hikespeak

Tumalo Falls is rightfully considered one of the must-see attractions in Bend, Oregon. The grandest waterfall on Tumalo Creek makes a nearly 100-foot drop from a cliff in Deschutes National Forest west of Bend. Admire the broad single-drop waterfall from a downstream viewpoint that is fifty yards from Tumalo Falls Day Use Area. Then take a half a mile round trip hike to an overlook at the... Read more.

Tumalo Falls is the tallest and most beautiful waterfall on Tumalo Creek near Bend, Oregon, but it isn't the creek's only waterfall. If you like seeing water tumble, go beyond the half-mile round trip hike to Tumalo Falls and explore a grander 7.4 miles loop that visits half dozen other named waterfalls and perhaps a dozen more unnamed smaller waterfalls and cascades. The loop is formed by... Read more.

Strolling down Deschutes River Trail toward Benham Falls, you might be skeptical that this calm river will hasten into rapids and cascades. The wall of volcanic rock on the far side of the river does offer an early clue that something dramatic could happen. The Deschutes River was rerouted by Lava Butte Lava Flow, causing it to tumble over a few waterfalls on its path north toward Bend. ... Read more.

You'll be grateful to find pavement and not melting hot lava on Trail of the Molten Land. This impressive trail is built atop a barren landscape of dark volcanic rock, the Lava Butte Lava Flow in Newberry National Volcanic Monument, which is part of Deschutes National Forest. Panels along the trail provide information about how the lava flow began at Lava Butte, a cinder cone above the... Read more.

Trail of the Whispering Pines is an interpretive botanical trail highlighting high desert plants in Newberry National Volcanic Monument. This short and level paved path covers just a quarter mile. Trail of the Whispering Pines can easily be explored as a 0.4-mile walk beginning and ending at Lava Lands Visitor Center. This short hike can be connected to Trail of the Molten Land, which is... Read more.

Lava Butte is a 500-foot tall cinder cone along the Northwest Rift of Newberry Volcano in Central Oregon. It rises prominently over Route 97 between Bend and Sunriver. A fire lookout tower sits atop Lava Butte and is joined by a rim trail that offers panoramic views over a dark volcanic landscape. Lava Butte also provides majestic views of the Cascade Mountains to the west. For a short... Read more.

Black Butte is one of the most identifiable summits in Central Oregon. This conical volcano rises 3,000 feet over tapered terrain on the east side of the Cascade Mountains. Black Butte stands on its own and offers tremendous views over the surroundings including peaks in the Central Oregon Cascades to the north, west, and south. Grand views make Black Butte an ideal site for fire lookout... Read more.

For a relaxing and fascinating hike in Central Oregon, take an easy stroll along the Metolius River. Leaving Lower Canyon Creek Campground, West Metolius River Trail quickly passes fantastical springs where water gushes from a riverbank. Summer wildflowers line the dirt single track as you continue downriver past calms and rapids. Follow the lovely river for 2.5 miles to Wizard Falls Fish... Read more.

Seven sites are spread below ponderosa pines on a loop in Lower Canyon Creek Campground. This small and spacious campground is located in Deschutes National Forest near Camp Sherman and Sisters, Oregon. The campground borders the confluence of Canyon Creek and the Metolius River. Hikers can leave the campground on West Metolius River Trail to hike a short distance to a surprising springs... Read more.

Lava River Cave is the longest lava tube in Oregon and is fascinating to explore. Put fresh batteries in your flashlights and head to Newberry National Volcanic Monument, which is in Deschutes National Forest just a dozen miles south of Bend. Walking through Lava River Cave, you will see wild features left behind by volcanic eruptions 100,000 years ago. After a mile in the dark, venture... Read more.