Newbury Crater

Just a short drive from Bend, Oregon you’ll find the intriguing Newbury Crater – the hollowed out crater in the heart of an ancient volcano!

The volcano is a stunning natural wonder, still teeming with thermal activity and spanning several miles in diameter. Exploring the caldera reveals a diverse landscape, and there’s truly nothing like the experience of standing in the heart of a collapsed volcano! This area is steeped in human history, dating back over 10,000 years, offering visitors a unique opportunity to connect with the past while immersing themselves in its breathtaking surroundings.

Our first time to this landmark, we took Little Crater Loop for a close by panoramic view of the caldera. Later we found out that most folks head out for the longer trek to the summit of Pauline Peak for the sights. Taking the lesser summit trail gave us the morning to ourselves, reaching the top without encountering a single hiker!

Our short detour to the summit of Little Crater Trail popped us out just at the end of the campground for an easy walk back to our car. We didn’t make it to the hot springs but Paulina Lake was beautiful nonetheless!

Next, we made our way to the Big Obsidian Flow, a stunning sight that had previously captivated us from the summit of Little Crater. Here, we embarked on a hike along a trail glittering with black glass, bringing us up close to the crater’s youngest feature, which last erupted with flowing lava just 1,300 years ago!

Currently, gathering obsidian is off-limits for visitors, but this site has a rich history of native foraging that spans thousands of years. Various types of lava rock were harvested for an array of purposes—some for ceremonial use and others for practical applications. From the Newberry obsidian, skilled traditional craftspeople crafted arrowheads, spears, scrapers, knives, and various tools, each flow showcasing unique properties.

We didn’t make it to the Lava Cast Forest or the Lava Tubes but apparently the lush volcanic landscape of this crater resembled the moon so much, astronauts trained for outerspace here in the 60’s! A sample of the lava rock even made it to the moon in remembrance of these early space training days.

Next time😁