Discover 4 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Newberry National Volcanic Monument (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Lava River Cave, Paulina Peak, and Newberry Volcano. Also, be sure to include Paulina Lake Guard Station in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Newberry National Volcanic Monument (Oregon).
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Lava River Cave
National monument in Deschutes County, Oregon. The Lava River Cave near Bend, Oregon, is part of the Newberry National Volcanic Monument, which is managed by the United States Forest Service. At 5,211 feet in length, the northwest section of the cave is the longest continuous lava tube in Oregon. While the cave's discovery in 1889 was officially credited to a pioneer hunter, the presence of obsidian flakes near the cave has led archaeologists to conclude that Native Americans knew about the cave long before settlers arrived in central Oregon.[1]
Address: Lava River Caves State Park, 97707 Bend
Paulina Peak
Summit in Oregon. Paulina Peak is a summit in Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. Formed by the Newberry Volcano, it is part of Newberry National Volcanic Monument. At an elevation of 7,984 feet, it is the highest point on the volcano. The peak gives a panoramic view of the Newberry Caldera, the south and west flanks of the Newberry Volcano, the Cascades, the Fort Rock Basin, and central Oregon. The Cascade Range can be seen extending into California and Washington from the peak on a clear sunny day.[2]
Newberry Volcano
Shield volcano in Oregon. Newberry Volcano is a large active shield volcano located about 20 miles south of Bend, Oregon, United States, 35 miles east of the major crest of the Cascade Range, within the Newberry National Volcanic Monument. Its highest point is Paulina Peak. The largest volcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc, Newberry has an area of 1,200 square miles when its lava flows are taken into account. From north to south, the volcano has a length of 75 miles, with a width of 27 miles and a total volume of approximately 120 cubic miles. It was named for the geologist and surgeon John Strong Newberry, who explored central Oregon for the Pacific Railroad Surveys in 1855. The surrounding area has been inhabited by Native American populations for more than 10,000 years.
The volcano contains a large caldera, 4 by 5 miles (6.4 km × 8.0 km) in diameter, known as the Newberry Caldera. Within the caldera are two lakes: Paulina Lake and East Lake. The volcano and its vicinity include many pyroclastic cones, lava flows and lava domes; Newberry has more than 400 vents, the most of any volcano in the contiguous United States. Glaciers may have once been present at the volcano, though this remains contested. The area has a dry climate with low precipitation levels and little surface runoff.
The origin of the volcano remains somewhat unclear; while some scientists believe it originated from an independent hotspot, most evidence indicates that it formed from the subduction of the oceanic Juan de Fuca and Gorda tectonic plates under the continental North American Plate. Eruptive activity at Newberry Volcano began about 600,000 years ago and has continued into the Holocene, the last eruption taking place 1,300 years ago. Unlike other shield-shaped volcanoes, which often erupt basaltic lavas only, Newberry Volcano has also erupted andesitic and rhyolitic lavas. A popular destination for hiking, fishing, boating, and other recreational activities, the volcano lies within 19 miles (31 km) of 16,400 people and within 62 miles (100 km) of nearly 200,000 people, and it continues to pose a threat to life. Still considered an active volcano, it could erupt and produce lava flows, pyroclastic flows, lahars (volcanically induced mudslides, landslides, and debris flows), ashfall, earthquakes, avalanches, and floods. To track this threat, the volcano and its surroundings are closely monitored with sensors by the United States Geological Survey.[3]
Paulina Lake Guard Station
Building in Deschutes County, Oregon. The Paulina Lake Guard Station is a Forest Service building located in the Newberry National Volcanic Monument in Central Oregon. The guard station was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps to house the seasonal assistant ranger responsible for patrolling the forest around Paulina Lake. Because of its rustic architecture, the guard station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.[4]