats
Location: Near Old Station, California
Red Tape: None
Open: Seasonal. May through October
For: Hikers/Explorers
Parking: Fairly large, paved lot
Restroom: Yes. At the trailhead
EV Stations: None
Drone Use: Not allowed
Difficulty: Easy
Time: One hour or more
Milage: 1/3 of a mile
Trail Condition: Well maintained outside the cave. Inside the cave is “as-is”. Rough floor, but no extreme hazards
Main Feature(s): Lava Tube
Pets: Not allowed
Special Notes/Hazards: You’ll need to bring a flashlight as its pitch black in the cave. You’ll also need a light jacket or sweater as the cave hovers at around 46 degrees.
Our Visit(s): May 2022
Getting To Subway Cave
Getting to Subway Cave is simple and straight forward. Especially if you happen to already be in the area or will be driving through.
Since it doesn’t take very long to explore, it makes for an excellent roadside stop to get out and stretch your legs for an hour or so.
From Reno
Take highway 395 north for about ninety miles
Go right on CA-44 west for forty-six miles
Turn right on CA-89 north
About a third of a mile after turning on CA-89, you’ll see a sign for Subway Cave. Turn right onto the road
Total drive time is about two hours and twenty minutes
From Redding
Take CA-44 east for fifty-seven miles
Continue onto CA-89 north for about a third of a mile
When you see the large sign for Subway Cave, turn right.
Total drive time is just over an hour
From Burney Falls State Park
Take a right out of the park onto CA-89 south for twenty-eight miles
Total drive time is about thirty minutes
Parking at Subway Cave
After turning onto the road from the highway, it’s a short drive to the parking lot. The lot itself is fairly large, bring able to accommodate at least a few dozen vehicles.
There’s no guesswork involved as the road eventually terminates at the lot. You won’t have to worry about money as both parking and entering the cave are free.
At the trailhead you’ll find a few interpretive signs detailing the formation and history of the cave, along with the area as whole.
Subway Cave Lava Tube
As stated above, it’s only a five-minute walk from the trailhead to the entrance of the cave. You’ll start down a paved path before hitting a set of stairwells.
At the top of the stairwell, you’ll continue on a dirt path for a short distance before arriving at the mouth of the cave dubbed; Devil’s Doorway.
Devil’s Doorway
The entrance to Subway Cave will be on your right and down a couple sets of stairwells. Around you, you’ll notice debris from the cave collapse that formed the 25-30-foot across entrance.
As soon as you reach the cave floor, you’ll immediately notice the temperature change. It could be one hundred degrees at the surface, but the cave remains at a cool forty-six.
The other element of the cave you’ll immediately take notice of is how dark it is. It won’t take long before you’ll be unable to see your own hand in front of your face.
*There are NO natural or artificial light sources in Subway Cave!
Due to this, be sure to bring a flashlight or headlamp with a minimum of 500 lumens to safely navigate the cave. The light on your cell phone will not cut it.
The image above is deceitful as its isn’t representative of the actual lighting conditions in the cave. This was a camera trick to enable us to show you details of the cave walls and its shape.
The image below is a more accurate depiction of how dark the cave really is. The flashlight we had was one we just picked up at Target on the way in. It wasn’t great as you can see.
While easy to navigate, you should know that the cave floor can be slick in some spots, along with being jagged and uneven throughout its entirety.
So much so, that the first stretch of the tube you’ll walk through is dubbed, Stubtoe Hall. Just aim your light to the floor while walking and you’ll be fine.
Lucifer’s Cul-De-Sac
You’ll eventually reach what seems like a split. A choice to go either left or right. Keep in mind that there is only one entrance and exit.
We recommend going left first, as this will take you to a room called, Lucifer’s Cul-De-Sac. You’ll start out with six-foot ceilings before reaching the room with a fifteen-foot high ceiling.
The trail dead-ends here so once you’re finished exploring it, head back the same way to came and go right at the split to continue.
At this point, you’re at about the halfway mark of the cave. There are small signs dotted along the cave floor that help you determine where you are.
The Sanctum
You’ll come to an even larger room called, The Sanctum. It has a high ceiling before reaching a point where, depending on your height, you may need to duck to get through.
Take this opportunity to check out the ceiling and walls around you. They’re covered in these popcorn looking formations called, Speleothems, or “Lavacicles”.
These formations develop when water passes through the soil above the limestone, absorbing carbon dioxide. It then becomes acidic and cools.
You’ll eventually reach a rubble pile on your right and soon after this, you’ll see the exit up ahead (Rattlesnake Collapse). Much like the entrance, a stairwell leads you up to the surface.
That’s it. As stated, Subway Cave isn’t very big and doesn’t take long to explore. Many people discover that its over before they know it.
After reaching the top of the stairwell, turn around (facing the cave exit) and take the trail to the left of the cave. This will take you back to the parking lot.
If you want to spend more time in the cave, there isn’t anything that says you can’t go back through to the other side. It’s totally up to you.
A quick note…
We’re often asked about the equipment we use to capture the photos on our website. Below, we’ve added Amazon links to those products and others that we recommend.
If you decide to purchase, Amazon will pay us a small commission. This helps us keep Inked with Wanderlust running and doesn’t cost you anything extra.
“Understanding Exposure” by Bryan Peterson (this book is a great resource for anyone starting out in photography)
Conclusion
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