Newberry National Volcanic Monument

Kayaking East Lake, Oregon: FOWC

/ SoyBend / 18 Comments

I decided to try kayaking East Lake, at Newberry National Volcanic Monument, on a spring day a couple of years ago.

“It’s spring,” I thought to myself. “The weather will be fine.” See how beautiful it looks in the photo below near the East Lake Campground?

However, the shoreline is at 6,400 feet in elevation and the weather can change fast. Be prepared!

kayaking East Lake

I was captivated by the cliff-lined north shore and set my sights on reaching it. “It’s not that far away,” I thought. Later, I determined it was a 1.25 mile trip across the lake.

Continue reading →

Volcanic views from Lava Lands: Pull up a Seat Challenge

/ SoyBend / 6 Comments

I recently hiked the Trail of Molten Lands at Lava Lands Visitor Center and paused to take in the volcanic views. The center is located within the Newberry National Volcanic Monument, a place with many recreational opportunities.

I took these photos from the Phil Brogan Viewpoint. On a clear day, you can see Mt. Bachelor, the Three Sisters, and other peaks in the distance. On this day, clouds covered them in soft shrouds. The visitor center reopened on May 20, a couple days after my visit. It’s a great place to learn more of this area’s volcanic past.

Volcanic views from Lava Lands, Oregon

Here are a couple pictures of the volcanic views from a closer angle.

Lava Lands, Oregon

This 1.1 mile trail winds through basalt lava flows surrounding Lava Butte to the viewpoint.

Volcanic views from Lava Lands

Pull up a Seat Photo Challenge Week 22

Pine trees at Lava Lands: Thursday Tree Love

/ SoyBend / 16 Comments

Pine trees towering over an ancient lava flow at Lava Lands Visitor Center, in the Newberry National Volcanic Monument, Oregon. You can see South Sister and Broken Top in the distance.

Pine trees at Lava Lands, Oregon

The 0.4-mile Trail of the Whispering Pines winds its way through the forest near the visitor center. You get great views of pine trees, Lava Butte, and several nearby volcanoes. This path sits on part of Newberry Volcano, a 1,200-square mile shield volcano.

South Sister, pictured on the left above, is the youngest and most geologically active of the Three Sisters volcanoes. The mountain last erupted 2,000 years ago, but a “bulge” began forming in 1997. By 2001, the bulge grew to 9 inches in height and 10 miles in diameter. Its growth since that time has slowed considerably. Both South Sister and Newberry are regularly monitored for volcanic activity.

Thursday Tree Love

Paulina Lake hike in the fall

/ SoyBend / Leave a comment

Paulina Lake 4Oct2016

The day we hiked at Paulina Lake, 25 miles east of Bend, the weather forecast was a bit iffy. In fact, the location for our hike had been changed to a warmer locale but we decided to go for it.

Paulina Lake sits at 6,350 feet in elevation and snow was predicted. We started our hike at Paulina Lake Lodge and hiked two and a half miles to the hot springs. We ran into snow, rain, hail, and sun on that October day.

The trail hugged the side of the lake so we had good views of it the whole way. Paulina Lake, and it’s fraternal twin East Lake, sit in a caldera that formed after Newberry volcano blew and then collapsed. Paulina Lake is 1,531 acres in size with depths up to 250 feet. To learn more about the Newberry National Volcanic Monument, click here for one of my previous posts.

Continue reading →

Lava River Cave: A Local Attraction

/ SoyBend / Leave a comment
Lava River Cave entrance 16Aug2016
Lava River Cave entrance

I recently went on a two-mile trek to the center of the earth. Okay, not quite the center of the earth but the trail did lead underneath Highway 97 – the main North-South highway in these parts. I decided to visit Lava River Cave before it shut down for the season. This cave is located 12 miles south of Bend, Oregon in the Newberry Volcanic National Monument area.

I heard parking is limited so I arrived early. WAY too early! I forget that I only live a half an hour from many of these geological attractions.

For more information on operating hours and entrance requirements, check here. You must make reservations for timed entry into the cave. Make reservations here.

Inside the cave
Inside the cave
Continue reading →

Lava Lands Visitor Center – Stories of Oregon’s volcanoes

/ SoyBend / 8 Comments
Lava Lands Visitor Center

Follow the red lava flow

The Lava Lands Visitor Center has interpretive exhibits that focus on local volcanology, geology, ecology, and archeology. As I entered the exhibit area, the red “lava flows” in the carpet guided me you through the center. Display boards are big, bright, and bold. They contain A LOT of information.

Lava Lands Visitor Center

This small center is a great place to start a visit to the 54,000+ acres of the Newberry National Volcanic Monument near Bend, Oregon. The Monument was created in 1990. It encompasses unique geological features, lava flows, and many lakes.

Continue reading →

Lava Cast Forest – Tree forms preserved forever

/ SoyBend / 3 Comments
Lava Cast Forest, Oregon

Lava Cast Forest Trail

A walk along the mile-long trail of the Lava Cast Forest gives you a glimpse of how recent volcanic activity has affected the local environment. The trail is located several miles directly west of Sunriver, Oregon in part of the Newberry National Volcanic Monument.

Trails at Newberry National Volcanic Monument, Oregon
Continue reading →