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Giant Ice Cave

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description Giant Ice Cave Overview

Giant Ice Cave is a notable lava tube in California's Lava Beds National Monument, distinguished by its persistent subterranean ice blocks.

help Giant Ice Cave FAQ

Is Giant Ice Cave in California's Lava Beds or New Mexico's El Malpais?

The well-documented National Park Service Giant Ice Cave is in the Big Tubes area of El Malpais National Monument, New Mexico. Lava Beds in California has other ice caves, including Merrill Cave, so the catalog description appears to combine two different sites. [NPS El Malpais](https://www.nps.gov/elma/planyourvisit/caving.htm)

Does Giant Ice Cave contain permanent ice blocks?

NPS describes temporary translucent ice columns that can grow several feet high in winter and spring, not a guaranteed permanent ice floor. Ice conditions depend on season and the cave's cold-air pattern, so the word Ice should not be read as a year-round promise. [NPS Giant Ice Cave](https://www.nps.gov/elma/planyourvisit/caving.htm)

How difficult is the trip to Giant Ice Cave?

NPS describes an 8-mile drive on unpaved roads followed by about a 1.2-mile round-trip hike over rugged lava. The cave itself is shallow but requires strenuous scrambling over large boulders. [NPS](https://www.nps.gov/elma/planyourvisit/caving.htm)

Do I need a permit to enter Giant Ice Cave?

Yes. El Malpais requires a caving permit, and the current NPS guidance limits permitted groups to 2 to 10 people with a daily cap of 10 per cave. Check seasonal openings before traveling because wilderness-cave access can change. [NPS](https://www.nps.gov/elma/planyourvisit/caving.htm)

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