Saturday, June 12, 2010

Lava Lands Visitor Center & Lava Butte - near Bend, Oregon

Note on my post about Phil:    Phil gave us his business card when he was here but there is no website listed.  Maybe they do not have one.  There was only an e-mail address.  That's why I did not post a conact website for him.  They left Cascade Meadows this morning and are on the way to Redmond, Oregon.


Today we drove just a few miles north of the campground to the Lava Lands Visitor Center and Lava Butte.  This is all part of the Newberry National Volcanic Monument.  Before going to the Visitor Center we drove up the road to the 500-foot high Lava Butte.  There is an observation platform at the top and you can see for miles and miles.  The views of the Cascade Mountain Range were awesome.  You can see a 10-square mile lava field from the butte.  (click on photos for a larger view)


There is also a 1/4 mile trail that encircles the 150-foot deep crater on Lava Butte.  There are interpretive signs along the way.   From the trail on the butte you can see some of the major mountain peaks of the Cascades.    The photo on the right shows the Sisters Mountains.


From the trail you can look down into the large crater.   Driving back down the road you can look up and see Lava Butte and the area surrounding it is covered with lava rock. 


The Visitor Center was an interesting place to see and there were many exhibits that explained the history of the region's volcanic activity.  There was a short film presentation going on in the small theater, but a school field trip was in progress so we skipped that.   Outside the center you could take a walk on the Trail of the Molten Lands.  This is a paved trail, but still bumpy and uneven so the elderly or disabled would need assistance.  The trail is only 3/4 of a mile but we had Annie in the car and didn't want to leave her there too long, so we skipped the complete trail.  We could again see Mt. Batchelor (left) and the Sisters (right) from the trail.


We drove 4 miles further into the park to see the Deschutes River.  There is a 3-mile trail here, but Annie is too old and too sick to walk that far.  We went a short distance across the foot bridge and then went back.



This was an interesting place to see.  Sometimes when we are just cruising down Interstate 5 over in the West we can see the mountains to our East.  It is easy to forget that they are volcanoes.  Our visit to the Lava Lands area helped to remind us of this fact.  We plan to see more interesting things relating to volcanoes on Saturday.   I hope you enjoyed the mountain views as much as we did.

Until next time.....so long for now!

12 comments:

Sam&Donna Weibel said...

another great tour, you guys sure keep us going with your visits to neat places, looks like annie can still enjoy a shorter walk, We are still at the point where Rigg's can out walk us by far. he will go all day if you let him. Be sfae out there. Sam & Donna.

Cindy said...

Thank you for sharing..I can't get enough of the views of where so much of my heart is!! Yes I am crying..it's been 2 years since I was there...I am homesick for my family there. I'm so glad that you are able to be my eyes!!

Sorry for the emotional me..

hugs..Cindy and Walker

Rick said...

It was great to see the Lavalands again. We toured there several years ago while visiting Sisters, OR for their big annual Quilt Festival. It was fun seeing the pictures of it again.

Travels with Emma said...

I'll be having some time to roll around Oregon before my volunteer assignment at Malheur NWR in Sept.

This sounds like an interesting place to visit. Thanks for the post. :)

K and D in the RV said...

That area looks just the the lava beds near here ( Nisga'a Memorial Lava Bed Park ) where over 30 tousand people lost their lives in about 1750.
We were amazed at the landscape. And you drive for miles and miles through it, massive. Looked like a good day for a walk. Our fur girls are getting on - Ally cannot walk very far, either and she is now on arthritis meds.

Jerry and Suzy said...

We sure did enjoy those mountain views -- both in your blog and in our own past visits to that area. Good pictures, but I need to tell you that, at least from where we sit in front of our computer, there is no "picture on the right." They are stacked down the center of your blog. I've found that a couple of times on your posts. That's not a negative comment, just how it looks to us. Maybe others see your pix side by side. Thanks for sharing.

Carol K said...

We enjoyed Lavalands when we were in the Bend area a few years ago. Thanks for the reminder of all the wonderful sights to see there!

Carol K said...

We enjoyed Lavalands when we were in the Bend area a few years ago. Thanks for the reminder of all the wonderful sights to see there!

Prettypics123 said...

Love that picture with the winding red road! Sounds like you guys are having fun! Look nice and warm. Have you had a chance to come over to my blog and let me know what you think? http://acamphosthousewifesmeanderings.blogspot.com/

Al Bossence said...

Alas, we have never been to Oregon & I fear we will never get there unless our current Snowbird lifestyle undergoes some very major changes!! Keep the great pics coming Margie because that's about as close as we'll probably ever get to Oregon:((

KarenInTheWoods said...

What an amazing area... thanks for taking the pics and explaning about the lava ...

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Karen and Steve
(Our Blog) RVing: Small House... BIG Backyard
http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com/

Loree said...

I live in Bend and you did a great job of describing the area, kudos to you!!!! I am starting the RV adventure in August, can hardly wait.