The Rest Of The Region
15 WINTER 2023 VOL . 04 / ISSUE 02
SNOWGOER . COM 16
The Lodgepole Dodgers groomer operators stand proudly in front of their “ mobile office ,” a
Prinoth tractor .
The Lodgepole Dodgers pose at the Paulina Creek Falls overlook .
The Rest Of The Region
Our second day at Newberry was a clockwise circuit around the two lakes and included some boondocking and off-trail fun at a couple of open play areas . The highlight was a stop along the eastern shore of East Lake at the Cinder Hill Viewpoint , where small brown lava stones were strewn over
group was seated at a long table in what resembled a sun room , allowing us to view the snowy landscape as we savored the delicious food .
Our tour continued with a visit to the Big Obsidian Flow , best described as a huge volcanic blob covering more than 700 acres that spewed from the earth during the most recent eruption 1,300 years ago . Its edge is sharply defined and its boulderstrewn surface is extremely rough , but with 10 feet of snow cover it was possible for several of us to skirt the edge and climb atop this glacier-like feature .
Making our way around the periphery and over a section nicknamed “ The Roller Coaster ,” we reached the spot known as Hell Hole , where we enjoyed a few runs up and down its very steep sides . The afternoon was capped off with a visit to Little Crater Campground on the shore of the 1,531-acre Paulina Lake , which boasts a maximum depth of 250 feet and an average depth of 163 feet – making it less than ideal for a watercross race ( sink a sled here and wave it goodbye forever !). At first glance , there was nothing of the campground to see – everything ( including picnic tables ) was buried beneath the deep snow .
Along shore we discovered a tunnel and snow cave that had been excavated by recent visitors , plus evidence of a campfire . Nearby was a patch of open water , indicating a submerged hot spring . After completing our exploration , we enjoyed nicely groomed trails through the forests southwest of the lake and returned to the sno-park with just under 40 miles on the odometer . It was a short day in terms of mileage , but the scenery was immense .