Get Travel Southern Oregon highlights delivered to your inbox

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

There is a lot to do in Southern Oregon! Be the first to hear about local events, seasonal highlights and a get local’s perspective on the region.

Close

Derrick Cave

Derrick's Cave is estimated to be 1,200 feet (370 m) long, perhaps Oregon's third-longest lava tube cave.  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.  Additional lava from the vent went to the north and west via a large gutter system (open lava river channel).

Over a short distance one can see the vent, an open lava river channel, short roofed-over channel sections, and a well-developed lava tube.  The northeast end of the cave is about 600 feet long and is characterized by thin roofs, multiple skylights, short multiple levels, and wide sandy floored passages.  The southwest end is about 1200 feet long and is relatively narrow, deep and thick roofed.

In the 1960s, Derrick Cave was a designated nuclear fallout shelter with supplies of food and water.

Related Destinations

''

The rocky outcrops that define the Black Hills Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) are all that remains of an […]

Christmas Valley, OR. 97641
541-947-2177
Learn More
WEBSITE
Hart Mountain Antelope Reserve
Southern Oregon Outback

Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge

Diversity in habitat creates variety in wildlife. Hart Mountain Refuge’s diverse landscape and habitat are alive with over 300 species […]

38782 Hart Mountain Rd.
Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge Visitor Center
Plush, OR. 97637
541-947-2731
Learn More
WEBSITE
Hart Bar Interpretive Site at Warner Wetlands
Southern Oregon Outback

Warner Wetlands

Formed thousands of years ago when gigantic faults in the earth’s crust shifted, today’s Warner Wetlands is a 40-mile chain […]

Lakeview District Office
1301 South G Street
Plush, OR. 97630
(541) 947-2177
Learn More
WEBSITE