Posted in Oregon Hiking, Nature August 02, 2022 by Sarah McCosham

Take A Paved Loop Trail Around This Oregon Lava Forest For A Peaceful Adventure

Central Oregon is a place of beguiling beauty, with the High Desert an immensely fascinating place with historic significance and great geographical variety. This is epitomized in the Lava Cast Forest, an expanse near Bend and Sunriver, Oregon, that’s home to 7,000-year-old lava tree cast formations. It’s a wondrous wasteland that’s hauntingly, sublimely beautiful, and on the Lava Cast Forest Trail, a paved, mlle-long loop, intrepid explorers can traverse straight through this captivating place.

Would you believe that this otherworldly landscape is right here... in Oregon? Okay -- the sepia photo definitely helps the mood, but these hauntingly beautiful forests stand on their own!

What is this alien landscape? And, more to the point, *where* is this alien landscape?

This expanse is known as the Lava Cast Forest, part of Newberry National Monument near Bend, Oregon.

This is a barren landscape built on top of dark volcanic rock, making for one of the most unique topographical regions in Oregon. The Newberry National Volcanic Monument, part of Deschutes National Forest, offers a fascinating glimpse into the past.

Happily, the trail through this lava forest is smooth pavement (not melting hot lava!), and the eponymous Lava Cast Forest Trail is a short-and-sweet, mile-long loop that's accessible for all skill levels.

Panels along the trail provide information about how it all began at Lava Butte. An overlook at trail’s end offers excellent westward views of the Cascade Mountains.

The panels offer helpful context for this out-of-place expanse; this is a world where lava dominates the landscape and living things have adapted, over the centuries, to a harsh desert environment. This trek provides insights into the formation of Lava Butte (the 500-foot cinder cone protruding out in the horizon), as well as close-up views of many unique features of this lava forest.

The Lava Lands are one of those places in Oregon for which pictures do not do justice; it's a world you must *experience*. And this accessible, paved loop trail in Oregon invites all to do just that.

Have you been to this lava forest in Central Oregon before? What an immensely intriguing place to explore!

Parking at the Lava Lands Visitor Center requires a $5/vehicle payment or a valid recreation pass. Passes can be purchased from Forest Service offices or local vendors. Visit the USDA Forest Services website to learn more and plan your trip to this captivating place.

Address: Lava Cast Forest Trail, Oregon 97739, USA