Newberry National Volcanic Monument

A right turn out of the campground onto CR 21 led us into the Newberry National Volcanic Monument. The park is actually the 500 square mile volcano and there are over 50,000 acres of lava flow areas, lakes, caves and forests. Obviously we'll spread our visits out over a few days.

We stopped first at Paulina Falls, a waterfall with an 80 foot drop. The walk down to the lower end of the falls follows a 1/4 mile long path and the air is heady with an intense woodsy aroma as you walk the gently sloping path. If you walk up to the upper viewing deck for the falls you'll enjoy a gentle mist that's blown off the falls by the breeze. It's very peaceful here in the middle of the week and it would be a great spot for a picnic.

Further into the park we stopped at Paulina Lake and the Visitor Center, which was more souvenir shop than ranger station but there were a few displays of various type of obsidian and rock indigenous to the area and detailed hiking maps. We followed CR 21 until we reached East Lake Resort, checking out the various campgrounds which include both primitive and partial hook up sites, then turned around to check out the Big Obsidian Flow which had a 1/2 mile trail along one corner of the lava flow area. As we climbed through the piles of obsidian and pumice it appeared that a huge bulldozer had dumped tons and tons of broken rocks in one place. What is fascinating is that the shiny, black, heavy and sharp-edged obsidian is the same material as the feather-weight pumice, which actually floats in water. The pumice is chemically the same as the obsidian, but is filled with tiny air holes and passages all through the material so a small rock weighs little more than a piece of styrofoam. There are warnings at the beginning of the trail for people to leave their dogs behind as the sharp edges of the obsidian can cut their feet and that sturdy shoes should be worn for the same reason.

One final left turn led us to Paulina Peak, the highest point of the crater rim at 7985 feet elevation. The road is a one lane gravel lane with pull-offs for traffic going in the opposite direction. Fortunately, there wasn't a lot of that as, like Pike's Peak, there are no guardrails, no curbing, just a long drop off the side of the mountain if you go off the edge of the road. The road itself is four miles long and there are hiking trails leading to the peak also. The drive to the top is well worth it as you have a 360 degree view of the valley, Paulina and East Lakes, the obsidian flow area and the Cascade Range. There was a naturalist in the middle of his speech when we arrived, talking to a group of folks settled in among the rocks while looking out over the Big Obsidian Flow area. What a great place to learn about the local geography and geology!

Since we hadn't thought to bring water bottles and there are no vending machines at any of the parking areas within the park we drove south to LaPine after leaving the park to hit the local DQ for milkshakes. They aren't on our diet, but they sure tasted good! Plus it was our first opportunity to check out the town for grocery stores and restaurants, so we scoped out a couple of likely spots for our Sunday morning breakfast foray and filled up with diesel at the local 76 station as it was the cheapest we've seen in the area at $2.79 (gulp!). Time to head home and relax for the evening.