Newberry National Volcanic Monument
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| Newberry National Volcanic Monument | |
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| IUCN Category III (Natural Monument) | |
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| Location | Deschutes County, Oregon, USA |
| Nearest city | Bend, OR |
| Coordinates | |
| Area | 55,500 acres (224 km²) |
| Established | November, 1990 |
| Governing body | U.S. Forest Service |
Newberry National Volcanic Monument was designated in November 1990 to protect the area around the Newberry Volcano in the United States. It includes 50,000+ acres (200 km²) of lakes, lava flows, and spectacular geologic features in central Oregon. The highest point within the Monument is the summit Paulina Peak 7,985 ft, (2,434 m), with views of the Oregon Cascades and the high desert.
Paulina Peak may be accessed by road during the summer months, and as the road is both steep and rough, with hairpin turns towards the summit, trailers or long vehicles are discouraged. The summit area of Newberry Volcano holds two alpine lakes full of trout, East Lake and Paulina Lake.
The park is also home to Lava River Cave, Oregon's longest known lava tube, just south of Bend. The cave is easily accessed by U.S. Highway 97 and may be explored by lantern.[1]
Lava Butte, a 500-foot cinder cone, is located next to U.S. Highway 97 south of Bend, next to the Lava Lands Visitor Center. The visitor center is under renovation, and is open during the summer until 5:00pm.
The monument also features a Lava Cast Forest, which is accessable via a 9 mile dirt road from U.S. Highway 97.
The Big Obsidian Flow, created 1,300 years ago, covers 700 acres. The black, shiny obsidian field, is easily accessible from good roads within the caldera, or a trail that traverses the flow.
Points of interest in the Monument include Benham Falls, Big Obsidian Flow, East Lake, Lava Butte, Lava Cast Forest, Lava River Cave, Newberry Caldera, Paulina Creek Falls, Paulina Lake, and Paulina Peak.
The monument was created within the boundaries of the Deschutes National Forest and is managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
[edit] References
- ^ Lava River Cave from NWsource.com
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon/newberrynvm/general.shtml http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon/newberrynvm/index.shtml http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon/newberrynvm/lavalands.shtml
[edit] External links
[edit] See also
List of National Monuments of the United States
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