Newberry Crater

Newberry Crater, as it is commonly known, is a large shield volcano east of the Cascade Range in central Oregon. The area was named for Dr. John Strong Newberry, a naturalist with a U.S. Army expedition in 1857-1858 whose purpose was to survey railroad routes through the region. The over 50,000-acre area was designated a monument in 1990 and features a visitor's center showcasing and explaining the unique active lava lands. Over sixty miles of hiking trails wind through the monument, ranging from short roadside interpretive trails to the 21-mile Crater Rim trail. Following its collapse prior to the ice age, Newberry Volcano filled with a large lake before additional eruptions produced a central cinder cone and extensive obsidian flows within the caldera. Paulina Lake and East Lake now fill the lobes of the Newberry basin. The volcano has produced some 25 eruptions over the past 10,000 years. The most recent eruption, 1,300 years ago, created the Big Obsidian Flow within the southern extent of the caldera. Hot spots in East Lake indicate that an active magma pocket remains beneath that area of the volcano. Beyond the rim of the caldera, Newberry Volcano features some 400 cinder cones and perhaps as many peripheral lava flows. Two interesting flank features associated with the volcano are the Lava Cast forest, where a rapid lava flow created tree and stump molds, and the Lava River Cave, an empty eruptive vent that visitors can tour.