Newberry Volcanic NM

Newberry Volcanic National Monument encompasses over 57k acres within the Deschutes National Forest. Designated in 1990 the National Monument is comprised of three distinct sections: Lava Cast, Lava Lands, and the Newberry Caldera. We visit two of the three.

Prairie Campground

Located in the Deschutes National Forest along the road to the Newberry Caldera, we arrive at the campground to find we have a very large and private site with a view over a large meadow cut by Paulina Creek.

While here we’ll experience extreme differences in temps… we start in the mid 80’s and by mid week it’ll be in the low 60’s with overnight temps below freezing. Yikes!

Newberry Caldera

Big Obsidian Flow Trail

Our first stop after entering the park is the Big Obsidian Flow Trail in the heart of the Newberry Caldera. It’s been 1300 years since Central Oregon’s last eruption creating this 1.1 square mile area of 90% obsidian that’s on average 150 feet thick.

After ascending the stairs past Lost Lake we’re surrounded by black volcanic glass, and we continue to progress up through the rugged landscape until we reach the top for a panoramic view of the area. The entire surface of this flow is glass. The striking differences we encounter in the rocks are only due to the number and size of the bubbles:

• Obsidian – smooth dark black – solid glass with no bubbles
• Nearly white pumice – frothy glass with small bubbles
• Medium to dark gray pumice – frothy glass with big bubbles

Crater below The Dome

Our next stop is a drive through the forest to the crater and a view of the valley just past The Dome.

East Lake

After leaving the dirt roads behind we arrive at East Lake on the east side of Newberry Volcano. There’s an entire resort here with cabins, a restaurant, a general store, and lots of water activities.

Paulina Lake

Our next stop is Paulina Lake; which we find out we can only access from the west side, at Paulina Lake Lodge. We want to hike up to Little Crater Viewpoint from the Paulina Lake Campground (on the east side of the lake) only to find out it’s closed so fire crews can clear trees that have been damaged over the winter presenting a risk to park visitors.

Paulina Falls

Our final stop in this section of the park is the Paulina Falls Trail. Here a short hike leads to an upper viewing area and a longer forested trail leading to the bottom of the falls; which plunge 80 feet down to Paulina Creek.

There’s a lot more to explore here; but unfortunately most of it is still closed from the winter season.

Lava Lands

The next day, we head down to the Lava Lands area and as we drive into the park, the ranger asks us if we would like the last spot for the next timed entry up to the top of Lava Butte. The drive up is steep and narrow; but once we get to the top the view is incredible.

Lava Butte

Lava Butte is one of many cinder cones that erupted ~7k years ago from a fissure/crack system know as the Northwest Rift Zone. The fissures extend ~17 miles from East Lake in the Newberry Caldera to just northwest of here.

The Butte is 500ft above the surrounding landscape and the crater drops down 150ft.

Here we encounter a sign explaining that Newberry is geographically Oregon’s largest volcano with: vents extending 40 miles north to south, 25 miles east to west, and lava flows extending as far as 75 miles. It is also part of the Cascade Range; which is an arc of volcanoes extending 775 miles from Lassen Park in northern California (where we were a few weeks ago) to Meager Mountain in Canada.

Trail of Molten Lava

The Trail of Molten Lava is a paved, interpretive trail through the lava field just below the Butte. Here we learn more about the destructive force of lava, how and where it flows, and what it leaves behind.

Benham Falls Trail

After leaving the stark and rocky lava fields, we head to the Benham Falls Trail to see the impact the lava flow made on the Deschutes river.

Nearly 7k yrs ago the Deschutes River was dammed by the lava flow at Benham Falls. A lake then formed that covered much of what is now Sunriver. When the river finally broke through the lava, the lake receded, eventually evolving the landscape into a lush meadow surrounded by thick forests.

Along the trail we experience this evolution through visits from wildlife, small rapids created by submerged lava, and a trail that follows the river meandering around and under lush tree canopies.

Benham Falls

Although Benham Falls are the largest falls on the Deschutes River, they are not your typical waterfall. Instead they are rapids with a drop of 25ft and are rated as a Class 5 for watercraft.

Next stop… Central Oregon – La Pine to Eugene.