Cascades Volcano Observatory, Vancouver, Washington

Climb A Volcano
"Family Fun - Picnic at the Top"

• Sunset Crater
  Sunset Crater Volcano is closed to climbing and hiking. However, other cinder cones in the area may be climbed.

• Black Point, Mono Lake
  The hike to the top of Black Point is not an easy one; consider this an exploration, an adventure! There are no trails or signs to show you where to go. You will be walking through the cinders and ash of the volcano and sometimes progress will be difficult. If you persevere, your discovery of the fissures will seem even more spectacular because their remoteness.

• Lassen Peak
  A "well-graded" climb of 2,000 feet in 2 and 1/2 miles. Hike at a moderate pace, and take short, frequent rests. Enjoy the ever-changing view! Mount Shasta - 14,161-foot elevation - looms seventy-five miles to the northwest.

• Schonchin Butte, Lava Beds National Monument
  Cinder cones are easily eroded so please stay on the established trails and don't take shortcuts. Frothy lava, cooled in the air, created the large cinder cones throughout the monument. Schonchin Butte's three-quarter mile trail leads you to a panoramic view from the historic fire lookout. The lookout is staffed from June to September. Children of all ages can earn a Junior Fire Lookout badge.

• Capulin Mountain
  Have you ever wanted to walk into a volcano? Well, Capulin Volcano is one of the few places in the world where you can do that. A two-mile road spirals to the summit, ending at a parking area, where two self-guiding trails begin.

• Mount Bachelor
  Near Bend, Oregon
  Ride the Sunrise Lift to mid-mountain, walk over to the Summit Lift, and ride it to the top.

• Brown Mountain
  Between Medford and Klamath Falls
  A scramble over fresh talus. View the south flanks of Mount McLoughlin.

• Crater Lake
  The 33-mile Rim Drive encirles Crater Lake, with each mile giving a different perspective of the lake, rim, and surrounding terrain.

• Larch Mountain
  Boring Lava shield volcano (4,056 feet), near Portland, Oregon

• Lava Butte
  Near Bend, Oregon
  In the 1930's the USFS designated Lava Butte as a lookout point and built a spiral road to the top. A 1/4-mile trail circles the crater. This trail offers spectacular views of the Cascade Mountain Range and Deschutes Plateau. A grand vista of volcanic country.

• Mount McLoughlin
  Between Medford and Klamath Falls
  A "moderately-steep" trail.

• Newberry Caldera
  Twenty miles southeast of Bend, Oregon
  From its junction with Road 21 within Newberry Crater, the Paulina Peak road is 4.1 miles long. On a clear day, you can see into Washington and California, and view almost the entire High Cascade Range in Oregon.

• Pelican Butte
  Between Medford and Klamath Falls
  A "reasonably well-maintained" gravel road leads to the top. It offers a 180-degree panorama of Cascade Peaks from just south of Crater Lake past Mount McLoughlin and onto the volcanoes in the Mountain Lakes Wilderness.

• Pilot Butte
  At the east city limits of Bend, Oregon
  A spiral road to the top. Pilot Butte is a cinder cone at the east city limits at Bend. Visible from its easily accessible top are the snow peaks of the Cascade Range (listed from the north): Mount Hood, Mount Jefferson, Three-Fingered Jack, Mount Washington, North Sister, Middle Sister, South Sister, Broken Top, and Mount Bachelor Ski Resort Area.

• Powell Butte
  Boring Lava cone, near Portland, Oregon

• Rocky Butte
  Boring Lava cone, near Portland, Oregon

• Mount Tabor
  Boring Lava cone, near Portland, Oregon
  Miles of trails and roadways wind through tall trees and well-maintained landscape, and most lead to the top, a trip rewarded by breath-taking views of downtown Portland and the West Hills from one side, Mount Hood from the other.

• Mount Thielsen
  Southern Oregon Cascades
  The trail is a steep climb, particularly above timberline beyond which there are no markers. The last 200 feet is a difficult hand-over-hand climb. The view of the east and west sides of the Cascades, from the Sisters to Mount Shasta, is incredible.

• Battle Ground Lake
  North of Vancouver, Washington, approximately 45 minutes from Portland, Oregon
  Ten miles of hiking trails, 10 miles of bike trails, and 5 miles of horse trails. The lake's origin is volcanic, and is believed to have been formed as a "Maar" volcano. This type of volcano is the result of hot lava or magma pushing up near the surface of the earth and then coming into contact with underground water. This is thought to have resulted in a large steam explosion, leaving a crater that later formed a lake.

• Beacon Rock
  Thirty-five miles east of Vancouver, Washington
  An easy one-mile trail to the top. Fantastic view of the Columbia River.

• Mount St. Helens
  Fifty miles from Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington
  Most climbers complete the round trip in 7 to 12 hours. A climbing permit is required. At 8,365 feet, the rim of Mount St. Helens provides outstanding views of the crater, lava dome, blast area, and surrounding volcanic peaks.

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