Black Crater Trail – Lava Beds National Monument

Black Crater Trail – Lava Beds National Monument

Location: Tulelake, CA
Length: 0.4 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Features: Kid Friendly, Hiking, Nature Trips, Walking, Bird Watching, Views, Wild Flowers, No shade

About the Black Crater Trail

Black Crater Trail is located near Tulelake, California, and is a 0.6 kilometer lightly trafficked out and back trail. The Black Crater is known for its beautiful wildflowers and its friendly trail, which is applicable to all hiking level experience. The trail is primarily visited for walking, hiking, bird watching, and nature trips.

Trails In The Lava Beds National Monument

Black Crater Trail is a short and easy trail with a highly impressive spatter cone. It is located off of the Thomas-Wright Battlefield Trail. If you will follow the latter for just a short distance, you will see a trail heading southeast all the way to the Black Crater and the spatter cone. You can follow the trail to the spatter cone to witness more amazing features. Head back to the Thomas-Wright Battlefield trail to exit. Unfortunately, the Black Crater Trail had been closed due to the wildfire last July 2020.

Top 3 Adventure Hacks

1) Leave No Trace

While this one is an obvious thing to do, it’s still worth emphasizing. When you’re out hiking, don’t leave any litter in the area. If you see one, don’t hesitate to pick it up and throw it where it’s appropriate. This is one of the best ways to help preserve the beauty of a trail.

2) Be Aware of your Surroundings

Taking beautiful photos while hiking is becoming more and more common because of the current technology. While nothing’s wrong with taking selfies and a bunch of Instagram group photos,  make sure to look around first to ensure that you’re not blocking the trail or holding up other hikers.

3) Have Fun and Be Approachable

Being friendly while hiking goes a long way. The hike is not a race and every hiker on the trail shares the same goal. Thus, there’s no need to take things to a competitive level. Chill out and share a short and friendly conversation with other hikers.