Black Lava-Tumulus Loop Hike
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
- Start point: Reynolds Pond Trailhead
- End Point: Tumulus-Basalt Trail Junction
- Hike Type: Lollipop loop
- Distance: 6.1 miles or 12.2 miles
- Elevation gain: 100 feet or 240 feet
- High Point: 3,470 feet or 3,585 feet
- Difficulty: Moderate or Difficult
- Seasons: All year
- Family Friendly: Yes, for a shorter distance
- Backpackable: Only if you bring all water or camp near the canal
- Crowded: No
|
Contents |
Description
The Oregon Badlands Wilderness actually features two very different volcanic phenomena. Most of the area is composed of a rugged lava landscape that resulted from a major “leak” in a lava tube known as the Badlands Volcano (the small crater is about a mile west of the Flatiron Rock Trailhead in the southern part of the wilderness; the actual source of the lava flow is much farther to the south near the Newberry Volcano), a “rootless” shield volcano about 80,000 years old. You will see lava formations that include cracks, pressure ridges (tumuli), and ropy blocks (pahoehoe). The second feature is the actual sand you are slogging through, the remains of ash deposits from the eruption of Mount Mazama 7,700 years ago. The trails here follow the vehicle tracks of the stockmen who herded cattle in this dry area, and the entire expanse is an old-growth juniper forest, with the most venerable trees distinguished by their attractive reddish-brown bark, meaning they’re at least 250 years old.
There are two loops described here. The shorter loop of 6.1 miles uses the Basalt Trail to link the Black Lava and Tumulus trails. The longer loop of 12.2 miles makes use of the Mazama Ash Trail as a connector for a much deeper foray into the wilderness although that trail is far less used and a little more difficult to follow. The Tumulus and Black Lava trails are the official beginnings of the Oregon Desert Trail.
The route begins as the Carey Act Trail on a canal maintenance track on the south side of the Reynolds Pond Trailhead. Pass around or through a gate and follow this diversion ditch from the nearby Central Oregon Canal. If you’re here in the fall or winter, the canal will probably be dry as irrigation season is April through November. The Carey Act was an 1894 law enacted to foster development of irrigated farmland in desert areas of the West; it also permitted the establishment of privately-run irrigation districts. You will notice that the bed of the canal is actually the black lava native to the area, only a couple of feet below the surface layer of Mount Mazama ash.
Big-leaf sagebrush, rabbitbrush, and bitterbrush are the principal shrubs among the junipers, and frequent openings offer views to the Three Sisters, Broken Top, Mount Bachelor, Three Fingered Jack, and Mount Jefferson. On your left, you’ll see a control gate on a lateral ditch. The road cuts across a big curve in the canal and then follows next to it again as a sandy track appears down to the right. After 1.5 miles, look across the canal to a junction sign for the Tumulus and Black Lava trails. Cross the canal to the junction, officially entering the Oregon Badlands Wilderness, and continue straight on the Black Lava Trail, which forms the very first section of the Oregon Desert Trail.
Like the other trails in the wilderness, this is an old jeep track. Wildflowers like sand lily, larkspur, penstemon, and wallflower are blooming around mid-spring. Soon you’ll hit more frequent outcroppings of black lava (just remember, it’s underneath you as well). The trail winds through a defile and passes an almost perfectly shaped lava dome. Past the edge of a lava flow, you’ll come to the Black Lava-Basalt Trail Junction.
For the shorter loop, make a left on the Basalt Trail, pass though an old gate in a stock fence, and drop into a depression with a few fat old junipers. The sandy track curves right, and there will be views to Mount Jefferson and the Three Sisters. The trail continues alongside an old barbed wire fence and then curves up to meet the Tumulus Trail.
Bearing left here, you’ll dip a little and then hike on the level to pass through a fence at a small rabbitbrush meadow. Powell Butte and Mount Jefferson can be seen straight ahead before you start getting more vistas to the Three Sisters. Where the track veers left, you should see the canal, which you need to cross here to reach the Carey Act Trail/maintenance track. Bear right for the last 1.2 miles of the hike.
________________________________________________________________
For the longer loop, continue straight on the Black Lava Trail from its junction with the Basalt Trail, and head up a sandy slope. From this slightly higher vantage point, there are views northwest to Mount Jefferson, Olallie Butte, and even Mount Hood as well as straight west to the Three Sisters and Mount Bachelor. An old fence line runs to your left, and you’ll hike up past a lava ridge. When the trail begins to drop gently, you can see south to Horse Ridge. Look to your right for the remains of an old horse corral set in among lava walls. Now you’ll get more open views to the Cascades before the trail swings left around a juniper and passes the rusting detritus from an old stock camp. After funneling through a depression, the Black Lava Trail reaches its junction with the Mazama Ash Trail.
Turn left here to follow the Mazama Ash Trail for about two miles. This trail is far less used and less distinct so the route is marked with cairns. Quite possibly the only tracks you’ll see are those of coyote or deer. Follow the edge of a lava flow, and then pay attention to where the track curves sharply right and then left as you wind between lava tumuli. Pass over a low lava ridge marked with a cairn, and bear right to get views east to the low profile of the Bear Creek Buttes. When you get to the junction with the Tumulus Trail, turn left.
The Tumulus Trail is a wide track that’s easy to follow. From a low rise, you’ll get more views to the Cascades, the buttes to the east, and Powell Butte to the north. The trail winds around, passing lava domes that are cracked open like eggs. The path winds up through a break in the lava at a bright-barked juniper and then snakes down into a shallow depression. Then you’ll resume a very gradual rise to the Tumulus-Basalt Trail Junction. From here, follow the Tumulus Trail back to the canal and thence to your vehicle.
Fees, Regulations, etc.
- No bicycles
- Dogs on leash at trailhead
- Picnic tables
- Primitive camping permitted at the trailhead
- Between April and September, you may need to ford the canal
Maps
- Maps: Hike Finder
- Oregon Badlands Wilderness (BLM)
- Pacific Northwest Recreation Map Series: Central Oregon Cascades
- Adventure Maps: Bend, Oregon, Trail Map
Trip Reports
- Search Trip Reports for Black Lava-Tumulus Loop Hike
Related Discussions / Q&A
- Search Trail Q&A for Black Lava-Tumulus Loop Hike
Guidebooks that cover this destination
- Day Hiking: Bend and Central Oregon by Brittany Manwill
- Trail Running: Bend and Central Oregon by Lucas Alberg
More Links
- On the way to Tumulus Trail (Hiking Central Oregon)
- Tumulus and Black Lava Trails-Oregon Badlands (Must Hike Must Eat)
- The Tumulus Trail, Oregon Badlands Wilderness, Oregon (Holly’s Horse Tales & Trails)
- Tumulus, Basalt, and Black Lava Trail Loop (All Trails)
- Tumuli Lava – A Backdoor into the Badlands (Central Oregon Geographica)
- ONDA sponsors a Wild Badlands Day: The Tumulus Trail (Traditional Mountaineering)
- “Badlands offer off-trail finds” (Bend Bulletin)
- “Ramble through the backside of the Badlands” (Bend Bulletin)
- Oregon Badlands Wilderness Area (BLM)
- Oregon Badlands Wilderness (BLM)
- Oregon Badlands Wilderness (Oregon Natural Desert Association)
- The Badlands Wilderness Study Area, a brief history (Traditional Mountaineering)
- Inflated Lava (Desert Ramblings)
Page Contributors
- bobcat (creator)