Lava Canyon Trailhead — Attraction in Battle Ground

We (myself, boyfriend and my 19 year old) and hiked all 3 difficulty levels...suspension bridge is out due to a snapped cable that stabilizes it from the canyon wall but there are several other bridges to enjoy and even a 30 foot metal rebar ladder you must ascend/descend if your taking the 184 trail. The easy and moderate trails were a bit tricky and only took about 30 minutes for both but they have the most photographed viewpoints. For an intense hike...we took Trail 184 down (1.5 hours) and back (2 hours) and that was with numerous stops to observe incredible geological features as well as take general photographs. This trail is 100% not for kids or the faint of heart with its 18-24 inch trail widths...with 200+ foot straight drop offs into bone crushing rapids! There were several obstacles to maneuvers as well such as debris flows, multiple streams, thick, dense foliage taller then our heads, almost all uneven surfaces and 3 spots over precarious cliff drop offs where we had to descend on our butts... then there was the 30 foot ladder...of your ok with heights and ladders, go for it! It was all worth it but we highly recommend bringing bug spray and wearing hiking boots or solid grip hiking shoes with as much loose gravel and debris there is on...

This hike is divided up into three sections easy, intermediate, and hard. I did all three sections and I’m left with mixed feelings. Sadly the suspension bridge was damaged in some winter floods and was not open. The first part of this trail is paved, short and easy. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to take a leisurely 20 minuets to wander around. The intermediate portion is also very short but more steep and unpaved. This heads down to the suspension bridge. The final portion is the longest. The signs tell you that the trail is steep, difficult and unmaintained. They are not kidding. Even though its only 1.5 miles down, its very rugged. The trail is almost completely washed out making it dangerous. I wouldn’t even consider bringing kids or dogs down this portion. The other thing is that i don’t know if the scenery was rely worth the struggle. Because of the location of the trail you cant always see the waterfalls well. And there are large stretches that break away from the stream. But the woods are beautiful in themselves and I do feel a sense of accomplishment having completed the hike. I would say unless your determined to do the whole thing just go down to the suspension bridge and...

It was a very nice walk along the trail to the entrance of the cave. The trail is mostly uphill making the cave down hill (with plenty of scrambles). There are steps and ladder down into cave. It's fun inside. Headlamps are highly recommended as well as back up lights just in case. It's very dark inside. It's cool inside but there's enough effort to keep moving over everything that i got too hot with my coat and warm hat. I was glad i had help with the part with the rope. It's one long tube as best as i could figure out. See went in the "top" and walked down. The other exit/entrance isn't at the very end, you can go past the exit/ entrance to see the final leg of the cave. Some choose to go in and out of the"lower" entrance and only explore the short "final" leg of the cave. We exited the lower exit/entrance. It is a staircase. It was very nice and a decent walk. We hike nearly every week and this was easy enough to do, but did take more consentration than your average hike on...