Central Nature Trail

Hidden Trails of Oregon

“You really can't help but feel it when you put in a little effort to get a little higher, to get to another vantage point. It makes you feel a sense of being placed in this time and space in a different way. That’s the sublime, a timeless element that is beyond what we can conceive. It's so important for the soul of humankind in the future of this landscape, and the future of humanity.”

– Nathan Dwyer, Main Street Tours (from the top of Crater Lake National Park)

Join us on the Central Nature Trail for the third part of our documentary road trip, following award-winning travel writer Aaron Millar from the top of Crater Lake National Park to the Columbia River Gorge.

We begin snowshoeing to the top of Watchman Peak, for the best view over Crater Lake in the park – “like a sapphire embedded in the Earth”, as Aaron describes it. It’s exposed, it’s hair-raising and it’s worth every shaky step. After that we head to Bend, one of Oregon’s premier adventure towns, for some sunset paddling along the Deschutes River surrounded by thousands of swallows, baby Ospreys and a surprise visit from Oregon’s state animal. Then it’s time to head underground for a spine-chilling 1000-foot descent into a lava tube, formed by a “River of Fire” over 7,000 years ago. We crawl through 18-inch-wide cracks, turn off our head lamps to experience true darkness and marvel at the geologic forces that could create this uniquely beautiful landscape. We finish at the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Reservation for some “river therapy” and a fly-fishing lesson from a native guide. We learn of conserving native first foods, experience some river therapy and Aaron catches his first fish.Through it all, we’re going to explore the wonder and awe of the natural world in all its forms, from mile-high views to quiet moments listening to birdsong on the river. We’ll discover why the natural world for Oregonians inspires more than just gasps and awe, it inspires care and stewardship of the land. It inspires the sublime and we’re going to find plenty of that.

Find out more at www.traveloregon.com

Produced by Armchair Productions, the audio experts for the travel industry www.armchair-productions.com