Check out the view from McKenzie Pass

by Meg Massie on

Driving from Western Oregon to Bend in Central Oregon, a great route is the McKenzie Highway, Rt. 242. Snow closes this highway from November to July, so you’ve got to plan your trip for the late summer or early fall.

At the McKenzie Pass summit at 5325 feet in the Willamette National Forest, you’ll be surrounded by lava beds as far as the eye can see. There are places to park so you can get out and do some exploring, and on a clear day, this is one of the most stunning places in the world.

Near the summit, you’ll see a round structure built from the volcanic rock on top of a hill of volcanic rock. This is the Dee Wright Observatory, where visitors can peek through lava tube viewing holes at each of the major landmarks surrounding the area. Several of the tallest peaks of the Cascade Range are visible from the observatory, including Mt. Hood, Mt. Jefferson, and the Three Sisters. Their bright white snowy peaks give a spectacular contrast to the dark gray lava beds all around you.

A paved 1/2-mile loop through the lava beds gives travelers a nice way to stretch their legs while taking in the scenery. Along the path are signs with interesting facts and information about the lava beds and how the scenery came to look this way. It’s fascinating, and definitely worth a detour if you’re anywhere near the area.

The World’s Top 10 Volcanoes

by Martha Edwards on

When I was 21, I spent one hot, sweaty day hiking over loosely-packed to shale to arrive at our destination: the peak of the Volcano on the island of Santorini in Greece. I had envisioned the volcanoes from the movies — steaming, black and full of red-hot molten lava, but this just looked like a large pile of rocks with a crater in the middle. I mean, it’s pretty obvious that hiking up an active volcano wouldn’t be safe, but this was still a bit of let-down, especially after a tedious hike after a late night of drinking Ouzo. I’ve seen better vistas on hikes before than this one. Still, it might be worth a visit if even just to say you’ve hiked up a volcano.

But there are definitely better volcanoes out there to see, like the ones mentioned on this list of the world’s top 10 volcanoes. Here’s what made the list:

  1. Kilauea – Hawaii
  2. Mount Liamuiga Volcano – St Kitts
  3. Mount Kilimanjaro – Tanzania
  4. Mount Vesuvius – Italy
  5. Augustine, Douglas, Illiamna and Redoubt volcanoes – Alaska
  6. Niyragongo Volcano – Zaire
  7. Yellowstone – United States
  8. Shiga volcanic complex – Japan
  9. Ambrym Volcano – Vanuatu
  10. Mount Taranaki — New Zealand

To find out why these made the list, check out the full article.