We had heard a lot of good things about Bend, and were looking forward to our short stop here. We stayed outside of town, pretty close to the Newberry Volcanic National Monument. I hadn’t even realized there was a park here until we drove past it. There was also a museum, which was highly recommended by friends and reviewers. We only had one day to explore, so we had to pick one – we picked Newberry.

Newberry Volcanic National Monument is home to an assortment of Volcanic goodies. There are cinder cones, lake filled calderas, and the longest lava tube in the US. We took a short walk into the lava tube, and then took a drive through the Monument.

The Newberry Caldera was formed when the magma chamber emptied and the top of the volcano collapsed. Over time, Lake Paulina and East Lake formed inside the Caldera. We stopped at Paulina Falls for lunch. (Bonus, there’s a Pokémon Gym here!). It wasn’t crowded at all and completely accessible. Great views for little work.

I was particularly interested in The Big Obsidian Flow. I imagined it would be big and have lots of obsidian. I was right! The trail is a short, but steep in places, that tours you through a tiny corner of the flow. It’s something to avoid on a hot day. The big hunks of obsidian were a treat and the views from the flow are quite nice too.

We spent our evening walking around town. We hit up 10 Barrel Brewing for some afternoon beer and killer nachos. I fully recommend.

We walked off the food by hitting up some Pokéstops in Bend. We poked our head in a few galleries and bookstores as well.

We could spend a good week here, and hopefully it will show up on our itinerary for next year.