Places
Ice in the Lava River Cave
North of Flagstaff, we visited a lava tube seemingly in the middle of nowhere (forest). It was roughly 95 degrees out, but within 20 feet of the cave there was a frozen waterfall.
Background
The Lava River Cave north of Flagstaff is a lava tube nearly three-quarters of a mile long, formed by a volcanic eruption roughly 700,000 years ago. It holds cold air year-round, so it can be near freezing inside — ice and all — while it’s 95 degrees on the surface.
If you go
That’s the Lava River Cave in the Coconino National Forest north of Flagstaff — about a three-quarter-mile lava tube that holds cold air year-round, so it can be freezing inside (ice and all) while it’s 95°F on the surface. It’s free and totally primitive: no lights, no rails, pitch black. Bring at least two light sources per person, a warm layer, and shoes with grip; the floor is jagged and slick.