The Lava lands visitor center has a small gift shop, staff out front with times for a guided tour,…read morethey 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.

Lava Lands is part of small cinder cones on the northwest side of Newberry Volcano, a massive…read moreshield 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!

Lava Butte sits above the trail of the molten lands. It is home to one of the first fire watch…read moretowers in the area and has a rim trail that circles the edge of the crater. It is a steep hike up to the fire watch tower and has an information center under neath the tower with information and history. There is a nice pathway. We were unable to do the rim trail as there was a huge lightning storm coming in. From the top you can see lava rock for miles from the eruption thousands of years ago.

This short 15-minute loop trail is located on the summit of Lava Butte. The 360-degree view of the…read moresurrounding countryside side was grand. It was worth the $3 shutter price to get to the summit. The active fire lookout station was closed to visitors.

One of my favorite short hikes that my family and I have enjoyed for decades. Stunning views, safe…read moretrails, lots of hikers and cyclists, I feel safe here. One can make this a long hike, but I limit my hikes to an hour round trip--Benham Falls is the perfect weekend hike.

Beautiful falls and area to hike and bike. Porta potties at parking sight. Was not very busy. Road…read moreis bumpy and dusty. Trail to falls was nice, clean and easy to walk. Map of area located in the parking area. Had picnic tables on area and wonderful sound of the falls in the background. Recommend SUV or 4x4 due to pot holes. Would love to return.

Ha! The Central Oregon Visitors Association advertises this place as a 'Welcome Center'. Yeah,…read moreright. I made a variety of stops during a recent trip to central Oregon and this place easily gets the prize for being the worst by far - all because of the one snooty woman working there. The place itself is just what you'd expect, a lot of helpful brochures with information not just about Sunriver, but for things to see and do in the broader area. The space is clean, decent sized and well organized, and restrooms are just outside but in the same building. For a place like this you also expect friendly staff. Sadly, that's not the case here. When I walked in, the woman was helping a couple right near the entrance. She didn't acknowledge my presence when I walked in or at any time during the probably 5 minutes I was there browsing. Not a smile, nod, any sort of eye contact, comment that she'd be with me shortly... Nothing. To her, I was invisible and not even there. The place isn't *that* big and there were only 2 other people there - the 2 she was helping. Think of the space as being the size of a large living room, and I looked at all the brochure racks in the place, so yeah, she knew I was there. Not to stereotype, but looking at her then looking at the people she was helping, I'd bet that the more affluent you appear, the better service you will receive by this woman that is supposedly there to help everyone. IOW, if you don't look like you live in a gated community, go in and get your brochures then ask Google what more you should know. Conversely, the La Pine Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center is a WONDERFUL place to stop and chat and learn more about what you should know about the area. The woman who helped me there asked which direction I was headed and what I liked to do and then recommended a stop that I thoroughly enjoyed but wouldn't have known about if it weren't for her. So yeah, if you just want printed material to read on your own later, go here. If you want to talk to real locals that want to help you to enjoy your stay, go to the Visitors Center in La Pine.

I went into the C.O. Visitors Assoc. looking for ideas to entertain out of town guests. The young…read morelady that helped me was superb, knowledgeable, patient and friendly. She was able to winnow through the myriads of brochures to find the things that would be most appropriate for us to do. To me she was the penultimate representative of C.O. They have considerable information and resources available so that all of C.O. can be enjoyed and explored.

So glad we visited. Stunning vista and intriguing rock formations! Even the drive in was a feast…read morefor the eyes.

Fantastic views. Easy hike, paved road. Parking is available. Clean restroom. Cute complimentary…read morerock climbing for kids.

Beautiful place Lovely hike…read morePlenty of parking Quick wrkout Scenic Popular Would recommend Go enjoy! :)

The views from the top are unmatched! You can see the entire valley, and luckily on this clear day…read moreall of the mountains too!! We did the dirt trail and though there were parts that were steep, it was fairly easy to navigate in just our regular sneakers & jeans. There were lots of people trail running, many walking the paved path, it was such a fun way to get a look at the city.

So worth the hour us drive from Redmond! I highly recommend experiencing the beauty of the area!read more

A serene and beautiful area with a 50 million year well-documented fossil history. There are 3…read moreunits, each over an hour from the others, so you need at least two full days to see them. Beautiful picnic grounds at Painted Hills, amazing visitors center at Sheep Rock.

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.

Absolutely love this camp ground. Best to go midweek if you like the serene campground vibe. Been…read morecoming here for many years & have noticed a big difference as the trees around campground are dead, I think a beetle is killing valuable trees that provide most needed shade during the warm summers besides it looking sad without the greenery. The lake is slowly growing some sort of algae, I'm not a scientist so don't know the scientific name. Yet there are plenty of areas that are free of it & yet so stunning you can see the fish in the water, it's that clear & so very refreshing to take a dip in. The 7 1/2 mile hike is spectacular, picturesque at its best that pics don't do justice. With the lodge at about the half way point. Talk plenty of water should you decide to hike as it's worth the breath taking views. The caveat.. mosquito's lots of mosquitoes on the low spots of the marshy lake so be prepared with repellent. There's also hot springs! You can get there by hiking in, paddle boarding & kayaking. It's well signed if you decide to detour during the hike. It's also a popular spot for fishing so be prepared when campers or locals start their engines at o dark thirty. It isn't much of a problem because it's so darn relaxing you could take a nap midday if that's what you choose to do. New Berry National volcanic monument is nearby for an outing but be prepared as it's a rough ride but the sights are spectacular! So if you want to check out with very limited cell service, breath in that lake fresh air, get some exercise & have Bend, Sisters nearby than this is your campground. No power or water connections for RVs. We took our kayaks & paddle board & always have a spectacular time.

Paulina Lake is on many lists of "best lakes in Oregon". And for good reason: not only is it a…read moredownright gorgeous lake, but it and neighboring East Lake are inside a dormant volcano. So there are a few extra options in the immediate area. The Paulina Lake Campground is the first campground you come to when entering the Newberry National Volcanic Monument. It's a good sized camp on the lake. Within walking distance are the trail that goes around the lake, two boat ramps, twin waterfalls, visitor center, and a lodge where you can rent boats and eat grub. I needed to walk only a few hundred feet to find a hidden cove to relax. So far, so good. So why only 3 stars? Two reasons: * Although there are lots of trees around, there is lots of open space in many campsites. It gets warm here, so that can get uncomfortable in mid-afternoon. * Mosquitos. Lots of them. I went to the store at East Lake, and the woman at the counter said "Paulina Lake has lots of mosquitos. We don't have that problem at East Lake." Not a campground to avoid at all. But if you're in a situation where you can be choosy, then choose carefully. And if you drive a few more miles, you arrive at Little Crater campground, where every spot is either lakeside or lakeview.

I love the Painted Hills and have been here often, both on my own and with my family…read more This location is absolutely gorgeous and so far away from any modern city that it makes it an incredible day trip or even an overnight camping destination (at approved campground areas, of course). There are several scenic locations mapped out for small, short hikes, as well as some longer hiking options. One area has a raised bed of wooden planks that allows you to walk over the hills, ensuring that none of the soil is disturbed. The colours on these hills is glorious and the markers read an incredible story about how the earth around the area developed the way that it did. On top of that, the wildlife viewing is absolutely incredible and the silence is stunning, when no one else is around. I've been there in high heat as well as summer squalls and I've always been impressed and awed by the sight. Because of the distance to here from any major urban location, it's pretty likely that anyone you run into here is dedicated to coming to this one place. That makes for a remarkably respectful and appreciative community of people out to experience the same thing you are. This place isn't overrun with screaming tourists and gaggles of busses, overloading the area and throwing garbage everywhere. It's about a two hour drive from Bend to get here and worth every minute of it. Food options are limited in the area. Mitchell, OR is nearby and I have to say; the town is really leaning into being a stop for those visiting the Painted Hills. There's a few places there to check in at, but not a lot of options. The real splendor of coming here is the quiet and isolation that's so hard to find anymore in our crowded area. The rangers who keep this place up to snuff do an incredible job, as well, and deserve a lot of credit for this beautiful location. Definitely a great location in eastern Oregon.

The Painted Hills Unit of the John Day National Monument was indeed a very scenic and beautiful…read moresight seeing stop as we were in the Bend, Oregon area. After seeing Yelp entries I am kind of kicking myself for not proceeding to the Painted Cove area as the walk through there looks amazing. We just stopped at the main Painted Hills and did not proceed further. But what we saw was beautiful. With the three primary colors of yellow, red and black you can see the layers of these colors in the Hills. The texture of the Hills are amazing too. And I suppose depending on the angle of the sun enhances these textures as far as appearance goes. You can see little trails all through these Hills and at first I thought they were hiking trails for people but they are indeed wildlife trails and people are to not go on them. There are signs all over that go into the history here and it is both fascinating and beautiful. We were here mid-morning but I am told the colors really get enhanced at sunrise or sunset.