Having lived in Central Oregon for over 35 years, climbing Paulina Peak was on our bucket list of never done hikes. Last Saturday, May 14, 2021, we checked that hike off the list. We had anticipated that Newberry Crater National Volcanic Monument would be closed still as it is every winter, but were pleased to find that the unmanned gate to the monument was open and boaters were already enjoying outings on Paulina Lake and East Lake. We had planned on a 14 mile hike from the gate, but instead were able to drive to Paulina Lake Campground and park there before crossing the street to the gated road to Paulina Peak. This gravel road is normally open for cars to drive to the peak in the summer, but instead we hiked it to the top, avoiding the actual trail since we believed there would be a lot of snow drifts along the way. The 3 plus mile road to the top was fairly easy to hike, despite some sections still covered by snow. We gained 1600 feet in elevation from the trailhead to the top of the peak (just under 8000 feet) and as we climbed, were thrilled with all the views we had, not only of the Cascades, but also south and east toward Fort Rock and Christmas Valley.
At the top of Paulina Peak, there is a pit toilet (still closed) and wonderful views, although our vistas of the Cascades were hazy with controlled forest burns scattered around Central Oregon Saturday morning.
Some interesting facts about Central Oregon - there are roughly 400 volcanoes in our area. And three of the top ten classified as "very high threats" by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) are here as well...Crater Lake, South Sister, and Newberry Volcano - right where these photos were taken.
Since our anticipated 14 mile hike was shortened to roughly 6 miles and we were done a lot earlier than planned, we stopped off at Paulina Falls on the way back to Bend and trekked the 1/4 mile down to the base to view the falls. We had hiked Peter Skene Ogden trail the month previous which ended at Paulina Falls on the other side of the river. Quite a difference in one month!
