The following is the text from an article posted online by Arizona StarNet.

Lava River Cave

By Tara Wood
The Arizona Daily Star
Thursday, 18 September 1997

FLAGSTAFF - We had never met the Hudspeth family before, but we immediately took quite a shine to them.

It wasn't Lorraine, Ashley or Bradford's friendly demeanor, nor their pleasant personalities. It was their lantern.

A battery-powered, fluorescent mega-flashlight that clearly lighted the way through Lava River Cave, much better than our puny pocket-sized flashlights.

When it comes to this fascinating underground tunnel north of Flagstaff, light is everything. Light, of course, helps you find your way in the deep, rich underground darkness of this cave. But just as importantly, light will help you view a violent moment of geologic activity, frozen in time.

Lava River Cave is a souvenir left by volcanic activity more than 650,000 years ago. It stretches for three-quarters of a mile in the Coconino National Forest land just west of the Snow Bowl ski area and has been aptly nicknamed a Natural Museum.

The floor is essentially a frozen river of lava, complete with ripples, bumps and waves that froze in midbreak. Thick cracks from quick cooling and hardening of the oozing liquid weave a web across the floor. In some places, small ``lavasicles'' drip down from the ceiling.

Bats are said to make their home here, as well as other critters such as porcupines and squirrels, although we didn't see any of them during our visit.

This was much to our liking, because after just a few feet into the lava tube, we got a taste of the dark, dark darkness, and it was hard not to get the heebie-jeebies as we trudged ahead.

After about 200 yards, we caught up with the Hudspeths and their glorious light, which helped us pick our way through the jagged and unpredictable surface of the cave's floor.

In addition to the wildly varying surface, the cave varies in width and height. One section features a ceiling more than 30 feet high, and in other areas it is so low you must almost crawl to pass through it.

And yes, even on a steamy August afternoon, it is cold inside this cave. Winter jackets or a couple of warm layers of clothing are the ideal attire for venturing into this cave. Ice can at times be found just beyond the cave's opening, where the temperature can average about 35 degrees.

Lumbermen discovered the cave around 1915, and it was said that homesteaders in the area would collect large amounts of underground ice and use it for refrigeration.

The temperatures remain consistently cool here because the dense, dark lava acts as an insulator. Also, the cave's shape - the highest point is at the entrance - helps trap cool winter air that sinks inside, according to information provided by the Coconino National Forest management.

The landscape surrounding the cave's opening - a sprawling pine forest - doesn't give any hints about what lies below the ground. In fact, a group of empty parked cars is the only indication that there is something to be seen in the area.

We ended up at Lava River Cave inadvertently last month, seeking what we had heard was an ``ice cave'' somewhere up by Flagstaff. We began our search by badgering friends familiar with the area, making several phone calls to Forest Service and state park officials, and finally heading to the Flagstaff Visitor Center. Not finding any information in the countless brochures and handouts about all the tourist attractions in Northern Arizona, we inquired at the visitor center's desk about the supposed ice cave. A helpful staff member told us it was actually a lava flow cave, where ice can be found throughout the year.

But we knew it wouldn't be an ordinary tourist attraction. Glancing from side to side with a little apprehension, he pulled out a brochure from under the counter that gave information about the location of the cave, its history, and some important safety concerns.

"Take more than one flashlight, because if something happens to your light, you're going to be stuck there in the dark until someone else comes along,'' he warned.

Apparently, the cave is well-known to Flagstaff-area locals, but it's not monitored, and surely Forest Service officials don't want ill-prepared tourists wandering in there only to get stuck if they lose their light sources. But it was a fascinating, worthwhile trip, despite the scavenger hunt necessary to get there. Other visitors, who marveled with oohs and aahs at its oddness, agreed. ``It's totally cool,'' said Bradford Hudspeth. ``But the entrance is a lot steeper and tougher than we thought.''

"I'd recommended it to any of my friends,'' said Lorrain Hudspeth, who said she had heard of the cave as a student at NAU and was happy to finally be able to visit it with her kids. "Bring extra flashlights, and lots of batteries,'' she added.

Also, you don't want to enter this cave without sturdy shoes, and people who have difficulty walking may not want to enter at all. The steep initial section of the cave requires some scrambling, and some of the cracks and bumps in the cave's floor are easily tripped over.

Plan to spend a couple of hours, and take your time. The terrain won't allow you to rush, so take the time to enjoy its uniqueness.