Newberry National Volcanic Monument

You can’t visit the Cascade Mountains without paying homage to the volcanoes, active and inactive, that make up the mountain chain from British Columbia south to northern California. Newberry Volcano is only one of many, but the national park is so well done that it’s worth your while to stop in here to learn a bit about the entire mountain range. Not only does the Lava Lands Visitor Center have an incredible display describing the Cascadia Subduction Zone that causes all this volcanic activity, but the grounds, which cover 50,000 acres, encompass the volcano, two volcanic alpine lakes, cinder cones, both obsidian and basaltic lava flows, and the longest lava tube (one mile) in Oregon, and miles of hiking trails to explore. Love this park! Just wish we hadn’t arrived so late in the day. It’s worth a full day of hiking and exploration.