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| A trip to the Badlands |
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| The Badlands Wilderness Study Area offers great late fall and early winter hiking |
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 | | SCOTT STAATS/CENTRAL OREGONIAN | | Ancient juniper trees, suchn as this one dot the landscape at the Badlands Wilderness Study Area. |
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As soon as I began the hike into the Badlands, I got a feeling of something ancient. Maybe it was the 80,000-year-old lava flows or perhaps the 1,000-year-old juniper trees.
The 32,000-acre area, about 15 miles east of Bend and north of Highway 20, is so unique that it has received the title of Badlands Wilderness Study Area. Although just about all of Central Oregon's land has some volcanic geology in its family tree, the Badlands has something a bit more uncommon.
The lava that formed the Badlands arrived via a large lava tube that originated from Lava Top Butte about 10 miles to the southwest. This tube developed a hole in its roof, sending lava flowing out and forming a shield volcano. However, this mini-volcano is referred to as a rootless shield volcano since its source of magma did not originate directly under it.
A pit crater at the top of the shield volcano is the site where lava flowed in all directions, creating the Badlands. The pit is located about 1,500 feet northeast of milepost 15 and can be seen on the Horse Ridge topo map to be at an elevation of 3,865 feet.
There are plenty of hiking, biking and horseback riding opportunities on the 12 trails that total about 50 miles. On my last two outings I hiked the Ancient Juniper Trail and the Dry River Trail, both trailheads starting off of Highway 20.
The Badlands Rock Trailhead is the most popular access point into the Badlands and connects with several other trails. Badlands Rock rises 100 feet from the relatively flat landscape and is part of a cracked pressure ridge in the ancient lava field. To the west of Badlands Rock is another lava outcrop known as Flatiron Rock, which is surrounded by an oval-shaped, sand-filled crack that resembles a moat.
It's believed that early ranchers named the Badlands due to the shallow soil and poor livestock grazing. Most of the soil consists of eroded lava and windblown volcanic ash (much of it from the Mount Mazama eruption 7,700 years ago).
For those wanting to explore the more undisturbed and protected areas of Central Oregon, the Badlands is the place to go. Because of its lower elevations (3,500 feet average), the area offers year-round exploration, while most other wilderness areas are covered in snow.
The area's geology has allowed the junipers to reach such an old age. Living in pockets of soil in the lava has protected the trees from wildfire. While most trees average between 400 and 1,100 years old, the oldest juniper in the state (estimated at around 1,600 years old) is located just outside the Badlands.
In one part of a secluded canyon, I came across a few tenajas, which are pockets in the lava rock that were scoured out by the erosive force of water and stones. A few of these held some water, a very scarce resource on the Badlands. Dozens of Townsend's solitaires and robins could be seen flying in and out of the water pockets or sitting nearby in junipers and on rocks waiting their turn. Over 100 species of birds have been identified in the Badlands so bring along your binoculars.
About a mile and a half into the Dry Canyon Trail, is another of the area's large pressure ridges. I thought how my two brothers and I would have had a blast here when we were kids playing in the rock fortress. From the top of the ridge are great views of Badlands Rock and most of the Oregon Cascades. Even Mount Hood could be seen peeking its shoulders over the tops of the junipers.
Looking south, back toward Dry Canyon, it's easy to see where a large river of past ice ages flowed down into the Badlands. The old river channel is easy to find in some places yet hard to find elsewhere due to thousands of years of change to the land. The Badlands is located on BLM land. In 1991, the agency recommended the Badlands as a wilderness study area, which gave it protection until Congress makes a decision on wilderness designation. Motorized vehicles are prohibited in the wilderness study area, although tracks from trucks and motorcycles can still be seen on some of the trails and old roads.
Mountain bikes are allowed now but would be prohibited if or when the area becomes a designated wilderness area. This time of year is best for bikes when trails are not deep in dust and soft sand. The BLM requires that bikes and horses stay on trails in order to protect the sensitive soil.
To reach the Badlands Rock Trailhead, travel east from Bend 18 miles on Highway 20 and turn left before the highway turns south and heads uphill. Go about a mile to the trailhead |
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