By:
Submission
The Newberry Application Click onthe picture above to view the web application and come visit our Volcanic Wonders…Yours To Discover! Aerial view of Newberry Caldera In November of 1990, Newberry National Volcanic Monument was created within the boundaries of Deschutes National Forest. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service, this monument provides a unique opportunity to view the Lava Lands of central Oregon. Newberry National Volcanic National Monument includes 54,000+ acres of lakes, lava flows, and spectacular geologic features in central Oregon. The highest point within the Monument is the summit Paulina Peak (7,985 ft.), showcasing views of the Cascades, Newberry Caldera and across the High Desert. Aerial view of Lava Butte. Although commonly referred to as Newberry Crater, the "crater" is in fact a caldera formed when the overlying rocks collapse when a magma chamber is emptied. The caldera stretches across 17 square miles in the heart of the volcano. The 1,200 square mile volcano (about the size of Rhode Island) remains very active to this day. Newberry is both seismically and geothermally active. Geologists believe the caldera sits over a shallow magma body only 2 to 5 kilometers deep. Visitors see numerous cinder cones and vents (over 400 throughout the area), miles of basalt flows, as well as rhyolite flows of obsidian. For up-to-date facts on Newberry Volcano, click here. Read the latest version of Volcanic Vistas. Enjoy this video highlighting the accessibility of Lava Lands Visitor Center!
To visit Lava Lands Visitor Center, click here. To visit Paulina Visitor Center and Newberry Caldera, click here.
We stumbled across this place as we were driving towards Portland and I must it was an interesting find. This is not the new berry volcano, the volcano itself is around 30 miles from this place. This is a cinder cone, think of it as one to many mini volcanos that blew up due to the lava pressure around the new berry volcano and created a butte on top. Now there are 3 things 2 can do here:
1- The most interesting is I guess the lava tunnels, under the mountain ranges long tunnels were formed by flowing lava. Lava tunnels are not exactly in this spot. They are across the highway on the other side and need advance reservation as they get filled pretty quickly. Look for lava tunnels on google in the area and you can get to the website and reserve. We could not as we just decided to cover this attraction on our way to our destination.
2- The easy hike around the cinder cone with lava rocks all around. This was super cool for me as I had not seen anything like that. You can also see the Cascade mountain range from here on a clear day, broken mountain, twin sisters, etc..
3- A bus ride, hike or a bike ride to the top of the cinder cone or lava butte. It’s a $3 bus round trip per person and has to be paid in cash, don’t ask me why. 5 minute ride to top, you can see views from the top and talk to the ranger. The guy we spoke with was awesome and gave us a lowdown on the area which was pretty cool.
The gift shop was good. Overall a good place to spend a couple of hours.
Interesting historic monument with lots of history. Large interpretive center and gift shop with hiking trails throughout the lava beds and a shuttle that will take you to the top of the lava butte. Wonderful view of the surrounding mountains!
Great place to visit if in the area. Very cool lava rock formations, reminded a little of Hawaii. Multiple short, paved trails to walk on, great for about 1-2 hours. Beautiful views of the already snowy Mt. Bachelor and surrounding landscape.
100% recommend. We spent two hours here hiking the Trail of Molten Land. The trail is entirely asphalt paved and has nice markings to indicate the trail features. Though few sections are a bit steep, it's a good trail for kids too. We also drove up to the top and walked around the rim of the Lava Butte. This trail is not paved but very easy to walk, the views all around are incredible. There is plenty of parking near the visitor center, $5 fee per vehicle if you don't have a National pass.
