The Lava lands visitor center has a small gift shop, staff out front with times for a guided tour, they have souvineer penny smasher and a small museum about the volcano and fossils. It also had the trail heads for the trail of the Molten lands, the trail of the whispering pines, the roadway up to lava butte, as well as information on the lava river tunnels, and other things in this portion of the park. read more

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Lava Lands is part of small cinder cones on the northwest side of Newberry Volcano, a massive shield volcano rises to the southeast. This region is characterized by extensive lava flows, including the 7,000-year-old flow from Lava Butte, a prominent cinder cone. How I like to see as much as possible is by mountain bike. From Lava Lands parking lot pick up the 4 mile fast flow furious fun single track for 4 miles curving through Ponderosa Pines following lava fields. Ride through the lava rock featuring panoramic views of snow capped mountains. At the end of Black Rock single track connect with the Deschutes River and ride along at least a mile to Benham Falls - so magnificent! Continue riding 5-10-XX more miles filling up your passion bucket in the natural wonders following and flowing with the Deschutes River. I fulled up my bucket for 20 miles - at time rivers flows with power and times as still as a lake. Let's go! Wherever the powerful river flows! Wherever the peaceful river goes! Many feel the pace only the river knows - as I did flow along by mountain bike! read more

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Fun place to stop and read about the volcanic activity that formed the area before heading out for a hike. They have water bottle refill fountains and full bathrooms for the kids. The lava hike is fun and not stroller friendly due to the narrow path and uneven surface. read more

Lava Lands Visitor Center - Lava field - Visitor Centers Near Me - Bend, Oregon

Fun and interesting park full of geological formations and features. The visitor center has some interesting artifacts and information about the land and people. It's $3 to shuttle to the top of the butte and back. You can bike from Sunriver and skip paying the parking fee. Bring a water bottle and change for the penny machine. Enjoy the volcanic scenery and don't forget the tree walk near the bike trails, has some great information and plenty of wildlife to spot. read more

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Highly recommend this as a first stop after entering the Newberry National Volcanic Monument. There's tons of useful information and rangers available for questions or suggestions. There are restrooms available (clean with flush toilets) as well as a gift shop and passport stamps. We enjoyed the informational placards and movies available. Their topographical maps are always interesting to look at. There's are hikes starting from the visitors center as well, including the Trail of the Whispering Pines. read more

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Nice visitor center with clean bathrooms and water refill. This was also the pick-up and disembark zone for the shutter service to the summit of Lava Butte. The cost was $3 per person. There was a nice area for the presentation regarding the park. Gift shop was nice. There were plenty of picnic tables and breaches for lunch. read more

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This is the home of the Newberry National Volcanic Monument. We waited at the gate, Well given a flyer and a time admission to the Butte and pointed in the direction of the lava fields. Behind the Lava Field was a spectacular view of the snow capped Cascades. This is one of the nation's newest national monuments, this 55,500 acre area seeks to preserve unique accessible volcanic features. Very knowledgeable park rangers small gift shop and clean bathrooms. A few displays a small lava field to work on and great views read more

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If you're in the Bend area, don't miss out on this awesome volcanic park! Try to budget at least an hour if you want to just check out the visitor center and walk the short trail on the lava bed towards a picturesque lookout of the miles and miles of lava flow. Check the website to see if any ranger talks or guided tours are of interest, and of course if you have a bit more time, also check out the huge lava cave/tube across the highway (you'll want at least 1-2 hours for that part alone). read more

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We learned all about volcanos! Interesting, informative, plus got to enjoy the views from the Top of Lava Butte. Worth a stop if you're in the area. Hiking trails around the rim at the top and also around the bottom. A shuttle takes you to the top for $2 each. read more

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Never been to a lava museum/monument before and this place was really cool. Stopped here before trying our luck at the Lava River Mines / Caves and glad we did. The museum is small but full of information of what transpired over the last 7K years to create all these lava rocks. You can also walk through the lava as there are multiple trails of various length (mileage) where you can see up close the remnants of the volcano. Very cool for young and old! read more

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Wow! Don't miss this gem if you are interested in visiting any of the lava attractions on the area. We stopped here by mistake because the lava caves parking lot (2 miles) down the street wasn't marked. They charge only $5 per car for the day and you get a map of all the different locations you can visit while everyone in the car is admitted for only that $5 parking cost. The visitors center have guided tours, exhibits, a store, and restrooms. What more can you ask for? The lava caves, just go right down the road for those. read more

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what does it feel like walking amongst lava fields that was formed 7000 years ago???? this is where you find out. The park is amazing with beautiful trails and they offer trips to the edge of the volcano with beautiful views of the surrounding mountains. Where ever you turn your faced with incredible rock formations and bits and pieces of twisted tree trunks. Fun seeing chipmunks peeking out at the visitors. The museum and staff have stories to share and gifts to purchase. The park has plenty of parking and very well laid out.. highly recommend a visit when in the area. read more

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We've lived in Bend for 14 years and Lava Butte is only about 15 miles east of us. Yet we had not visited there until this week when a friend from Arizona suggested we all go. Smart friend. Great place to explore. Spectacular volcanic outcroppings and mountain views and also trails of varying access and ease with lava caves in the mix too. OVERVIEW: The new Lava Lands visitor center, opened this year, is a good start point to gather info about the Newberry National Volcanic Monument, of which Lava Lands, Lava Butte, Lava River Cave are all a part. Those are the sites that are in the immediate area of the visitor center. Other points of interest in the Newberry National Monument area are roughly 25 miles south / southeast of the Lava Lands visitor center. They include Paulina Falls, Peak and Lake and also the Big Obsidian flow. If you're planning to visit those too, you'll want to make a full day of the exploration. We had a few hours to spare, so we limited our exploration to the visitor center and the sights immediately adjacent; Lava Butte and the Molten Lava Trail. The Lava River Cave is also in this same area and would have been an easy inclusion, but not a place the claustrophobic members of our merry band were inclined to want to visit. (Here's are tips if you do want to the lava cave; the surrounding area is warm, the cave is cold, take a warm jacket, wear study shoes, and you'll be required to carry two light sources with you.) VISITOR CENTER: Great facility with exhibits, information on the Newberry National Monument area, a spectacular view of the Cascade mountains looking across the lava flow from the patio at the back, and jumping off point to a couple of paved trails; Whispering Pines and Molten Lava. More good news, the new visitor center has added large bathrooms with flush toilets and running water. Rangers working at the visitor center were most helpful in providing additional information on the area.More good news is the entire facility, from parking lot through all elements are equally accessible to people of all ages and physical abilities. There is a $5 fee (as alternative National Park passes are honored) to enter the Visitor Center area which is the jump off point to access the Lava Butte cinder cone. LAVA BUTTE: . A short drive up an 8% grade cinder road, during busy times you'll be assigned a 30 minute visit interval so that the limited parking and space at the top of the Butte can accommodate the visitors there. (As example, we arrived at the visitor center gate at 10:45 a and were assigned a start time of 11:15 a for the drive up and a return time of no later than 11:45a.) There is a paved parking lot (with one accessible parking stall) at the top and a steep paved trail to the very top of the Butte and the old fire lookout there. Folks with small children in tow may find it helpful to know that there are NOT railings all the way around the top. Also accessible from the parking lot is a roughly mile, steep cinder topped trail that loops around the Butte. Even if you decide not to brave either trail, the views from the parking level are amazing. MOLTEN LANDS TRAIL: Trails immediately adjacent to visitor include Whispering Pines and Molten Lands. Both are paved, with the former being more level and in better repair and the latter being more steep and with some divots in the asphalt. (People who push strollers or use wheelchairs, as I do on trails, will know why that latter bit of info is important. ;-) ) We had time for only one trail and selected Molten Lands, which takes anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes to complete based on how much one wants to speed walk or saunter and gawk. OTHER TIPS: a) Right outside the entrance to the Lava Lands Visitor Center you'll find a drivable access road that is about 4 miles long and takes you to Benham Falls. Another beautiful place to visit. b) Road changes off of Highway 97 that are intended to make entry in and access out of the Lava Lands area easier were supposed to be completed by July 2011 but were still a work in progress as of last week. As a result, you can expect to have to make a significant detour if you're trying to access Lava Lands coming from the south or if you are trying to exit to the north after leaving Lava Butte. read more

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This is one of two visitor centers for the Newberry National Volcanic Monument (the other is the Paulina center over by Newberry caldera - open seasonally). Lava Lands Visitor Center has a good museum with a lot of information on volcanoes. Helpful folks here. The volcanic monument itself has a separate Yelp page: https://www.yelp.com/biz/newberry-national-volcanic-monument-bend read more

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This is an incredible area to walk trails and then drive 5 minutes down the road to the lava cave. The park rangers were incredibly friendly and helpful. Make sure to schedule a time to drive to the top of the crater, as it is a steep dirt road up to the top and not the most "hiking" friendly as there is no side path or sidewalk. It was a great visit and it was included under our "America the Beautiful" pass, so there was no entry fee. read more

Lava Lands Visitor Center - Entrance to Lava Lands Visitor Center. - Visitor Centers Near Me - Bend, Oregon

On Memorial Day weekend Steve and I made a journey to Bend, OR to take in some sites and of course hit up at the local craft breweries. We realized pretty quick that multiple return trips are going to be required before we get the sense that we have seen everything that there is to see here. One place that we did manage to go to was the Newberry National Monument which is relatively close to Bend. We did some hiking along the Deschutes river and then went back to the actual visitor center and hiked around on a paved path in the lava field which was really cool! the hike through the lava field is quite manageable for most people. There is also a cave which is a lava tube but I did not go down in that because I hiked around in lava tubes before with the Ape Caves in Washington state and they are often quite cold to go through and it isn't always easy going with a flash light and a bunch of rock to step over all over the floor. I inquired if this cave was the same thing as a lava tube with someone that worked at the visitor center and she confirmed that it was. She also said that it is a type of thing where if you have been to one then it's more or less the same as any other. There is also the Lava Butte. At first I was confused if you could drive your own car up the butte or not. It turns out you need to take a shuttle up the butte in order to see it. You can also walk up the butte but on a hot day the lava rock gets very hot which in turn gets you very hot so if you choose to do this you should bring lots of water with you. The entrance fee into the park is $5 and if you want to go up in the shuttle it is $2 for round trip. For a National monument I think these are very reasonable rates and well worth your money. read more

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The visitors center is a logical first stop for anyone planning on visiting the Newberry Volcanic Monument. There are numerous informative exhibits including a 3-D topographical map plus a variety of movies. 2 trails originate at visitor center plus there are ranger led programs that should appeal to almost everyone. We took the shuttle that runs in high season every 20 minutes to Lava Butte which is breathtaking, both the trip up the gravel road and view from the rim of the butte. The cost of the shuttle is a mere $2, but exact change is required. read more

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The oldest kiddo really enjoyed the paved paths through the Deschutes National Forest Lava Lands. The path is paved but uneven and with some steep grade areas. The area is home to many ground squirrels and small lizards and a great Junior Ranger program. https://www.threegirlsfourtires.com/home/juliaclarklavalands read more

We enjoyed this very much. We did the lava tube hike which is a mile in and a mile out. It's pretty dark in there so you can either rent a lamp or bring your own. My hubby and i brought our own headlamps and we did just fine. The walking service isnt always flight so be careful and at times you have to duck to keep from hitting your head. You'll know you reach the end because you'll reach a sign that tells you you can't go further. The only thing I would say when hiking this is that be courteous to other hikers who have been waiting to get by. We had various other hikers keep going past us where it was too narrow for more than one person to go by. People let's be fair. Oh and now that I mention it, keep your flashlights out of people's eyes! Sadly, it wasn't just children who were doing this- adults too. The entrance fee is $5 or free with an interagency pass (and you can get into other areas now free within the park). It is a tad cooler so bring a sweater, although you will be sweating on your way back. And bring sneakers that you haven't used to hike in other caves- they are very protective of the bats and don't want to pass on any bad mojo from other caves. After the lava tube we went to the visitor center. We showed our interagency pass and got in free, otherwise I think you show your receipt from the lava tube or pay there. It was clean and they played some video for people to watch along with other historical information. We were not able to do the shuttle to the top of the butte because we did not have cash. They do not have an ATM machine anywhere near the facility and they do not accept cards. So get your $2 per person cash before you come. I was bummed out we didn't get to do this but the park ranger encouraged us to do the small hike just outside the visitor center that takes you up to a pretty cool scenic spot. You hike through the lava rubble, everything is paved and relatively flat but there is some incline. You can get some pretty pictures of the different terrain as well as the mountain skyline. Anyhow, it's worth a stop if you've never been here before. read more

Lava Lands Visitor Center - Hike - Visitor Centers Near Me - Bend, Oregon

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Beautiful place, super friendly ranger at the guard house that happily gave us directions and suggestion for the lava cave. We saw the beautiful lava cave and reviewers are right. Dress warmly and bring your own light is the way to go. It was amazing inside they preserved as much of the cave naturally as possible. No paved paths or artificial lighting to spoil the experience. Gotta wear good shoes when you get in, it's slippery. Would love to come back to see the center and hike up the crater next time. There's also a new bike path in the area that connects to sunriver and tumalo. Definitely need to check it out. read more

Lava Lands Visitor Center - Entrance to lava tube - Visitor Centers Near Me - Bend, Oregon

We stopped here two times. The first time there was smoke in the air from forest fires,, but we still took the narrow road up to Lava Butte. You have to get a free ticket at the guard shack to take this drive, since the parking spaces are limited. It was still worth driving up there, even with the views obscured by smoke. The second stop we took the Trail of Molten Land up into the lava fields and also went in and viewed the exhibits in the visitors center. All of it was well worth our time. read more

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You'll see it from highway 97: a dark brown anthill stretching high above the ground. It is a classic butte: an isolated hill with steep sides and a flat top that is similar to but narrower than a mesa. When you turn in at the Lava Lands National Monument entrance, you can go straight through the booth ($5 parking paid to the attendant) and on to the visitor center parking lot, or you can turn left and drive 4 miles to the volcanic cave. The visitor center itself is nice (note: closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays!), with a table-top model of the area, restrooms, and small gift shop. Ask the cute ranger about how the butte was formed (it was not an eruption of a volcano per se, rather an eruption of lava flowing from the Newberry volcano at Paulina that traveled under the surface then pushed up here and there)(at least that was my takeaway--the ranger will probably correct that description). Lava butte: Bring a hat and sunnies! You can take a shuttle the 2 miles up the lava butte for $2 (*bring exact change*). At the top is a smallish viewing room with windows all around, plus a path that circles the peak of the butte. Make sure and walk the path, which is short with incredible views of the peculiar terrain below. We shuttled up and walked down--the path is the same as the drive up, not an interesting hike, so the shuttle is the way to go when it's hot out. Lava cave: Pay for your parking and lantern(s) at the kiosk. Two of us shared a lantern; next time we'll each get our own. Lanterns are $5 and *much much* better than the cell phone flashlights I some people stumbling around and using! This is a do-it-once cave; totally cool to walk through a lava tube, but none of the cool structures (stalagmites, e.g.) that a non-lava cave has. Great option for a hot day in Bend, the cave is quite cold--I had on leggings, a couple of layered shirts, thin jacket, and light gloves, and I was very comfy. read more

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We finally visited this yesterday. It was cold and I'm glad I overdressed the kids. We actually made it the whole way with a 3 and 6 year old. Make sure to rent a light and stop and enjoy natures beauty. The signs explaining the geography we great as this is a self guided tour read more

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Lava Lands and all the attractions you want to explore in the Newberry National Park (including the Lava Butte, Lava Caves, etc. are actually pretty accessible if you search it up correctly on Google Maps. Unfortunately we screwed up and looked up the wrong path to the Volcanic monument. Save yourself the trouble, don't be like us, and just look up the Visitor Center. We ended up driving through the entire park to get lost and find nothing. Long story short, the park is pretty cool, but scary to drive though on 2 wheel drive. Anyway, we were able to at least explore the River Lava Cave, a 2 mile loop into the Oregon Caves. Pretty much imagine yourself as part of the Fellowship in the deep Mines of Moria. It's extremely cold, there's no light, and there could be creatures in the dark. Just kidding, the mines (i mean caves) were okay to explore, but weren't that exciting. It's worth one trip down, but you'll realize that you won't find much. There obviously are not any bats and you'll mostly be look around at the same cave formations. That said, parking is like $5 for a day pass and $5 for lanterns. You NEED to use light and not just your phone light. You need something concentrated otherwise you'll trip and fall. Props to the park to have something like this. I wouldn't come again, but it was worth one visit. Watch your step and prosper, read more

Lava Lands Visitor Center - Can't see anything... - Visitor Centers Near Me - Bend, Oregon

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Lava Lands is great and all the other reviews are true. However I just want to point out the Visitor Center's wonky hours. You can still hike the crater when the Visitor Center is closed. You just can't go in and see the exhibits. I learned this the hard way when visiting on a Tuesday. Check the dates on their website before driving 15 miles. According to their current website (9 am - 5 pm): May 1 - June 9, Thursday - Monday June 12 - September 1, Open Daily September 4 - 29, Thursday - Monday October 4 - 12, Weekends Only October 13th, then CLOSED to the public for the Season read more

Lava Lands Visitor Center - Visitor Centers Near Me - Bend, Oregon

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BRRRRRRRRRR! This cave is pretty neat if you are into this sort of thing. It's really cold, so I suggest that you take your jacket. Yeah, I know--some of you tough guys will do without, but you'll suffer. DON'T wear flip flops. While it's 9 million degrees in Bend in summer, you'll kill yourself inside the cave where there are many ice deposits. I would not suggest this place for toddlers. On my last rek here, some jerk thought it was wise to bring a 3 year old girl in with him, and she could heard screaming at the top of her lungs from deep within the cave. The only thing I'm not keen on here is that you have to rent their lanterns and they only have so many. There's no time limit on them, so some people could spend 8 hours in the cave if the wanted to [die]. Just get here early if you can. read more

Due to high demand and small parking area, you often need to check in and get a time slot to drive up the cinder cone. On a clear day you can see all the way to Mt St Helens in Washington! While you wait, definitely check out the NEW (2011) visitor center-- now open with geologic history of the area. Great gift shop. A short hike through lava flow is interesting, especially AFTER seeing the video on the visitor center. Lava tubes hike a must-see (once) and a great respite on hot summer days but YES take a jacket. You can use your own flashlight! If you have time, cross Hwy 97 and head waaay up to Newberry Caldera for the best view around! You can drive to the top where there's a lake and lodge. Kinda like a mini Crater Lake. Obsidian flow is amazing. A super short alternative is Pilot Butte in Bend city limits. Drive or hike to top. read more

The lava lands were great to explore- really majestic and surreal seeing piles upon piles of lava rocks, big and small. We didn't hike clear to the top, but the sight is breathtaking everywhere. The Lava Cave was interesting. It was cool to do, but I don't think I'd do it again. You have to use theirs (or approved) lantern or a flashlight. It's about 45 degrees in there, so bundle up. It's a mile hike- to the other end and back again. Also be aware that the claustrophobic will have trouble with some parts of this cave as it gets quite narrow. It's hard to see, and many parts are very rocky and unstable, but there are stairs here and there. We made it almost to the end, but James' girls were ready to head back. Oh, and I probably had about 10 drops of water hit me too. read more

Okay, this place is pretty cool. We ventured here on our way home from Crater Lake. It was not an anticipated stop, but I'm glad that we did. Having lived in Bend for 7 years now, this place is 20 minutes from home. Who knew? We only checked out the cave. $5 for a lantern, it's pitch black in there. They suggest one lantern for two people. We did one lantern for 4 and then used our phone flashlights. Next time (and yes, there will be a next time) we will get four lanterns. You descend into the lava cave, metal stairs and path for maybe the first 50 yards and then you are walking on the cave floor. The terrain can be a little tricky, hence the need for more lanterns. AND, it's cold down there. I was wearing a tank top and about five minutes into the walk I wished I had worn my sweatshirt. It's pretty darn amazing, 50 feet below the earth's surface, cold, damp and dark. Not scary, but certainly intriguing. We walked about half way through the tube before turning around (because we were freezing). They recommend that you allow yourself an hour in the tube. Guided tours are available and they recommend you make a reservation. An interesting place to bring the family. Bring a picnic, lots of venues with picnic tables for you to enjoy a little lunch before making the trek into the tube. A park pass is also needed, if you don't have one, then you pay $5 at the gate. read more

Newberry Crater/Lava Lands is a spectacular getaway in Central Oregon. Newberry Crater was formed by similar forces to Crater Lake (in fact, it has two crater lakes), albeit in not the same elegant way. Crater Lake is elegant, with its azure pool, while Newberry Crater has a vast lava field, a petrified forest, it's more rustic. Not all volcanoes erupt neatly. It's a wonderful drive to the top with amazing views. One can see the rest of the Cascades. One can feel the Earth move under your feet, it's that incredible. read more

Lava River Cave was an unexpected and somewhat interesting stop on our way home. 1 - It's REALLY easy to get to; easy parking, short walk. 2 - It's dark; REALLY dark. A cell phone's LED light is almost worthless. (The information shack rents powerful LED flashlights.) 3 - It's cold, a steady 42' year round. Even if you just walk in the first 100 feet or so, you'll get a good feel for the cave's features. To me, this is worth the stop (if you're driving by) simply for the unique experience. read more

Could not get easier to get around. Beautiful scenery, easy access. Clean restrooms. Friendly worker. Love supporting tourist attractions =) read more

We found two main features at this park we found appealing: the lava tube and the Lava Butte. The lava tube is quite cool [literally] to experience. Although many people had flashlights, I found the experience with a the gas lantern to be more interesting. It gave me that feeling of exploring in times past and allowed many eerie shadows to bounce on the walls and ceiling of the cave. Warm clothing is essential; a sweatshirt with hood will do. There are numerous steps, slippery rocks, and unexpected bulges in the ground that necessitate at least tennis shoes. Although it is dark, there are cool photos to be had with a flash. Just wait until other visitors are out of range so you don't temporarily blind them. The Lava Butte was also a neat experience. It's a steep drive, but any vehicle can handle it. The road is excellent quality. The view from the top is amazing. You have a 360 degree view of the surrounding areas and a camera is essential. There is a steep walkway from the small parking lot to the wildfire lookout where the best views are, but most people will be fine. read more

Initially visited on a weekend and the parking lot was full, people were parking all along the main street. Wanted a dark, uncrowded lava tube so I left and came back on a weekday. Felt like we had the whole place to ourselves. Rented a lantern for 5 bucks. Toddler loved it. Took my 5 dollar day pass over to Tumalo Falls after, treated it as a free add on! Good day! read more

Lava Lands Visitor Center - The entrance - Visitor Centers Near Me - Bend, Oregon

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Loved it! Worth the five bucks to see the lava fields and the Benham falls. Very well kept national park. Clean ladies room.

Unfortunately the Visitor Center was closed during our visit and it was very snowy, but we snuck through anyway and are glad we did! The Lava Butte lava fields were pretty cool! Got some great pictures and made a great memory. read more

We had no idea that anything this big, this fabulous, could be found in Sun River. Wandered over to the visitors center, watched the movie and took a good look at the relief map and artifacts finally realizing that this one grand park was equal in size to Rhode Island! Smart Rangers could field any question tossed their way, and always with great care and respect. We felt welcome everywhere we went, always greeted by a Ranger and engaged in meaningful conversation. One Ranger, Christina, was so enthusiastic that she just made you want to learn more. This was the best field trip" that we have been on in years! Allow several days to see it all as this is not a place that can be rushed through in a few hours. Pack a lunch and remember your sunscreen- nothing close by for supplies. Absolutely a great find! read more

Epic awesome time and fabulous activity for the whole family ... Bring a jacket and good shoes !!! read more

Lava Lands Visitor Center - Fun, fun, fun!! - Visitor Centers Near Me - Bend, Oregon

Very unexpected, we were on our way to crater lake and saw this place. Very cool and interesting place. Well worth the time to stop. Dried lava as far as the eye can see. read more

Lava Lands Visitor Center - Visitor Centers Near Me - Bend, Oregon

One of our favorite national monuments. Great selection of merchandise. Good quality. Park rangers were very helpful with the kids and obtaining their junior ranger badges. read more