There is a lava tube known as Skylight Cave in Deschutes County, Oregon. Because of its unique skylight feature, this is one of the coolest caves to explore. During the formation of Skylight Cave, molten lava flowed from a fissure, cooled on the outside, and continued to flow in the center, forming a hollow tube.
You can visualize this by imagining a river freezing hard on its surface, then cutting off the flow of water. The weather should also be clear, with few to no clouds. You will find it best to come in the mornings depending on what time of year you come.
There is nothing beneath the sheet of ice left in the channel as the water continues downstream to the advancing front. The entrance floor was once littered with rotted ladders dating back many years. The bright beam will extend from their skylights to the ground because of the humidity and dust in the cave.
Through an opening in the roof, a ladder leads down into the cave. You may go right or left at the bottom of the ladder (as you face the ladder). The cave’s roof is low to the right, but a short distance away it opens up into a fairly large room with a 25-foot ceiling. The cave’s name can be seen here. One can see the walls and floor of the cave quite well through openings in the roof where light filters through.
From here, the cave continues only a short distance. A gentle slope leads down from the ladder to the cave on the left. There are varying roof heights in this direction, from 6.5 feet to 3 feet, which means you should be very careful not to get injured. As the cave surface is quite rough and could cause cuts and abrasions, visitors should dress warm (cave temp 40 degrees). As the cave floor is uneven and sharp, you should definitely wear good shoes.
They should also bring at least two reliable lights. It has mainly original morphology in the eastern passage, while it has sand and clay in the western passage, as well as some piles of breakdown. It is more difficult to navigate the western passage because it is longer.
Despite its appearance, this is another natural wonder of Oregon. You should also let someone know where you are going and when you expect to return. From Hwy 20/126, turn onto forest road 2061 (across from the Camp Sherman turnoff) and follow it about 5.5 miles to Skylight Cave. Follow forest road 260 for about 1 mile and turn left on forest road 1028.
On the right side of forest road 260, turn left and follows it for about one mile until you reach the entrance to the cave. Look for a very small road marker on the left indicating Road 266; the cave is close to this road. Due to hibernating Townsend’s big-eared bats, Skylight Cave is closed from September 15 to April 30.
Other Facts
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Length: 900 feet
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Elevation High: 4,300
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Difficulty: Easy
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Setting: Forest
Once you visited the skylight cave. Here are some basic steps to decontamination: Make sure you wash your clothes before wearing them to different caves. If you have just left the cave, you should clean your shoes. Before getting back into your car, make sure you clean your hands and exposed skin.
