Driving, beholding — and spelunking

Outside, the temperature hovers around 95. But in here, it’s a cool 46 degrees. I’d be happy to stay awhile, but Subway Cave, a one-third-mile-long lava tube in Lassen National Forest, has its drawbacks. For one thing, it’s pitch-black, so when you enter cavernous Stubtoe Hall, there’s a good chance you’ll do just that.

Subway Cave, at the northeastern tip of California, is one of the sights along the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway ( www.volcaniclegacybyway.org/ home), a 500- mile drive through some of the nation’s most volatile scenery.

The volcano-to-volcano road trip begins at Lake Almanor, southeast of California’s Lassen Volcanic National Park, and heads north, eventually ending near beautiful Crater Lake National Park in Oregon ( www.nps.gov/crla/index.htm).

Along the way, travelers see Mt. Shasta’s steep slopes soar to more than 14,000 feet, enjoy the 129-foot waterfall at McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park ( www. burney-falls.com), once described by Teddy Roosevelt as “the eighth wonder of the world,” and explore the rugged landscape of Lava Beds National Monument ( www.nps.gov/labe/index.htm).

The Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway is one of just 27 All American Roads in the U.S.

Don’t forget to take a flashlight or, better yet, a headlamp, if you travel the volcanic byway. It’s preferable to taking a fall in Stubtoe Hall.