Newberry Caldera
The Rim Trail
The Rim Trail
Location - East of La Pine, Oregon
Length - 25 miles
Date - June, 2007
Length - 25 miles
Date - June, 2007
Summer had arrived in Oregon and the year’s
thin snowpack was melting out even at the higher
elevations. One of our friends was heading over
to central Oregon to race in an Olympic length
triathlon and a few of us decided we would head
over to do some mountain biking. Newberry
Caldera is a huge volcanic crater that erupted
sometime in the last 10,000 years leaving two
deep lakes in its center and a protruding cinder
cone. The entire rim of the crater is traced by
twenty plus miles of winding singletrack that are
excellent for mountain biking.
thin snowpack was melting out even at the higher
elevations. One of our friends was heading over
to central Oregon to race in an Olympic length
triathlon and a few of us decided we would head
over to do some mountain biking. Newberry
Caldera is a huge volcanic crater that erupted
sometime in the last 10,000 years leaving two
deep lakes in its center and a protruding cinder
cone. The entire rim of the crater is traced by
twenty plus miles of winding singletrack that are
excellent for mountain biking.
| The drive out to central Oregon was made on a Friday night and we missed any views of the area on the way in. We ended up pitching our tents at an RV park with showers, but there were lots of established campsites that would have been free. Everyone was a little surprised to wake up Saturday morning to temperatures in the twenties. Luckily the sun came out and helped warm things pretty quickly. Our ride started at over six thousand feet above sea level so the first 2,500 foot gravel road climb to the top of Paulina Peak was felt by everyone in the group. Still, the road is well graded for the entire four mile climb and the views along the way are stunning enough to keep anyone entertained. Traffic was minimal, but the few trucks that passed kicked up a pretty good bit of dust. The view from the top of Paulina Peak is even more spectacular than those from encountered on the way up. From here it is possible to see a good bit of the state. The desert flats to the east stand out as do the high Cascades. More immediately, the two Newberry Lakes lay several thousand feet below, split by a big obsidian flow. The whole crater is visible from the prominence that is Paulina Peak and from this vantage it sure looked like a long ride. A steady breeze was whipping across the craggy mountain and we happily put on windbreakers while having some snacks. The Newberry Caldera is an area of active volcanism, with the most recent eruption taking place 1,600 years ago. Along the shores of each lake are hotsprings and vents emitting strong sulfur smells. The entire area is covered in a deep blanket of very porous and lightweight pumice, a byproduct of past eruptions. Some of this volcanoe's largest eruptions produced lava flows stretching many miles away from the actual mountain. Being in and on the caldera has a special feel to it, and helped make the great ride even more interesting. |
After about a half hour of enjoying the sights we headed back to
the road to look for our trailhead. The actual summit is about a
mile out of the way, but well worth the effort needed to reach it.
The temptation to speed down the gravel road was almost
irresistible, but the surface was loose in places, and there was just
enough to traffic to make it a really bad idea. Interestingly, we did
not see the trail while pedaling up and ended up passing it on the
way back down. This only added a hundred feet of climbing and
soon enough the singletrack began.
The first few hundred yards of the trail are fairly steep and loose
with water bars and big rolling stones thrown in for good measure.
Most of this was rideable for me, although I carried down and
around one or two stretches figuring it didn’t make sense to hurt
myself at the start of a twenty mile ride. Very shortly the trail
moderated and became pretty smooth. We pedaled quickly
through the spare trees and somewhat soft pumice soil. A few
short climbs came in this first stretch and an odd patch or two of
snow still lay across the path but did not force us to walk.
Soon we reached a high spot on the trail and started a long and
fast downhill with many sweeping turns. A good bit of this section
ran through very soft and loose stones of pumice. Riding this
surface required keeping more weight over the back wheel and
under no circumstances tapping the front brakes. Most corners
were slightly banked up from previous riders rounding the bends,
making it tempting to get going pretty quickly. The only trouble
was hitting softer patches of pumice and unintentionally “surfing”
from side to side in the pebbly pumice sand. The best course of
action seemed to be to let the bike squirrel around some and
straighten itself out. The descent grew steeper, but the few
switchbacks were easy to negotiate and we only had to get off of
our bikes once or twice to step over fallen trees. The sun was out,
but temperatures held perfect in the mid sixties.
the road to look for our trailhead. The actual summit is about a
mile out of the way, but well worth the effort needed to reach it.
The temptation to speed down the gravel road was almost
irresistible, but the surface was loose in places, and there was just
enough to traffic to make it a really bad idea. Interestingly, we did
not see the trail while pedaling up and ended up passing it on the
way back down. This only added a hundred feet of climbing and
soon enough the singletrack began.
The first few hundred yards of the trail are fairly steep and loose
with water bars and big rolling stones thrown in for good measure.
Most of this was rideable for me, although I carried down and
around one or two stretches figuring it didn’t make sense to hurt
myself at the start of a twenty mile ride. Very shortly the trail
moderated and became pretty smooth. We pedaled quickly
through the spare trees and somewhat soft pumice soil. A few
short climbs came in this first stretch and an odd patch or two of
snow still lay across the path but did not force us to walk.
Soon we reached a high spot on the trail and started a long and
fast downhill with many sweeping turns. A good bit of this section
ran through very soft and loose stones of pumice. Riding this
surface required keeping more weight over the back wheel and
under no circumstances tapping the front brakes. Most corners
were slightly banked up from previous riders rounding the bends,
making it tempting to get going pretty quickly. The only trouble
was hitting softer patches of pumice and unintentionally “surfing”
from side to side in the pebbly pumice sand. The best course of
action seemed to be to let the bike squirrel around some and
straighten itself out. The descent grew steeper, but the few
switchbacks were easy to negotiate and we only had to get off of
our bikes once or twice to step over fallen trees. The sun was out,
but temperatures held perfect in the mid sixties.
This stretch left us in a low saddle at the intersection of some
rough four wheel drive roads. We continued on riding a flat to
rolling section of trail. Much of this next piece of trail isn’t really
singletrack. While in most places you were following a single
track the actual trail was the width of a four wheeler or
snowmobile trail. The surface was more firm here and it was
possible to move right along in the middle chainring.
As the day progressed clouds built in from the west and the wind
stiffened, but the riding remained excellent. The toughest climb
on the route came at the end of the fast double track and I was
happy to be able to pedal up the whole loose pitch without
spinning out or having to walk. We made a quick lunch stop near
the top of this climb and enjoyed a break in the clouds. This
particular area was full of blowdowns and extensive chainsaw
work had been done to keep the trail clear. The thin and loose
pumice soil must make a terrible medium for trees to root in.
For the next several miles the path rolled along a ridge with lots of
easy ups and downs and fun sweeping turns. Most of this stretch
could be cruised in the middle chain ring and was pretty fast. The
north side of the crater rim is also the wetter side of the mountain
as seen by the denser forest, larger trees, and more remaining
patches of snow. After passing a few outlooks we reached the
second highest point on the ride and rested in anticipation of the
many mile long descent of several thousand feet back to the start
of our loop.
The descent started out smooth and with an easy grade as the
flowing singletrack brought us through a few open pumice fields
and past great viewpoints. As we went the trail steepened and
numerous log waterbars made for some harsh, but very fun riding
on my hardtail. This piece of trail was much less loose than what
we had seen on the other side of the rim and it felt much more
secure for going faster on. Only a few logs blocked the upper
parts of the descent and I only had one fall at the bottom of the
steepest pitch where the trail ran through a jumble of rocks, sand,
and sharp waterbars.
About half way down the mountain the trail opened up to
doubletrack and really let you pick up speed. While the
waterbars persisted I was comfortable taking them with speed at
this point. The only concern was the occasional soft spot of trail
and the short harpoon like stumps of the small trees that had
been cut to widen the trail into double track.
By the bottom of the descent my arms were aching and my hands
were numb, but otherwise I felt pretty good. I was impressed with
the quality of the trail and happy with how I performed on this
longer ride at altitude. On our ride we saw only one other biker at
the end of the descent and no other users. Apparently horses
frequent the trail later in the summer and conditions can get even
softer and more dusty. I would say that we had just about perfect
conditions in every respect for this ride. I was happy to have
carried two extra waterbottles in my pack in addition to the two
mounted on my bike. No water is available on the route, not even
from stagnant puddles. A few granola bars and a bit of bagel
were adequate for food.
rough four wheel drive roads. We continued on riding a flat to
rolling section of trail. Much of this next piece of trail isn’t really
singletrack. While in most places you were following a single
track the actual trail was the width of a four wheeler or
snowmobile trail. The surface was more firm here and it was
possible to move right along in the middle chainring.
As the day progressed clouds built in from the west and the wind
stiffened, but the riding remained excellent. The toughest climb
on the route came at the end of the fast double track and I was
happy to be able to pedal up the whole loose pitch without
spinning out or having to walk. We made a quick lunch stop near
the top of this climb and enjoyed a break in the clouds. This
particular area was full of blowdowns and extensive chainsaw
work had been done to keep the trail clear. The thin and loose
pumice soil must make a terrible medium for trees to root in.
For the next several miles the path rolled along a ridge with lots of
easy ups and downs and fun sweeping turns. Most of this stretch
could be cruised in the middle chain ring and was pretty fast. The
north side of the crater rim is also the wetter side of the mountain
as seen by the denser forest, larger trees, and more remaining
patches of snow. After passing a few outlooks we reached the
second highest point on the ride and rested in anticipation of the
many mile long descent of several thousand feet back to the start
of our loop.
The descent started out smooth and with an easy grade as the
flowing singletrack brought us through a few open pumice fields
and past great viewpoints. As we went the trail steepened and
numerous log waterbars made for some harsh, but very fun riding
on my hardtail. This piece of trail was much less loose than what
we had seen on the other side of the rim and it felt much more
secure for going faster on. Only a few logs blocked the upper
parts of the descent and I only had one fall at the bottom of the
steepest pitch where the trail ran through a jumble of rocks, sand,
and sharp waterbars.
About half way down the mountain the trail opened up to
doubletrack and really let you pick up speed. While the
waterbars persisted I was comfortable taking them with speed at
this point. The only concern was the occasional soft spot of trail
and the short harpoon like stumps of the small trees that had
been cut to widen the trail into double track.
By the bottom of the descent my arms were aching and my hands
were numb, but otherwise I felt pretty good. I was impressed with
the quality of the trail and happy with how I performed on this
longer ride at altitude. On our ride we saw only one other biker at
the end of the descent and no other users. Apparently horses
frequent the trail later in the summer and conditions can get even
softer and more dusty. I would say that we had just about perfect
conditions in every respect for this ride. I was happy to have
carried two extra waterbottles in my pack in addition to the two
mounted on my bike. No water is available on the route, not even
from stagnant puddles. A few granola bars and a bit of bagel
were adequate for food.
West lake lies like a gem at the bottom of the Newberry Caldera. This views was taken from the
summit of Paulina Peak.
summit of Paulina Peak.
The Cascade Crest can be seen about 30 miles to the west of Newberry
Caldera.
Caldera.
Steve and Nate rolling along the loose but phenomenal singletrack on the southern
edge of the crater rim route.
edge of the crater rim route.
Nate cruises along the pumice at the bottom of the long descent at the end of the
southern half of the ride.
southern half of the ride.
The top of the final descent back to the trailhead started out as open singletrack
through pumice fields before heading into the woods and dropping steeply for over
two thousand feet.
through pumice fields before heading into the woods and dropping steeply for over
two thousand feet.