Newberry National Volcanic Monument

Pictures from hiking Lava Cast Forest an Big Obsidian Flow at Newberry National Volcanic Monument

National Forest Road in Oregon

The roads out to Lava Cast Forest are a challenge to drive. This road is a turn off I mistakenly turned down, but the main road wasn’t in much better shape.

Path through Lava Cast Forest

The irony of Lava Cast Forest is that if you can get there, the area is very accessible and has lots of benches. Getting there was one of the hardest drives of my life and it left my back a bit tense.

I am glad I went. The wildflowers growing in the lava rocks were amazing. The ‘casts’ are from where the lava went around the trees, but then the trees died and rotted, leaving various formations in the lava.

Lava Cast Forest

 

Purple Wildflowers in Lava Rocks

Some of the wildflowers growing in the lava.

After Lava Cast Forest, I went to Big Obsidian Flow.

Big Obsidian Flow

Big Obsidian Flow is an area of volcanic glass within Newberry Caldera. The rocks are pumice and obsidian.

Pumice and Obsidian

On the trail you are hiking right on volcanic glass.

Formations at Big Obsidian Flow

Obsidian Formations