Newberry National Volcanic Monument (NNVM)

This national monument, located south of Bend, OR, is so extensive it took us two trips to really begin to understand its significance. Good friends from Seattle, Ric and Jan, came down when we first arrived in central OR to show us some of their favorite spots and this one was on the list.
Only, there was a slight problem - on the day in early June that we went there, several roads, trails, and the visitor centers were not open yet. Since we were already there, we made the best of it and saw what we could.  Gary and I made a second trip after the summer season started a few days ago.

After the two visits, I left with many facts, and needed some downtime to “process” all the information on volcanic activities at Newberry.  One of the first things that hit me was how uneducated I was about the United States northwest – particularly the Cascade Range.  Growing up in Appalachia, I thought I knew about mountains. Now I discover just how OLD and settled the Appalachians are in comparison to the relatively NEW geologic life of the Cascade Range. 

So, back to what you can see during a visit to the NNVM.  First, I strongly encourage hitting the Lava Lands Visitor Center where you will find a great interpretive center to help understand what you are about to see as you tour the monument.

Next we headed up the road to the top of Lava Butte – a cinder cone rising about 500 feet above the volcanic landscape around it. This cone was created during an eruption around 7000 years ago. (About 400 cones from various eruptions occur throughout the Newberry site.) 

The road is an 8% grade spiral to the top.  The short trip is interesting, particularly since this narrow road serves traffic going up and down the butte. But once you reach the top, you have a fantastic view of the surrounding area – including Mt Hood around 100 miles away.

The Lava Butte rim looks down into a crater and has an active fire-lookout station sitting atop.

Besides all the lava, Gary found some swifts flying in and out of nests in dead tree trunks near the parking lot.

There is a paved trail behind the visitor center, which goes through a section of the large lava fields.  Along the trail are signs of life – first lichen, then some small bits of vegetation and also sporatic small trees beginning to change this large desolate landscape.  Occasionally an old remnant of a tree from long ago appears almost ghostlike.

The NNVM is very large – have I said that already?  It is listed as a 500 square mile volcano.  Many of us think of a volcano as a mountainous cone structure that erupts, forming a caldera.  (Caldera is defined as a large crater formed in a volcano after the eruption and collapse of the walls.)  And, many volcanoes are of the cone type – but not Newberry. 

Newberry is a composite volcano formed from various types of volcanic eruptions – both the “classic” cone massive eruptions and the many volcanic vents.  The Newberry caldera site is located about 12 miles by road from the lava lands section and is so different from the fields of lava around it.  The caldera covers 17 square miles, has two beautiful lakes (Paulina and East), Paulina Falls, campgrounds, trails, and Paulina Peak (elev. 7,984’) the highest point on the volcano rim.

East Lake in Newberry Caldera

Paulina Falls

Also within the caldera is a magnificent obsidian (volcanic glass) flow that is only 1300 years old!

Edge of the Obsidian Flow and its Lake

Leslie, Jan and Gary near top of the obsidian flow

Great obsidian specimen

more of the obsidian flow 

USFS and USFS publications and other sources provide the following events:

Volcanic activity at this site is about 400,00 years old. 350,000 years ago a huge eruption of Newberry mountain sent lava flow about 50 miles N to Smith Rock (creating huge lava fields) and moving a section of the Deschutes River near Bend (more about that later).  About 75,000 years ago, another eruption created the caldera, which evidentially filled with water forming one lake. Hot pumice and ash with that event welded and solidified into the rock forming Paulina Falls.  A later eruption created a ridge in the caldera, separating the water into 2 lakes. There are many lava flow events within the past 7000 years. And most recently, was the obsidian flow.

Newberry Volcano is often called Oregon’s sleeping giant.  It is the largest and oldest volcano in the Cascades range volcanic arc. Scientists are busy monitoring this giant – and its seismic and geothermal activity (hot springs in the caldera lakes). However, just like all the geothermal activity in other locations, like Yellowstone, it’s a great place to visit and learn more about this Earth we live on.

I take comfort in knowing that all of this is happening in geologic time, leaving my presence no more than a piece of dust in space.