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Wednesday, August 16, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Little Belknap Crater is a study in lava-lands geology
By Craig F. Eisenbeis
Correspondent
The
Dee
Wright
Observatory, the lava-rock
“castle” at the summit of
McKenzie Pass, is one of those
iconic features of our area that
we often show off to visiting
friends and family. The obser-
vatory was completed in 1935
as a Depression-era project
of the Civilian Conservation
Corps. It was named for the
project’s construction fore-
man, who died before it was
completed.
The structure, with its
mountain-spotting windows
and self-guiding nature trail
that features volcanic geol-
ogy, looks out across one
of the area’s signature lava
flows. However, in spite of
all the people who come
here, relatively few visitors to
McKenzie Pass take the time
to venture much farther out
into the lava field.
This interesting 5.2-mile
round-trip hike to the top of
Little Belknap Crater is most
easily accessed from a trail-
head a bit more than a half
mile west of the pass sum-
mit. This trailhead, on the
north side of the highway, is
actually an access point for
the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT).
This hike utilizes 2.4 miles of
the PCT, which leads north
toward Santiam Pass from this
trailhead.
Except for most of the
first three-quarters of a mile,
this hike is over broken lava
rock. The going is rough. You
should pay attention to foot
placement or you might risk
bruising or twisting some-
thing. I would recommend
footwear with fairly stiff soles.
Even so, your feet may take a
beating.
According to geologists,
the lava in this area was laid
down about 2,600 years ago
and, by some accounts, is
overdue for another erup-
tion. The first part of the hike
travels across two hillocks
that were just high enough to
remain above the last erup-
tion of molten rock as the
lava flowed around them.
As a result, two islands of
vegetation were created within
the barren landscape. This
“island effect” is even more
apparent when seen from the
top of Little Belknap.
On my first visit to Little
Belknap, several years ago,
I encountered a couple from
North Carolina, and I won-
dered how they happened to
end up on this hike. They told
me that they were passing
through, and someone at the
Dee Wright parking lot had
told them they should venture
farther into the lava landscape,
rather than just see it from the
road. That was good advice
then, and it remains good
advice, today, especially for
those of us who live here and
haven’t made this trip before.
The journey over the for-
ested islands is a pleasant one;
but, as soon as the trail leads
out across the open lava, the
going can be a lot less pleas-
ant, particularly on a hot day.
Carry plenty of water.
The trail climbs steadily
at a modest pace and passes
innumerable varying exam-
ples of lava deposition. At
the 2.4-mile point of the hike,
there is a clear, signed fork in
the lava-rock trail. Here, the
trail to the summit of Little
Belknap leaves the PCT, so
take the right fork; and it is
less than a quarter of a mile to
the summit from this point. If
you go left, you will run into
real dirt and trees again; and
that means you have taken the
wrong fork.
Most of the final trail seg-
ment is pretty easy; but there
is a relatively short, but steep,
scramble up some rock ledges
to reach the top. For those
with an aversion to heights,
there are NOT any precipitous
high cliffs or slopes to deal
with in reaching this summit
of about 6,300 feet.
At the end of the trail
there is a snow-fort-style
rock shelter built at the sum-
mit, complete with wooden
bench seating. It is a great
place for a lunch break. Be
sure to take the time to sur-
vey the surrounding country
and, in particular, the treed
“islands” in the lava that you
hiked through on the way
in. The distant Dee Wright
Observatory is also interesting
to see from this perspective.
There are some great views
up here, forest fire smoke per-
mitting. Looking east, it is
easy to see how the region’s
severe forest fires of recent
years have changed the land-
scape for generations to come.
In this case, the 2006 George
Fire and the 2007 G.W. Fire
have taken a heavy toll in the
immediate area.
On the way back down
from the summit, it is inter-
esting to explore lava tubes
along the trail. It is possible to
walk all the way through one,
a distance of less than a hun-
dred feet. The tunnel under
the lava rock is very dark, and
there are obstructions; so a
light source and extra care are
PHOTO BY CRAIG F. EISENBEIS
Little Belknap Crater may not seem so little on a hot day!
recommended if you choose
to explore.
Compared to the surround-
ing irregular lava flows, the
walls of the lava tubes appear
smooth; but they are quite
rough, in spite of their appear-
ance, and have many sharp
edges. Another lava tube in
the area is purported to be
the most recent primary lava
vent. This tube is vertical and
has a deep, dangerous drop
off into the darkness. There
are no barriers of any kind; so
use extreme caution, and keep
children and pets away. Even
on a warm day, very cold air
flows from this unusual volca-
nic feature.
Speaking of pets, they are
not recommended at all on this
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hike, because of the very abra-
sive and sharp-edged lava rock
forming the surface of the trail.
There are spectacular
mountain views all along this
stretch of trail, and I was par-
ticularly intrigued with the
close-up view of the eastern
slopes of Belknap Crater (the
big one). This is a very inter-
esting little hike.
McKenzie Pass is 15 miles
west of Sisters on Highway
242, and the trailhead for
this hike is about a half-mile
beyond the summit. This area
is part of the Mt. Washington
Wilderness Area, so a free
wilderness permit — for 12 or
fewer persons — is required
and can be obtained at the
trailhead.
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