Lava Cast Forest

The molds came first. Roughly 7,000 years ago, lava from the Newberry Volcano flowed around standing trees, chilled against the bark, and hardened into hollow forms while the wood burned away entirely. What remain are vertical and horizontal molds — some horizontal ones stretching 50 to 60 feet — with bark imprints still visible on the interior walls, and in some cases, ancient charcoal still present inside. A paved interpretive loop trail runs through the site, accessible via a 9-mile gravel road off Highway 97, roughly 25 miles south of Bend.