Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

Once, long ago, Mount Newberry lorded over central Oregon. For hundreds of thousands of years, it stood a stately 9,000 feet tall, in a broad, sloping dome, formed after ages of repeated eruptions. Then, in an instant, a single cataclysmic explosion destroyed the Cascade peak.

Today, about 75,000 years after the eruption and subsequent collapse of Mount Newberry, what remains is a fascinating array of caves, calderas and dark volcanic glass. The mountain may be gone, but the Newberry National Volcanic Monument remains one of the most fascinating natural attractions in Oregon.



You can see most of its features in a long day trip, but there’s enough there to justify an overnight stay at one of the park’s six campgrounds, two lodges or any number of nearby hotels. With the mountain peak long gone, the recreational opportunities here are hikes to smaller buttes, a trip across a field of obsidian and a stop at a lakeside hot spring – proof that a volcano can become an even bigger attraction once it’s gone.

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Terry Richard/The Oregonian

Lava River Cave

At just more than a mile, Lava River Cave is Oregon's longest intact lava tube. A series of stairs and boardwalks lead down into the cave, which usually takes about an hour and a half to explore the whole way. Be sure to bring warm clothes, as the cave temperature drops to the low 40s, as well as a headlamp or flashlight.

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Terry Richard/The Oregonian

Lava Butte

Found near the Lava Lands Visitors Center, Lava Butte is a 5,020-foot cinder cone that experienced one eruption about 7,000 years ago, creating a massive lava field that covers more than 6,000 acres. The summit of the butte is accessible by foot, but a road leads to the top as well, where a mile-long trail rings the crater.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

Big Obsidian Flow

One of Oregon's most unique volcanic attractions, the Big Obsidian Flow is a massive field of volcanic glass, formed when lava cooled without crystalizing. Humans have used obsidian for generations in pottery, arrowheads and even surgical scalpels. A short trail leads up and into the flow, which can also be seen from Paulina Peak above.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

Paulina Peak

At nearly 8,000 feet, Paulina Peak is the highest point within the Newberry monument. You can drive to the top or embark on a 6-mile, out-and-back hike, and either way the views are easily worth the trip. From the top, you can see the remaining crater from the Mount Newberry eruption, both lakes in the resulting caldera, the Big Obsidian Flow and the Three Sisters in the distance.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

Newberry Caldera – East Lake and Paulina Lake

A caldera is the sunken depression of a collapsed volcano, which often fills with water – like Crater Lake. At Newberry, the caldera is divided into two distinct lakes: Paulina Lake and East Lake. There's a lodge, campground and boat launch at each, as well as trailheads that lead to the Newberry Crater and Big Obsidian Flow. If you're visiting Newberry for more than a day, these lakes will be your home base.

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Terry Richard/The Oregonian

Hot springs

It's not uncommon to find hot springs around the Cascade Mountains, but Newberry features a rare set of hot springs on the shores of both Paulina Lake and East Lake. As former Oregonian travel writer Terry Richard once reported, the hot springs are kind of a dud, but if you're staying in the area, you might as well check them out.



The Paulina Lake hot springs are at the end of a two-mile walk along the eastern shore, starting at the Little Crater Campground trailhead. The East Lake springs, meanwhile, are found just a few hundred yards walking clockwise around the lake from the boat launch.

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PJ Blalock/Wikimedia Commons

Paulina Falls

The side-by-side 80-foot waterfalls aren’t the tallest or most spectacular in Oregon, but the attraction earns points for being incredibly accessible, found at the end of a short walk from a parking lot near Paulina Lake.

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Terry Richard/The Oregonian

Lava Cast Forest

Considered a "living museum of volcanic landscapes," the Lava Cast Forest is an ancient forest of pine and fir, through which lava once surged, engulfing everything in its path. The flow created fascinating tree molds – lava shells of destroyed trees – as well as rugged fields of basalt, where life continues to thrive.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

Deschutes River Trail

The Deschutes River is an integral part of outdoor recreation around Bend, and one of the best ways to see it is along the Deschutes River Trail. There are access points all along the river, including within the Newberry monument. From the Lava Lands Visitor Center, a road leads four miles to the Benham Falls East Trailhead, granting access to a beautiful stretch of river.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

NORTHWEST TRAVEL GUIDES

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Celebrate the Oregon Trail's 175th: It's been 175 years since the first big wave of migrants took the Oregon Trail – here's how you can mark the occasion.

Hip, neglected Vancouver: Portland's have a strange aversion to visiting Vancouver, Washington, but here are 20 things to love about the hip city.

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--Jamie Hale | jhale@oregonian.com | @HaleJamesB