Volcanic Road Trip

Above, Wizard Island at Crater Lake National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Two months ago, during my trip to view the total eclipse in Idaho, I headed into Oregon to visit Crater Lake National Park.

From Crater Lake, I headed south past Mount Shasta to visit Lassen Volcanic National Park.

Along the way, I noticed signs that said, "Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway" in southern Oregon and in Northern California. It was a nice drive and well worth it.

Today, I spotted an article about the scenic byway and what volcanic attractions tourists can see.

According to an article in The Oregonian (OregonLive):

Volcanoes are a natural part of our Pacific Northwest existence – if you lived here during the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980, you know that all too well. But even if you weren’t here during the last big volcanic eruption, the presence of our northwest volcanoes is impossible to ignore. 

From Portland, south to Klamath Falls, and east out to Burns and beyond, you can see active volcanoes, remnants of massive lava flows, huge craters and evidence of other volcanic action.  

If you want to get a taste, you can drive the existing Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway, which runs from Crater Lake down to Lassen Volcanic National Park in California. It’s a nice drive, but far from comprehensive when it comes to exploring Oregon’s actual volcanic legacy. 

To give a broader experience, I’ve crafted a bigger volcano road trip that, while it does dip into northern California, shows off far more of Oregon’s volcanic sights. It starts in Portland and ends way out in southeast Oregon. Locals can head up to I-84 and make a loop of it, while tourists might consider flying into Portland and out of Boise. 

It’s a long trip, but aside from the hands-on education you’ll receive in volcanology, it’s a wonderful way to tour the Cascade Mountains and the more remote regions of Oregon.

Above, Lassen Peak in Lassen Volcanic National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

To read more, go here.