2.5 hr
Overview
The Oregon Badlands Wilderness actually features two very different volcanic phenomena. Most of the area is composed of a rugged lava landscape that resulted from a major “leak” in a lava tube known as the Badlands Volcano (the small crater is about a mile west of the Flatiron Rock Trailhead in the southern part of the wilderness; the actual source of the lava flow is much farther to the south near the Newberry Volcano), a “rootless” shield volcano about 80,000 years old. You will see lava formations that include cracks, pressure ridges (tumuli), and ropy blocks (pahoehoe). The second feature is the actual sand you are slogging through, the remains of ash deposits from the eruption of Mount Mazama 7,700 years ago. The trails here follow the vehicle tracks of the stockmen who herded cattle in this dry area, and the entire expanse is an old-growth juniper forest, with the most venerable trees distinguished by their attractive reddish-brown bark, meaning they’re at least 250 years old.
Trail Stats
9.8 km
30 m
1058 m
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Photos
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