Newberry Volcanic National Monument

Just 13 miles from LaPine State Park is the visitor’s center for the Newberry Volcanic National Monument.  This area includes the Newberry Caldera, the Lava Cast Forest Geological Area, Lava River Cave, and the Lava Butte Geological Area and was established by law on November 5, 1990. 

Today we wanted to visit Paulina Lake and East Lake and find a nice spot for a picnic.  I packed some apples and tuna sandwiches and we were off.

First stop was a viewpoint about 6 miles up the road.  Normally this is a spectacular view with many of the local peaks visible.  Today it was so smokey from the wildfires that are burning in the area that we could barely make out Mt. Bachelor (on the left), and the Three Sisters. 


Weather-wise, the day was perfect.  Temps in the  mid-high 60s, sunshine, and just the hint of a breeze.  This is a federal fee area but is free with a federal senior or recreation pass.

Pauline Lake has an older lodge on the shores of the lake, with boat rentals, a boat launch, and a restaurant.  It is definitely dated and could use some upgrades.  Access is a short gravel road full of potholes and across a one lane wooden bridge. 




Russ got this shot of Paulina Creek as we crossed the bridge (no, he wasn’t driving!!).


The forest service campground is in much better condition than the resort.  The access roads are nicely paved and the campsites are level and either paved or gravel.  There is room for larger rigs here although there are no hook-ups.


The campground was empty except for a couple of sites, so we just pulled in and had ourselves a picnic.  It’s getting quite cold up here at nights now so not many campers are willing to brave the temperatures.


Poppy and I walked down to the boat ramp and saw this critter swimming around.  Poppy was not interested.  She only likes to smell squirrel and deer smells and is not about to get her feet wet to investigate something that lives in the water and has no good odors.


Another five miles up the road is East Lake.  It is a smaller lake than Paulina and has several FS campgrounds and a larger and better resort.  There are cabins and boat rentals, a store, and a small cafe.  Most of it was closed for the season.  The shores of East Lake are very accessible.  Although it looks like a sandy beach, it is actually fine gravel.

The sign on the tree says this is Central Oregon’s Best Kept Secret!


Although the beaches are nice and there are some hardy souls who venture into the water during the hot summer months, both Paulina and East Lakes are primarily fishing lakes.  


The FS boat ramp is in much better condition than the resort ramp…and it’s free!!  The smoke cast a hazy blanket on everything and was not conducive to good pictures.


There is much more to this monument area, including a big obsidian flow, but that will have to wait for another day.