4.3 hr
Overview
The Oregon Badlands Wilderness was officially signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 30th, 2009. 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, a “rootless” shield volcano about 80,000 years old (The small crater is about a mile west of the Flatiron Rock Trailhead ; the actual source of the lava flow is much farther to the south near the Newberry Volcano). The lava formations along this loop include cracks, pressure ridges (tumuli), and ropy blocks (pahoehoe). The sandy soils are the remains of ash deposits from the eruption of Mount Mazama 7,700 years ago. A key feature of this desert landscape are the many old-growth western juniper trees (Juniperus occidentalis) , some over 1,000 years in age. This loop, mostly on sandy vehicle tracks, takes you to the three most prominent rock formations in the wilderness, each worth a scramble to the top for the all-encompassing views.
Trail Stats
15.9 km
111 m
1122 m
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Photos
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