Planning a Great "Volcano" Vacation

It's not too soon to begin planning your next summer vacation. Last year, my wife and I took a trip to the Pacific Northwest, in part to see my brother in northern California, but also to finally see Mt. St. Helens. We had wanted to see the site of the tremendous eruption that occurred in 1980. What we ended up with after more than 6000 miles was a trip that could be called "The Great Volcano Vacation." It was more than that, but the heart of the trip and the portion that made the greatest impression on us was exploring the natural forces that have shaped a large part of the United States, including some of the most scenic areas.

We spent months going through travel books and motel books and finally put together a trip that would give us the most exposure to natural sites and still leave time for visiting with relatives. We also worked in some of the more typical tourist attractions (Seattle's Space Needle, for example). In this article, I'll just mention the volcano-related spots.

It's important to keep in mind that we began our trip in the Twin Cities and headed west. Depending on where you live, your choice of places to stop will be different.

Palisades Falls near Bozeman, Montana. This is not a major stop for a volcano vacation, but if you are in the area, it is worth a stop. The connection with volcanism lies in the formation of the waterfalls itself, apparently the result of a prehistoric lava flow. Although approaching the falls from the parking area is a bit of an effort, the falls itself is beautiful. For pictures and more information, see my AC article.

Dry Falls in Washington State. Like Palisades Falls, this site, the Niagara Falls of the West, has a probable though undiscoverable connection with volcanic action. It is located about 35 miles southwest of Grand Coulee Dam and is an impressive sight, especially if you can imagine water flowing over it. Dry Falls is the product of a sudden release of water during or at the end of an ice age. Since many scientists believe that ice ages were caused by climate changes resulting from volcanic eruptions, Dry Falls may well be the result of a long-ago volcano, presumably a large one. My AC article on Dry Falls has more information and some pictures of the area.

The Cascade Mountain Range. As you head west, you eventually come to the mountains known collectively as the Cascade Mountain Range. Wikipedia has a very helpful article about the Cascades.

The range includes the following mountains: Baker, Glacier, Rainier, St. Helens, Adams, Hood, Jefferson, Three Sisters, Newberry, Crater Lake, Medicine Lake, Shasta, and Lassen. The important thing about these mountains is that they are all volcanoes, and despite our impressions based on the tremendous eruption that took place there, Mt. St. Helens is the smallest of the group. Keep in mind something that a park ranger told us: "There are no dormant volcanoes; they are all sleeping volcanoes waiting to erupt again. As far as trying to see all of the mountains in the Cascade Range is concerned, you will have balance your available time and your interest. I would urge you to see St. Helens, Crater Lake, and Lassen if at all possible.

Mt. Rainier. Rainier is a beautiful mountain. We know. We have seen pictures of it. Unfortunately, the day we drove to it, it was overcast, cloudy, and finally raining. Part of the problem may have been the time of year we were traveling. The Jackson Visitor Center was interesting, especially the part about the Park Service plans to tear it down and replace it because of a design flaw. The architect who designed the building was trying to make a statement with it, but ignored the weight of snow that the roof would be expected to hold.

Mt. St. Helens. Although we had hoped to see the mountain itself, the top portion was never visible because of cloud cover. The visitor center had some displays and the movie about the 1980 eruption was great. It was sobering to drive through the blast area and see how the landscape was altered by the eruption and encouraging to see how the forests are coming back now after major replanting. An interesting stop after Mt. St. Helens was a little museum in a private home that offers a selection of books and materials from the Institute for Creation Research. The books and displays offer an alternative to the evolution view of the earth and its development.

Mt. Lassen. Although not as recent as the eruption of Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Lassen erupted in 1915. Lassen itself is impressive, but you also can get a taste of Yellowstone National Park at Lassen. In 1864, a man named Kendall Bumpass came across an area of hydrothermal features-bubbling mudpots, boiling springs, etc. The hike to what is now called Bumpass's Hell takes some time and energy, but it's worth it. Check out my AC article on the area.

Crater Lake. For me, the most beautiful stop on the trip was Crater Lake in Oregon. I have summed some of my impressions in an AC article. The important fact in connection with a volcano trip is that when you stand in the visitor center overlooking the lake you are actually standing in a volcano.

Craters of the Moon. We had never heard of Craters of the Moon until we were planning out trip, but it was eye-opening. People who have seen Hawaii will recognize the volcanic landscape that leads up the park. The sites in the park are well-marked and well-explained. My AC article on Craters of the Moon will give you an idea of the landscape and its look because of volcanic actions.

Yellowstone National Park. The big thing to know about Yellowstone is that the park itself sits on a large volcanic area or caldera, the source of the heat that powers the various features-the geysers, the bubbling pots, etc.-of the park. Although we did not have the time on this trip to stop at Yellowstone, it is easy to spend a week or more and not experience everything. My AC article on the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone gives some basic information on Yellowstone National Park itself.

Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park. Here is another area we did not have time to explore because of our tight schedule, but someday we plan to see it. A Unversity of Nebraska website will give you more details about this park and its formation.

Those are the highlights of our trip, and those are just the volcano-related areas that we saw or heard about in just one part of our nation. If nature interests you, you will find these places to be the foundation of an exciting, educational trip. Enjoy!

Sources:

www.associatedcontent.com/article/1107228/visit_palisades_falls_near_bozeman.html
www.associatedcontent.com/article/1087980/visit_dry_falls_state_park_in_washington.html
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cascade_Range
www.associatedcontent.com/article/1196634/visit_lassen_volcanic_national_park.html
www.associatedcontent.com/article/1240854/visit_crater_lake_oregon.html
www.associatedcontent.com/article/1072289/craters_of_the_moon_national_monument.html
www.associatedcontent.com/article/316409/the_grand_canyon_of_the_yellowstone.html
ashfall.unl.edu/