Paulina Lakes Trail Loop
At the Newberry National Volcanic Monument
The entire trail loop is 7.5 miles long and took 3 hours to complete, with stops and detours along the way. Driving there can take 40 minutes. So I would give yourself 5 hours for this trip. I started out at a parking lot near the lodge and started my loop at where the trail goes behind the lodge where I had to cross the bridge and then take a left right away where the gate was.
The trail starts out with my surroundings very dry but heavily wooded. After going around the lodge it gets near the shore. I was worried the whole trail would be as arid as what I had experience so far on the west side. Luckily that would not be the case.
The highest point is right above the red cinder area
Just to the left you can see the beach and the hot springs
As soon as I got the north part the environment changes. There are more grasses and gravel shoreline. The trail becomes more challenging with a few switchbacks when your forced to go up to and around to avoid the red cinder rocks shown here.
After that trail stays mostly flat. One hour into the hike you finally reach the hot springs. Watch for these small signs to show the detour.
I did not take pictures of the hot springs because there were people in all of them. So I took a photo of a hot springs info page that was posted on signs. They look like the ones in the photo except there were at least 8 of them and they were all used. Except for one that looked like it oil in it and looked nasty. I put my hand in one and the water was lukewarm.
Taking the way I took is the fastest way to get to the hot springs. The other way will add another hour unless you drive to the Little Crater campground way on the east side of the lake and it still take an hour to get there. Before and after the hot springs the environment changes to a sea shore look with low lying evergreens you would see near the sea and grasses. Parts of the trail is damp a few rare areas muddy but not bad. The you reach the large lava flow with lots of obsidian in it. You can see it in the previous photo with the hot springs in the far left. Its way on the other side of the lake show as black blob just as you get the east side of the lake. Getting around it means walking right along the shoreline. Very rocky at times
After that there are some parts of the lake that almost remind me of Clear Lake. In this picture there was the red hue along the shore line, not so noticeable in this photo. Also the forest seems more dense more evergreen rain forest with all the moss and lichen and other moisture loving plants.
Then I finally reach the Little Crater campground. There is a spur trail that goes to a high point I did not go on.
At this point you have to walk on the road between campsites. After you pass all the campsites there is a small sign telling you were the trail begins again.
Once I start the southern part of the trail of the lake I think I got lost and the trail get hard to follow. You often have to walk on the shore that is mostly gravel and the trail look unkempt. I end up walking behind lodges. The environment is most grassy and marshes.
At one point I came across these old cabins above the trail. I had to check them out because they had this cabin in the woods feel to them. Looked creepy. They were created by the Oddfellow organization back in the 1930s. More info here http://www.bendbulletin.com/localstate/deschutescounty/4364841-151/agencies-trying-to-save-paulina-lake-cabins
After that the forest get thicker and I needed hug this rock just avoiding falling in the lake with only a log to walk on.
Finally the trail looks more like a well kept trail and before I know it I am back in the parking lot I started from.
Near the info station where I took that first photo at the very top, there were some more hiking trails but I did not have time.
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