Nature
The Oregon Badlands Wilderness is a 29,301-acre high-desert landscape east of Bend, shaped by lava from Newberry Volcano about 80,000 years ago and later enriched by ash from Mount Mazama around 7,700 years ago. Its rootless shield, pit crater, and pressure ridges preserve this volcanic history, while arid conditions support sagebrush, bunchgrasses, wildflowers, ancient western juniper, and diverse wildlife. Native American pictographs add a human presence to the terrain. After decades of debate over grazing and off-highway vehicle use, the area gained federal wilderness protection in 2009 and is now valued for conservation, primitive recreation, and volunteer stewardship.
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Oregon · United States
