A Delightful Triple Treat: Paulina Lake, Big Obsidian Flow, and Paulina Falls - Wednesday, September 13, 2023

Central Oregon in the late summer is a captivating place. Most tourists have headed home, the temperatures have moderated into the 70s and low 80s, and the scenery is high desert with mountains: Mount Bachelor, the Three Sisters, Broken Top, Three-Fingered Jack, and Black Butte. In addition, the Columbia River Volkssport Association puts on a three-day walking weekend every other year.

Bob and I arrived Monday, September 11, at Tumalo State Park in Bend, Oregon, where we camped in our 5th wheel. The walking event did not start until Friday night, Sept. 13, with a Dessert Meet 'n' Greet.

Our site in Tumalo State Park. It took
some maneuvering to get into this spot!

Since the walking event hadn't started yet, we didn't have written directions for the walk we wanted to do: Paulina Lake. How hard could it be? Basically, we had to walk the trail around the entire lake. We would add the Big Obsidian Flow and Paulina Falls Trails at the end of the day.

First, a brief description of the area we're hiking in today. Newberry Caldera in central Oregon contains the crystal clear East Lake and Paulina Lake and several lava flows. Big Obsidian Flow stretches just over a square mile and formed just 1,300 years ago, making it Newberry's youngest lava flow. Paulina Falls spills over the lowest point of Newberry Caldera, plummeting 80 ft. in twin waterfalls.

The weather today was splendid. We didn't start the walk until 11:30 a.m. and the temperature was 74 degrees.

A "trick" to doing this walk, according to the Newberry National Volcanic Monument newsletter, is to do it counter-clockwise around the lake. We decided to take that advice.

Our first view of Paulina Lake was from the bridge
near the marina.

We weren't sure where to park because we didn't have the directions. Originally, we parked on the dirt shoulder near the turn to the marina and resort. After we walked a short distance on the trail, we saw a big lot with restrooms. Bob said he'd feel better parking in the big lot. He moved the truck. 

There is a boat ramp and campground. In season, the Visitor Center is open. It was after Labor Day and the Visitor Center was closed, so it seemed the "season" was over.

The trail was well-marked. We found the trailhead sign and headed out counter-clockwise. Immediately, we were in shady, fragrant Ponderosa pine woods. The trail was level, but there were a few roots and rocks scattered around. We had our hiking poles and boots for later in the hike when we would encounter obsidian rocks on the trail.

Being a 70-year-old woman, I was pleasantly surprised that there were restrooms about every mile on the first third of the trail. There were campgrounds and picnic areas, too. 

Good signage around the lake.

Who lives here?

The trail looked mostly like this.

Every once in a while, we would come out of the forest for lake views. 

Paulina Lake is in a volcanic caldera.

Bob enjoyed the view of Paulina Lake.

There were a number of fishermen out today.

Bob found a nice log to enjoy the view
and have a snack. 

Bob just finished testing the water 
temperature. He declared it "not cold."

The beach paralleled the trail. I liked walking on the soft pea gravel next to the water.

              

                                                                                                                             

Our hiking boots are at the
water's edge at Paulina Lake.

We walked through Little Crater Campground at the end of the road. Many of the sites were pull-throughs with lovely views of the lake. There are no hookups at this campground, but water spigots are available (water is available through September). I didn't notice if there was a dump station. If we were into dry camping, we would spend a lot of time here if we could get a spot. Most sites were reserved (even the week after Labor Day). 

If you're hiking around the lake counter-clockwise this is your last chance for restrooms. As we left the campground, we met a lady who asked if we were going to the hot springs. We said we were. She told us the first hot spring we came to when we got to the grassy hot spring area was NOT clothing optional. The clothing-optional springs were farther along the trail. Because we saw the sign below, we thought we were close to the hot springs. Not! 

Hot springs rules.

This was a junction. We stayed on the
Lakeshore Loop Trail.

Beautiful clear teal water. You can see the
trail along the lakeshore here.

We kept hiking and hiking, thinking we'd soon be at the hot springs. Rocks and obsidian littered the trail around this side of the lake. It's good we had our hiking boots and were using walking sticks! This side of the lake was more exposed to the sun. 

Yes, the moss is THAT green!

I am at the top of the knoll next to
the log in the previous photo.

The hike has some surprises left. First, is the obsidian flow; second, the hot springs; and third, the steep cinder scree slope. 

Do not remove the obsidian!

We are now hiking through the obsidian flow.

We are happy to have our poles with us.

This uprooted tree is its own art form.

Obsidian glass. You'll learn more about the
glass and Obsidian Flow after we finish this hike.

A butterfly stopped for a drink.

The trail continued around the lake and we started seeing a lot of grasses between the trail and the lake. It was time to look for the hot springs. The lady we met told us it was at one of the first side trails once we got to the grassy area. Sure enough, on the second side trail we took, we could see some branches making what looked like benches. I walked over and looked at the pool. It was horrible, filled with clumps of green algae. I told Bob I wasn't putting my feet in that water. 

Bob said, "What about that pool?" (indicating a second, crystal clear hot springs pool next to it). That was more like it!

We were thrilled to take our boots off
and let our feet soak in the warm water!

What a treat! The water was nice.

Ahhhhh!

This is the best spot we've ever taken
a photo of our feet. Very enjoyable place.

A nice sandy area for our belongings.

We relaxed here for a half hour, ate our snacks, and then reluctantly put our boots back on. I'd say we were maybe halfway around the lake. As we finished, a family arrived. We had to coax the adults to take off their shoes and enjoy the water. The kid didn't need any coaxing!

Our replacements at the hot springs pool.

After we finished at the hot springs, Bob said he was going to walk along the edge of the lake to find the other hot springs pools (clothing optional). I decided to wait on the main trail. I didn't have any idea how far those pools were. When Bob didn't come back in a couple of minutes, I started up the main trail. Yes, the trail climbed sharply up the side of the hill. Bob was down by the lake. I yelled for him and he answered. I told him not to try to come up the hill because there was too much debris on the forest floor. 

I waited and waited, thinking he would come back the way he went in. But he didn't come back, and I didn't hear him anymore. I couldn't figure out what happened to him and I started to worry. Did he fall in a hole or trip over branches and hurt himself? 

The lady from the family that came to the hot springs after us went by me and I asked if she had seen my husband. She said she hadn't. The rest of her family went along the lake too. She was heading up the main trail to meet them. She said she hadn't seen Bob, but if she saw him ahead she would let him know I was looking for him.

I walked back to where I had last seen him and followed a faint trail through tall grasses. I didn't want to continue there and Bob wasn't around. I went back to the main trail and continued hiking around the lake. About 20 minutes later, Bob came hiking back down the main trail looking for me. The lady saw him and told him where I was and that I was worried about him. He thought I was ahead of him. It's a good thing that lady was there.

Bob took this photo looking back 
down at the clothing-optional hot springs.

Wonderful views emerged as we continued going up and up above the lake. Soon we were crossing a slippery cinder scree slope. I was happy I had my poles for extra stability. 

Paulina Lake, La Pine, Oregon.

Paulina Lake with Paulina Peak on the other side.

Looking down the cinder scree slope at
a fishing boat.

You can see how steep and
how far down the cinder scree slope goes.

This is the trail through the cinder scree slope.

 

Here is a great photo of the obsidian flow we
hiked through on the other side of the lake!

Fly fishermen in Paulina Lake.

 

The Lakeshore Trail stayed away from the lake for the last couple of miles. We had to go around the back of the resort on the lake. 

What a great hike! Our energy seemed to be boundless today. From Paulina Lake, we drove two miles down the road to Big Obsidian Flow. 

Don't be fooled by the 3/4-mile round trip sign at the trailhead. Because of the rugged terrain and rocky paths, this hike feels more like two miles. Be prepared with hiking boots, water, hiking poles, and a sense of adventure. The lava is sharp. Be ready to balance over some of the rocks on the trail and be careful where you put your hands. 

The big obsidian flow is described on this sign.

Learn about how lava turns into glass and pumice.

In the photo below, the lava stopped here. This lava mountain was formed by fire. In the summer of 2022, we saw a rock glacier. The rock glacier was formed by ice. You can click on the link for that blog here: A Fish Wheel, A Grizzly Bear, and A Rock Glacier.

A portion of the Big Obsidian Flow.

We have been getting exercise!

The eruption.

As you can see, hiking around the lava requires careful foot and hand placement. You would not want to fall on the sharp lava. In Hawaii, we called it "a-a," because that is the sound you make if you step on it or touch it!

Yes, this is the trail.
Look for Bob.

A big chunk of obsidian glass.

The trail through the lava field.

We did not take our poles. Shame on 
us. They would have helped!

All of the descriptive markers in the park were very educational. We learned quite a bit more about obsidian.

Look at the lines in this rock!!!

Hiking through the obsidian flow.

The photo below is of Paulina Lake. We hiked all the way around it today! That's 7.5 miles!

Yep, this is the trail in Big Obsidian Flow.

We met some people on the Obsidian Flow 
Trail who took our photo and we took theirs.

Carefully, we hiked down to the truck. [Note: Also in this area are East Lake and Paulina Peak. We did not drive to East Lake or take the road to Paulina Peak.] We needed to get to Paulina Falls.

It was a 2.6-mile drive back toward La Pine, Oregon, to Paulina Falls. Once there, we walked to the top of the falls. It's beautiful to see the falls from the top, but even more spectacular to hike to the bottom of the falls. 

It is a short, flat stroll to the top of the falls, so we did that first. 

Bob is at the overlook for Paulina Falls.

Our attempt at a selfie at Paulina Falls.

Upon seeing that the sun was directly on the falls, I wanted to hike the 1/4 mile to the bottom to get some photos and a video. Bob was tired, but he came along anyway. It was worth it.

Bob at the bottom of Paulina Falls.

Here's happy hiker Susan.

We fulfilled all our hiking plans today and ended up with 17 km, that's 10-1/2 miles!!!

Of course, after a long hiking day, we're famished. After we got back to town and showered, we met Susan and Darren at the Olive Garden for dinner. It was a great way to end the evening. We loaded up on carbs for tomorrow's two walks.

Susan & Darren Medlin at the Olive Garden.

Thank you, Columbia River Volkssport Association for hosting this walking fest in Central Oregon. We love it here! Can't wait for the rest of the hikes.