This is one of those places where it's pretty much impossible to describe how amazing it is. You…read morejust have to go. But I'll do my best! We visited here during a summer trip to Bend. Even though it had been described to me many times, I couldn't quite imagine what it was like until we got there. It's basically this huge mountain of glass! (Well, it looks like glass - it's obsidian.) Left after a massive eruption not that long ago geologically-speaking, at some point they decided to put in some stairs and make a loop trail to explore this geological landmark. It's definitely worth the drive from town to check it out; or there's plenty of camping nearby if you want to check out other sites in the area. We were there on a pretty warm day, but it's high enough in elevation that it wasn't too terribly unbearable on the flow. My biggest piece of advice is to bring STURDY shoes. I was wearing plain old tennies and wish I'd worn something with thicker soles!

I love this hike. It's short, less than a mile, but challenging because the footing is very rough…read moreand it's poorly marked (there are at least two places where the trail seems to dead-end, but if you backtrack a little you can find it again). But spectacular views. And spectacular rocks.

We enjoyed our excursion into the depths of Boyd Cave!…read more We happily ventured in and were delighted with how enormous it is! Be prepared to encounter huge lava rocks the further you go. Some of these massive rocks clearly fell from its now 'ceiling' and you will have to maneuver around them and/or climb over. The cave is about 1,880 feet (.35 mile) long but we didn't venture that deep. It was clean, with no litter or graffiti and maintained.

Let me start by saying we've been coming to Little Crater as a family for 30 years…read more Our recent reservation was for 2 spots in a cluster for 9 nights and 2 bordering spots for 4 nights. On our 2nd day there, we bought & displayed an extra vehicle tag. Most of our family was scheduled to arrive for the final 4 nights. Every day we took our boat to the lake, where we parked at the ramp, proudly displaying our yearly Parks Forest Pass, for which we paid a $30 fee to get. Every time the boat was taken to the lake, the extra vehicle was moved in our spot to allow passage. 1.  Every day, the camp host harrased us (sometimes multiple times) about the extra vehicle, clearly displaying the pass on the dash. "Oh I guess I did ask you about that car this morning." 2. On our 5th night, the host came to us and said, "I see you have spot 43 reserved tomorrow. It's been abandoned so hurry up and pay for it. I'll make note that we spoke."  So we paid for it and set up tents for our kids. A couple of hours later, the person who "abandoned it" returned. Her tent was up the hill out of sight. Luckily for us, she allowed our kids to remain in the spot. 3. On our 6th day, our truck at the boat ramp was "ticketed" by the host telling us we needed to park at camp since we weren't displaying a forest pass. We advised her that we had a pass displaying in the truck and why suddenlywas it an issue after 6 days? She advised us that didn't matter because the Forest service wanted the ramp for locals. 4. On the 7th day, we received a "2nd notice" on the truck when we parked at the ramp. The host told us she "wasn't going to argue" and would "call the Forest service" on us. 5. On the 7th day, our father arrived for the day. He bought a day pass at the park entrance. The host advised my nephew to have him move his truck and boat trailer from the parking lot since "he was with us and needed to park at camp." My nephew advised her he was a legitimate "Day User" and would park at the ramp, period. This is the day the restroom near our camps stopped being cleaned. Toilet paper was filled, but urine that was splashed around the room by hikers wasn't cleaned. It fell upon us to get bleach and a bucket of water to make the room bearable. 6. On the 7th day, in the evening, Forest service "supervisor" Carol came to camp. She advised us that we were "well within our rights to park on the ramp" if we wanted to, but to keep in mind that the "locals weren't able to make reservations and were having trouble parking on the ramp." Ladies and gentlemen,  the locals are perfectly capable of making reservations.  I seriously doubt they're driving past Paulina Lake ramp, which has double the parking and flush toilets, to park here at Little Crater. During this conversation with "supervisor" Carol, she pointed at the Forest Service Pass hanging from our mirror and told us " technically I could write you up right now since your pass isn't valid. See right there? It says it is invalid without a signature." It wasn't until the next day that we discovered this isn't true. There is NO PLACE on the pass that says it isn't valid without a signature.  We're so disgusted with the aggressiveness, incompetence, harrassment & unmitigated campaign to ruin our vacation by these hosts, that we packed up and left camp a day early.  We couldn't leave this place soon enough for all the stress and anxiety these people have caused. At this point, after two years in a row with the increasing ineffective hosting we've experienced, we don't even know if we'll bother next year.

So much fun! We hiked about 8 miles round trip from our campground. It's a mostly flat hole that…read morefollows the beautiful shoreline. The hot springs are right on the shoreline and you can control the heat by digging into the sand and allowing lake water the flow in. What's better than sitting in a hot spring on the edge of a gorgeous lake!

The oath is well cleared so the walk is easy. It's about 100 paces from the parking lot to seeing…read morethe falls. And if you want to walk more it's a little less than half a mile to Paulina lake. Then you can go across the bridge and hike down the otherwise to see the falls from the other side. I don't think it actually loops all the way around unless you go even further.

Loved this spot! The falls were easy to get to. The upper view was an easy walk from the parking…read morelot. The lower view point required a little bit of hiking, but nothing strenuous. I would recommend some sneakers or hiking boots for the lower view.

These hot springs are located in East Lake in the Newberry National Monument. They are only…read moreaccessible by boat, though we found them by climbing down a cliff. We had no clue what we were doing and would never do that again as each of us got cut up pretty good on brush and rocks. Both of the lakes in the Paulina Crater have hot springs, and I have been to both. I would recommend checking out the Paulina Lake Hot Springs if you have to choose as there are about 10ish pools over there that are more pronounced. Though the springs at East Lake are more secluded and less busy. I really enjoy the springs at these lakes as there seems to be little to no nudity here. This makes me feel like less of a creep when I am trying to get some good nature shots. The springs at the east lake can be small and need a bit of digging out as they typically get washed out from what I hear. This combined with the fact that there seems to be some sulfur coming out making them a four-star location for me. Though it is a good reminder that this is no spa and mother nature is in charge when traveling to these natural springs. The view from the springs is amazing as you are located right on the rim of the lake. This makes temperature control pretty easy as you can allow some lake water to cool down the springs. Overall I would go back and would definitely recommend these hot springs when Paulina Lake Springs get too crowded. If you are on a boat on East Lake, you should check them out for sure!

What a great experience. The 7.5 mile loop hiking around this pristine lake is like no other! We…read morewent counter clockwise starting at the parking lot across the visitor center. No elevation change for the first 45-60 minutes. Then some elevation changes across the way near the "hot springs" to get over high grounds and cliff like walls near the lake. But what amazed us was the beautiful scenery 360 degrees around the lake, and the vast changes of the topography. We walk or hiked over grass, mulch, soft pathways, sand, soft beach like sands, small gravel, small rocks, hard and awkward pathways full of sharp little rocks buried in the way which could be a little trip hazards if you didn't pay attention, clay like dirt, and so on and so forth. We loved everything. We did explore the hot springs and it was busy, see the pictures, but was not so inviting for is really to take long break. Just dipped our feet and hands in them to get a feel for it. The drive up to the lake from Route 97 was 14 miles of easy black top paved path with moderate elevation. To top off our great hike around the lake, we drove our car up the decent gravel narrow windy road to an elevation of 7984 ft Paulina Peak an explored the beautiful views o both lakes - Paulina and East Lame. And in the distance you could also see Mt Bachelor, and the Sisters towering the western horizon. Highly recommend this place and plan to cone back to visit and climb up the crater hiking route!!!!

We visited loop 55 and it was absolutely breathtaking!!! In Mid august it's beautiful skies but a…read morebit windy which makes it chilly but over all love it and would love to come back in a RV and hike and not here. Plenty of campgrounds and very clean area.

Quite a stunning waterfall!…read more We wandered through much of Newberry Monument this weekend. It was a great time, as although some things aren't opened yet, most areas were and we were nearly alone at each stop. Paulina Falls is fabulous...it has height and a unique split stream that falls from separate sides. The surrounding forest is serene, and there's a decent amount of parking and a handful of picnic tables. There's a great trail back and forth to the lake, and a short zig zag trail down to the bottom for another great perspective. We really enjoyed the monument, and Paulina Falls was definitely a highlight!

Paulina falls is one of the best waterfalls in the Bend area. Also one of the easiest waterfalls to…read morewalk to. When in Newbury Volcanic National Forest., you definitely want to check this one out. From the parking lot, the upper falls viewing area is only .25 miles away. Of course you can continue walking upstream or downstream to see more! In mid May the stream of water coming down was impressive: so beautiful! Just be careful in winter time as there will be most likely snow, and even in springtime!

We were excited to complete the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway and visiting Tumalo Falls was our first…read morestop. We visited in late September and the temperature was pretty perfect. Be sure to arrive early to grab a good parking spot. The lot is small and fills up very quickly. Once parked, we walked up to the viewing area and took in these gorgeous falls. They are located within the Deschutes National Forest and the falls head over a cliff face of 97 feet. Tumalo Creek continues down the mountain. We followed the trail up further and discovered more waterfalls which I believe are called Middle Tumalo Falls. I believe we hiked a total of 4 miles and we really enjoyed hanging out here. I love and seek water hikes of all types and this one just kept providing us a good time. It was a great way to start our day and prepared us for a whole day of experiencing the beauty of Central Oregon. Always remember when visiting these natural areas to pack in/pack out and LEAVE NO TRACE.

Beautiful Falls. We went to Tumalo Falls and Deschutes National Forest with our family (locals) and…read moreloved it. We started our hike at the trailhead just steps from the parking lot. The path is well-maintained and leads directly Tumalo Falls. It is incredible and cascades from a height of 89 feet. So impressive. The sound and power of the Falls is such an outstanding sight. It took us 2 1/2 hours-but it was worth every view. See you next year!