Fort Rock State Natural Area
Rock Formation · Fort Rock, Oregon
A tuff ring standing two hundred feet above the flat floor of an ancient lake bed in Lake County, about 4,460 feet across, formed when rising basalt magma met the water of a Pleistocene lake and exploded. Wave action from that lake cut the outer wall into the palisade that gives it its name. A cave a few miles away yielded dozens of sagebrush-bark sandals radiocarbon dated to around 9,000 years - among the oldest footwear ever found anywhere.
County Road 5-11A, Fort Rock, Oregon, 97735, United States
FREE and open daily, dawn to dusk, year round. It is an UNSTAFFED state natural area with a car park, a vault toilet and interpretive panels - there is no visitor centre, no water, no fuel and no food. ⚠ THE RIM ROUTE IS AN UNMAINTAINED SCRAMBLE ON LOOSE VOLCANIC ROCK with real exposure; the interior walk is the safe and rewarding option. Access roads are unpaved in places and can be rough. The nearest fuel and supplies are at Christmas Valley or La Pine, both a substantial drive.
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