Lava Tube Road

The Mojave National Preserve (MNP) was established in 1994 and at 1,542,776 acres it is the third-largest National Park. Generally, the roads in the preserve follow narrow corridors bounded on both sides by wilderness areas allowing most of the MNP to remain in a natural state by minimizing human impact. Lava Tube Road is surrounded by a wilderness area called Cinder Cones National Natural Landmark, and for good reason. The Cinder Cones National Natural Landmark area comprises 32 small volcanoes that have created a series of lava flows swallowing up the surrounding desert and have been active as recently as 10,000 years ago. Lava Tube Road provides a spectacular and close-up view of many of these lesser volcanoes and an intimate encounter with the lava flows upon which most of the Lave Tube Road is built. If you choose to explore a lava tube firsthand, just 300 feet off the road, the park service has installed a stairwell that descends into one of the lava tubes where you can walk its length deep underground. Dogs are welcome in the Preserve but must be kept on a leash. The roads in this area were built to support the Aiken Cinder Mine, which closed in 1990.