Photos by Chris Thomas/The Olympian
Smith Rock State Park in Oregon offers experiences for many types of outdoor enthusiasts, from scenic nature trails to some of the world's most challenging rock climbing.

The Lava Lands Visitor Center near Bend is part of the Newberry National Volcanic Monument, where visitors can walk among ancient volcanic cinder cones.

Altitude adjustment

Hot activities await intrepid explorers in the high desert summer of Central Oregon

CHRIS THOMAS, THE OLYMPIAN

Central Oregon's status as year-round playground is no longer the secret it once was. With more people heading east across the Cascades to live and play in the high desert, the region's cities are among the Northwest's fastest-growing. But there is still plenty of space in Central Oregon for you to truly get away from it all, be it for one day or four weeks.

The city of Bend, now home to more than 50,000 people, has emerged as the region's business and recreation hub.

Pilot Butte, around which Bend has grown, rises 511 feet above the city. A popular 1-mile paved trail leads to the top of the volcanic cinder cone, offering views of the city and westward to the Cascades. Work is under way this summer on the scenic drive to the top of Pilot Butte, and the road may be closed at times.

While there's plenty of recreation, culture and shopping in Bend, the city also makes an ideal home base for explorations into the rest of Central Oregon -- where the landscape becomes more dramatic and people are outnumbered by sagebrush.

Lava lands

Central Oregon's volcanic heritage is most abundant south of Bend at the Newberry National Volcanic Monument.

More than 400 cinder cones dot the landscape across this monument of more than 50,000 acres.

At the Lava Lands Visitor Center, Lava Butte -- 500 feet above the surrounding area and with a 180-foot-wide crater -- is reachable by driving a controlled-access road (14 vehicles per half-hour) or by taking a shuttle bus up the road. A short, easy interpretive trail at the summit loops around the crater.

Lava River Cave is 1 mile south of the visitor center and offers hiking and tours into an ancient lava tunnel that stays a crisp 42 degrees year-round.

Smith Rock

Smith Rock State Park has grown into one of the world's most famous rock-climbing destinations. Rock faces reach as high as a breathtaking 550 feet above the Crooked River, drawing nearly 400,000 visitors a year to the park.

But you don't have to be a rock climber to enjoy the rugged beauty of Smith Rock. Hiking trails wind up and around the peaks; even on days when the park is crowded, solitude can be found along the moderate and difficult paths.

Be sure to wear sturdy hiking shoes, and bring plenty of water, even for a short hike. There are no services nearby, humidity is low, and temperatures often approach 100 degrees.

Crooked River Gorge

About half an hour north of Bend on U.S. Highway 97, a vista point at the Peter Skene Ogden Wayside offers a stunning look into a narrow 300-foot-deep gorge carved by the Crooked River.

One of the nation's highest rail bridges spans the river at this point, as does an old bridge for U.S. 97 and a dramatic new $18 million bridge that opened in 2000.

Dinner on the rails

For a different view of the high desert along with family entertainment, the Crooked River Railroad Company operates a dinner train that recaptures the essence of the Old West.

Depending on the trip you choose, the trip includes a murder mystery or a re-enactment of a train robbery -- one you can safely photograph.

To the east

If solitude remains elusive, head east from Bend along U.S. Highway 20, one of the nation's most remote stretches of major highway.

Only a couple of small settlements and the town of Burns break the loneliness of the 260 miles to Ontario near the Idaho state line.

Steens Mountain, 60 miles southeast of Burns via mostly unpaved roads, gently slopes to its 9,670-foot peak and then abruptly drops more than 5,000 feet to the east over the Alvord Desert.

Chris Thomas is news/presentation editor of The Olympian. He can be reached at 754-5446.

Shiver and sizzle

Thanks to its high elevation (3,623 feet) and arid climate (average 12 inches annual precipitation), Bend's summer temperatures range from chilly mornings to hot afternoons. Average July temperatures range from a low of 44 degrees to a high of 82 degrees. July's all-time records for Bend range from 27 degrees to 104 degrees.

From volcano to bridge

Source: U.S. Forest Service

In 1929, about 2,000 cubic yards of cinders from the east side of Lava Butte were trucked to Bend. From there, they were loaded into rail cars for shipment to Washington, where they were used to make concrete for a bridge deck across the Columbia River at Longview.

The Olympian Copyright 2001

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