Newberry National Volcanic Monument

Newberry National Volcanic Monument encompasses approximately 56,000 acres in Deschutes County, centered on the Newberry Volcano shield complex south of Bend, one of the largest volcanoes by total area in the contiguous United States. Designated in 1990 and managed by the Deschutes National Forest, the monument protects an extraordinary concentration of volcanic features: extensive lava flows, cinder cones, lava tubes, obsidian fields, and the Newberry Caldera — a 17-by-5-mile elliptical basin formed by volcanic collapse containing two high-altitude lakes, Paulina Lake and East Lake, separated by a central lava flow. The Big Obsidian Flow, erupted approximately 1,300 years ago, is one of the youngest lava flows in the contiguous United States and contains masses of volcanic glass used for thousands of years by Indigenous peoples for tool-making. A 0.9-mile interpretive trail with a rope-assisted climb traverses the obsidian flow surface, providing a close encounter with the glassy, razor-edged lava. Paulina Lake and East Lake offer fishing for brown trout and kokanee salmon, swimming, canoeing, and kayaking from resort launch areas. Paulina Peak, at 7,985 feet the highest point in the monument, is accessible by a paved road from the caldera rim (open summer through early fall) and provides summit views of more than 100 miles encompassing the Cascade peaks and the Oregon high desert. The Lava Cast Forest near the monument's northern section preserves tree molds formed when molten lava surrounded living ponderosa pines thousands of years ago. The Lava Lands Visitor Center on US-97 serves as the northern gateway with exhibits on Newberry's volcanic history.