The Mojave Desert Lava Tubes

I had just finished a week in the Arizona Strip Masterclass Workshop with National Park Photographic Expeditions (NPPE)—an incredible experience I highly recommend.

The drive home to Sonoma County is a long one, and I was looking for an interesting spot to stop and do a little more shooting along the way. I asked Bob Killen, the workshop leader and NPPE founder, and Ted Rigoni, his assistant (and a damn good photographer), if they had any suggestions.

“Get off in Baker at the last exit, head out Kelbaker Road, and take the first left you come to,” they told me.

Seemed straightforward enough. I wasn’t quite sure what I was looking for, but at least I had directions to something.

As I drove along Kelbaker Road, I started seeing mounds of lava rock—something I recognized from my time living near Lassen Volcanic National Park. “Ah,” I thought, “I’m going to photograph lava rock. That’s cool.” It was midafternoon, and the light was harsh—not the most appealing time of day—but I figured I might get some decent black-and-white shots.

I took the left turn as instructed. The pavement turned to gravel—no problem in a 4WD truck. Eventually, I reached a dead-end where 4 or 5 cars were parked. The road continued, but looked much rougher—clearly a hiking trail from there. I noticed a group returning from the trail, so I figured I’d found the place.

I grabbed my gear and some water and started hiking. Not far in, I reached a fork in the trail: one path led uphill, the other continued straight on level ground. As I paused to decide, I noticed a woman and her dog heading up the incline. Then, just like that—she disappeared. Her dog stood there, but she was gone.

Concerned, I walked toward the spot to see if she needed help. When I got there, the dog was staring down a fairly wide hole in the ground, with a metal ladder descending into darkness. So, she hadn’t vanished—she’d climbed down.

Curious, I followed. The ladder dropped maybe 20 feet into a lava tube. At the bottom, I saw two passageways—one left, one right—but no sign of the woman. I took a few shots of the textures and formations, the lava rock catching interesting detail even in the dim light.

Just then, two guys emerged from one of the dark passages. I asked what was down there. They smiled and said, “Go see for yourself.”

So, I did.

The passage narrowed quickly. I took off my backpack, got down on all fours, and crawled through the tunnel. Then, suddenly—it opened up into a spacious cavern.

And there it was: a single beam of light, piercing the ceiling and illuminating the floor like a spotlight from above.