Checking Out Two Hotspots at the Newberry Volcano National Monument: Paulina Obsidian Flow and Paulina Falls

Paulina Lake

Date: July 3, 2020

Place: Paulina Crater, Newberry Volcano National Monument

Coordinates: 43.713209, -121.273524

Length: 0.5 mile

Level: strenuous

 

After original plans for the summer of 2020 were nulled by the pandemic we went on a family road trip to central Oregon, staying for the first three days on the area of Klamath Falls and the next four days in Bend. On July 3 we checked out our lodge and started our way back south to California. The drive wasn't supposed to be long so we decided to go back to the Newberry Volcano National Monument, to the area of the Paulina Crater. We had hiked around the Paulina Lake three days before but we didn't see any of the other features of that area. Now we had the time to go and check out a couple of this places before leaving the area completely. 

Our first hike was at the Big Obsidian Flow Trail:

Coordinates: 43.713209, -121.273524

Length: 0.5 mile

Level: moderate

We were interested in seeing the obsidian flow and that's where we started our final day in the Newberry Volcano area. 

Our trail as captured by my GPS

There is a short distance from the parking area to the obsidian flow, and along that trail I found some wildflowers to look at. 

Lupine, Lupinus sp.

Pappa Quail and the elder chika had better time seeing things after their own interests. There were a number of very active birds among the small pine grove near the trailhead. 

House Finch

It was nice that the birds were out in the open and didn't mind us being there, walking right by them.

Cassin's Finch

the trail crossed a small flat area between the pine grove and the big hill of black rocks - a huge pile of obsidian. We could see the shine reflecting from many of the large rocks. A metal staircase led from the plateau below to the height of the obsidian hill. Interpretive signs were posted along the trail, with detailed information about the place and it's significance. 

Obsidian is a glass- like metamorphic rock of volcanic origin. When broken, the exposed surface shines with reflected light. The broken edges are like broken glass - very very sharp. This particular trait was very useful to the native people who made tools from obsidian. The local nation traded obsidian with other nations. 

Obsidian

At the top of the staircase was an observation deck from which we could see a small, murky pond, belted by algae known as 'pond scum'. Pappa Quail and the elder chika scanned the pond, searching for waterfowl, but saw none. 

For the most part, the obsidian flow hills looked completely barren and reminded me very much of the Fantastic Lava Beds in Lassen Volcanic National Park.

Obsidian Flow

Thinking a little further, the area reminded me a bit a scenery from Mordor, sans the orcs.

Obsidian nuggets

The shiny black rocks are the obsidian. Obsidian is metamorphic rock of volcanic origin. It was used by the native nations to make knifes and arrowheads. The local people traded obsidian with far away tribes too.

Obsidian

We continued up the obsidian flow hills, and I found there a few stunted pine trees, too small to cast any comforting shade.

All around the obsidian flow hill, the pine forest was thick and thriving. It was just this pile of rocks that was not favorable for the pines.

 

We walked the narrow trail at the top of the obsidian flow and looked around. Ahead of us loomed Paulina Peak, where we went to see the view after hiking around Paulina Lake. 

Paulina Peak

Paulina Lake itself lay below us, calm and blue. It is a crater lake, simple and beautiful. On the horizon loomed the snowy peaks of Bachelor Mountain and the South Sister. 

Paulina Lake

The volcanic rock pile we were on was almost bare of vegetation. There was hardly any real soil in the cracks. There were a few plants however, that found a roothold there, and they seemed to be thriving. Some were in bloom.

Davidson's Penstemon, Penstemon davidsonii

After we wandered around for a while it was time to go back down. The chikas darted downhill and Pappa Quail followed them. As usual, I lingered behind, checking out the unique sights f the place, like the black, shiny masses of obsidian. 

I captured a bit more of the pond and the pine forest surrounding the obsidian flow. I figured that by the time I'd reach down, my family will be in the car already. 

I was wrong, though. A family of Clark's nutcrackers frolicked on the ground below. There were two adult birds there, and three juveniles that kept pestering them for food, despite being fully fledged and capable f taking care of themselves. But then again, what  do I know about the needs of adolescent corvids. 

Clark's Nutcracker

 

 

 

 

Our second hike was to Paulina Falls:  

Coordinates: 43.712392, -121.276370

Length: 0.5 mile

Level: easy

I convinced Pappa Quail and the chikas that we should go see the Paulina Falls on our way out of the Newberry Volcano area. It was a very short and easy walk, and we had plenty of time still, since we didn't plan to reach Alturas until the evening. 

Our hike as captured by my GPS

We parked again exactly where we started our hike around Paulina Lake three days before. Once again I was captivated by the pretty lupines near the parking area. Today I had better lighting too because the sky was completely clear without a single cloud. 

Tidy Lupine, Lupinus lepidus

We started walking down near the creek. The trail was wide and well maintained and there were many other people hiking there, most of them mask-free and seemed to not worry at all about COVID-19.

Paulina Creek

The elder chika immediately spotted some waterfowl in the creek. Pappa Quail didn't bother to raise his camera though - these were mallards, the most common ducks in the world. 

Mallard, female

As were followed the creek downstream, the stream became more vivacious with spots of whitewater cascades. 

Paulina Creek

My family birders found there the much more interesting American dipper, a bird that lves whitewater area and dives in it in search of food. 

American Dipper

The creek was nearly jammed in places with fallen logs, which made a natural dam. We didn't see any other animals in the water. 

Paulina Creek

We reached the Paulina Falls. I was very glad we made it there - the waterfall was indeed very beautiful, and certainly worth the diversion. I also had a surprise there - on the observation deck over the waterfall I met familiar people - a family of my family hiking group. They too wanted a getaway from the COVID-crazed Bay Area. 

Paulina Falls

The trail continued downhill to the base of the waterfall. I wanted to go down there. The chikas were less enthusiastic but they followed along when Pappa Quail and I started down the trail. 

I even found a wildflower blooming by the stairs on the way down , but I wasn't able to identify it. 

On the bottom of the trail we had anther nice view of the waterfall. It was very interesting to see the crumbling rocks piled up at the bottom of the fall. The water stream continuously breaks down and wears off the lip of the cliff, so the waterfall is constantly receding. 

Paulina Falls

After streaming through the pile of boulders below the waterfall, the creek collects into a calm pool before flowing on downhill. I noticed some movement on the rocks by the pool. Pappa Quail and the elder chika were already training their cameras on what was moving there.  

It was anther American dipper. This time the bird was closer and less fidgety. 

American Dipper

We hanged around at the base of the waterfall for some time, admiring the nature around us. This was our last stop before heading back to California. 

I wanted our vacation to extend longer. At that time we still believed in 'flattening the curve' and Bend was still a sanctuary to which the pandemic hasn't yet reached.  We needed to go back though. I Gave Paulina Creek a sorrowfull goodby look, then started up the trail following my family. 

We made our way back t the car quickly and silently. Pappa Quail snatched a photo of a blackbird, one of the most common birds around. He too wasn't very keen on returning back to the shut-down State of California. 

Brewer's Blackbird

This was our last day in Bend, but not yet the final day of our trip. We drove south to Alturas where we stayed for a couple more nights. Alturas too was a still COVID-free. Everything there was normal as normal could be. They even held the 4th f July parade as always. After observing some of the parade we went on to hike the Emerson Lake Trail at the South Warner Wilderness area. This last hike of our June-July 2020 trip was also the first one of this trip that I wrote about. 

 

A couple of weeks after we returned home the virus reached central Oregon and Bend closed down to visitors. We were fortunate to snatch a piece of heaven before hell closed down on us for two more years.