A lava tube 30 feet high, 50 feet wide and 1/4 mile long. Derrick Cave was named for H.E. Derrick, a pioneer rancher in the Devils Garden area. Derrick Cave developed just south of the main vent for the Devils Garden Flows and was the route of most of the lava which spread south from the vent. In the 1960s, Derrick Cave was a designated nuclear fallout shelter with supplies of food and water.

Usually Jason and I head south out of Bend, Oregon and go to Boyd cave since it’s close to the main road and easy to access.  This time, however, we drove a few more hours south to Derrick Cave.  It’s a lot more remote, but actually a lot cooler!  We should have driven down the road a few hundred more feet to the actual parking area, but since google maps showed that we were “there” we pulled off the side of the road and trampled through the brush until we found the cave!  There are actually two sections.  One is deeper and used to store supplies and the other side goes much longer and shallower and has a few openings in the ceiling to let light in.  I sure would hate to be walking through the woods and fall into it!

As usual, we need to bring better flashlights! 😉