Newberry National Volcanic Monument in central Oregon is an incredible place to spend time outdoors. With beautiful landscapes, awesome hiking, otherworldly geology, and stunning panoramic views, this is a great place to spend a weekend!
Newberry is an incredible place, but it’s almost totally unknown to people from outside the surrounding area. Because of this, I decided to write up a hypothetical weekend itinerary!
This itinerary assumes you are going to Newberry for a long weekend, and while you’re there, you’ll be spending time outdoors, exploring the best of what Newberry has to offer. Maybe that’s a faulty assumption, but I figure if you’re coming here, you probably want to spend time outside! Hopefully this can be a helpful tool for you, and maybe even inspire you to visit Newberry!
Length:
The perfect amount of time to spend at Newberry is probably a long weekend and that’s how I am going to write this article, but you can hit pretty much all of the highlights in a day if you really push yourself. I think a long weekend here would be great though. Camp in the caldera, enjoy the lakes in the afternoon after some hiking in the morning. Sounds awesome!
However, if you’re really rushed, you could come here on a day trip. Most of the postcard type things here are near each other and easily reached. You could very easily visit Lava River Cave, Big Obsidian Flow, drive to the summit of Paulina Peak, and relax at the lake in a day. If you live nearby or are simply in a hurry, that would work too!
Some places you really can’t spend too much time, but here I would probably limit my stay to around 4 or 5 days. If you really just are a completionist, then maybe a week would be fine, but you could do pretty much everything worth doing in 4 or 5 days. Again, I think a 3 day weekend is about the sweet spot, but you could add a day or two, slow down a bit, and explore off the beaten path a little more too!
When To Go:
The hardest limit on hiking in the Cascades is snow. This mountain range receives massive quantities of snow each winter, and this snow limits the hiking season at high elevations. If you are ok with snowshoes, microspikes, crampons, or other snow gear, you can go pretty much whenever you want, though it will limit access and some of the other activities you can do.
If you prefer not to hike in the snow, then the season is roughly June through September. Expect at least some trace remains of snow through the first half of June atop Paulina Peak (possibly into July), and be ready for early snowstorms by September. June and October are pushing it weather and snow wise, so I would probably recommend July through September.
If you hope to visit Lava River Cave (which I highly recommend), you’ll need to visit between May and mid-September. The cave is only open during that time of the year, and you should check the forest service website for exact days and reservations before visiting.
Everything considered, I would recommend mid-July through late August. You won’t have any snow to deal with, Lava River Cave should be open, and the weather should be ideal! You can likely expect warm, sun filled days, and cool, crisp nights!
The Itinerary:
Where You’ll Be Staying:
Roadtripping to Bend? Check out all of our road trip planning tips!
On a trip to Newberry, you have to stay in the Caldera. So obviously you don’t really have to, but you definitely should. The Newberry Caldera is the centerpiece of the park, and is analogous to Yosemite Valley or Zion Canyon (though I probably wouldn’t put Newberry in the same category as those two). There are numerous places to camp and a pair of lodges to choose from!
Camping: Paulina Lake Campground
There are a bunch of campgrounds in the Newberry Caldera, check our full Newberry Guide for details on them all, but I think Paulina Lake Campground is the best option. For one, it is one of only two that has flush toilets. Vault toilets are whatever, but if you can have flush toilets, why wouldn’t you?
Like most of the campgrounds, Paulina Lake is right on the water, but unlike most of the other campgrounds, this one is within walking distance of one of the calderas two lodges, which means you have access to a general store and restaurant without having to drive!
Lodge: East Lake Resort
Between the Paulina Lake Lodge and East Lake Resort, I’m not sure you could really go wrong. Both seem to have similarly rustic accommodations, both have a restaurant, and both have a general store. I believe both also even have boat rentals. However, I think I would go with East Lake Resort. Reviews overall seem slightly more positive, and the food looks a bit better (to my eyes at least). Honestly though, I don’t think you would go wrong with either!
Day 1: Drive to Newberry, Do Some Exploring, and Set Up Camp
From wherever you’re coming from, you’ll probably have to drive into the monument. Whether or not that includes a flight I don’t know, but you’ll approach the monument along Highway 97. As you drive into the caldera at the heart of the monument, you’ll hit your first stop of the trip, Paulina Falls!
Help keep nature pristine. Follow Leave No Trace!
Paulina Falls isn’t the most incredible waterfall in the world, but after what was probably a decently long drive, it’s a great place to stop and stretch your legs. Make it a 10 minute stop and just walk to the viewpoint a few hundred feet from your car, or take the ¾ of a mile round trip hike to the base of the falls!
This is bear country so make sure you’re bear safe!
From Paulina Falls, you could head straight to your lodging, or if you have time, explore one of the other short trails of Newberry. If you have time, I would recommend the Big Obsidian Flow Trail. This short 1 mile hike takes you onto one of the newest lava flows in the country, a place where the ground is made up of obsidian and pumice! Definitely check it out at some point during the trip.
To end your day, head to wherever you’re staying. Hopefully it’s in the caldera, and if so, you should have easy access to one of the monument’s lakes! Enjoy the evening, maybe take a swim, and have some dinner!
Day 2: Explore Newberry in Depth
Day 2 of the trip should be spent exploring Newberry in depth. While you could opt for a long, 20 plus mile, hike around the caldera rim, I would actually recommend hitting a couple of the monument’s highlights.
I would start the day with a visit to Lava River Cave. This cave is the largest intact lava tube in the state of Oregon, and is explorable to about a mile deep. It’s pretty incredible to imagine this cave as a riva of molten lava, but that’s what it was! Make sure you get reservations ahead of time because access is limited, and it does fill up!
After exploring Lava River Cave, I’d recommend taking on one of the tougher hikes in the monument. I personally think the best day hike here is the trail to the summit of Paulina Peak. Starting from the shores of Paulina Lake, this hike is about 6.5 miles roundtrip, and takes you about 1,600 feet up to the summit. It’s tough and very steep at times, but the views at the top are worth it.
Always follow basic trail etiquette when you’re hiking!
Maybe you’re not really interested in a tough hike to the summit. In that case, you can actually drive to the summit of Paulina Peak instead! There is a gravel road which goes all the way to the top of the mountain, so even if you aren’t interested in pushing yourself on a difficult hike, you can still get the awesome views of the Cascades!
Day 3: Pack up, Hit a Highlight on Your Way Out
Since this is just a long weekend, day 3 will likely see you heading out and packing up. If you have more time, great! There are more things to see here, you won’t be bored! If it is in fact the last day of your trip, then I recommend hitting one of two quick highlights on your way out.
One idea would be to head to Lava Lands Visitor Center and hike one or two of the trails there. Try the Trail of the Molten Land, a 1 mile hike that takes you through some incredible volcanic landscapes. For something a little longer, you could hike to Lava Butte to get a birds eye view of the area!
If you prefer to stick around the caldera in the heart of the monument, there are some cool places you could check out too. Maybe try the Paulina Lakeshore Loop and check out the hotsprings on the far side.
There’s also a pair of features that you could climb between the two lakes as well: the Little Crater Viewpoint and the Central Pumice Cone! Maybe you’ll decide to leave the monument proper and find something else to do in the surrounding area! Whatever you choose, at least enjoy your morning before you head out!
Newberry National Volcanic Monument is relatively unknown, but I hope you realize that it is really cool, it is worth visiting, and there is a bunch of really cool stuff to do and see there! Maybe this article convinced you to book a trip there right now, and maybe you’re still unconvinced. There’s lots of incredible places in the world, so if you don’t visit Newberry I understand, but it is one of the really incredible places too!
Additional Resources:
Newberry National Volcanic Monument – Deschutes NF
Newberry National Volcanic Monument – Newberry Caldera | Visit Bend
Newberry National Volcanic Monument | Travel Oregon
Best 10 Trails in Newberry National Volcanic Monument | AllTrails
