When we think of volcanos, large cones like Mount Saint Helens come to mind, so we were surprised to learn that an active volcano larger than Rhode Island was right here in Central Oregon.
The Newberry Volcano National Monument is a "shield" volcano, one that produced lava of a thin consistency and have broad sloping sides and sloping hills in a circular pattern that resemble a warrior's shield. Like Yellowstone, it doesn't seem like a volcano until you can view the caldera from above, and unlike Yellowstone, we had that opportunity from Paulina Peak.
But like Yellowstone, the volcano is active and an eruption would impact the lives of as many as 200,000 people. The entire area is monitored and it is considered by the USGS to be a "very high threat" volcano. Yikes!
This map clearly shows just how large the volcano in relation to the area and some of the towns and cities that could be affected by an eruption:
With two large lakes in the caldera, this is a popular area for camping and water sports. Entering the park, we split off of the main road onto a gravel road that climbed to the overlook nearly 8000 feet up.
From here we had a great view of the two lakes within the caldera, Paulina Lake and East Lake.
Paulina Lake is the larger of the two with a depth of 250 feet and has produced state record Brown Trout:
From here and looking to the east, it was easy to see the caldera rim:
Looking to the west, we could see the traditional volcanic cones of the Three Sisters, still snow covered on this hot June day:
Driving back down to the caldera floor, our next stop was the Big Obsidian Flow, the newest of the area's volcanic activity at 1300 years old. Formed by lava, Obsidian is a natural glass with no crystalline structure. Here's a picture that show just how big the flow is:
And a close up of one of the large obsidian "black glass" rocks:
We finished our visit with a drive around the lake and a stop at Paulina Falls, just below the lake. Above the falls the forest was green, quiet and beautiful.
We enjoyed our visit to this interesting area and were surprised that an active volcano existed here in Central Oregon. We're moving east soon, and hope that you'll check back and see our next adventure.
