Dee Wright Observatory
Take a trip along the southern section of the McKenzie Pass-Santiam Pass National Scenic Byway to the summit of the McKenzie Highway (242) and you will find the unusual and historic Dee Wright Observatory settled atop vast, black lava flows.
Located in the Cascade Range at 5,187 feet, this mountain observatory offers panoramic views across 65 square miles of black lava rock that looks so much like a moonscape that in 1964, NASA conducted drills with astronauts as they prepared to travel to the moon. Completed in 1935 by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), the observatory was named in memory of Dee Wright, the crew’s foreman who passed away the year before.
On a clear day, you can view Mt. Washington, Mt. Jefferson, the South, North, and Middle Sister, and even see Mt. Hood, 78.5 miles to the north. If the snow has melted, don’t forget to look for the glaciers! Collier glacier on the North Sister is the largest glacier in Oregon.
As you make your way up to the observatory, you will find interpretive panels with accounts of early travelers and area geology. Continue up the stairs to the roof and you will discover a bronze peak finder with the names and elevations of the surrounding buttes and mountain peaks. Inside the observatory, openings frame the surrounding mountain peaks.
The accessible Lava River National Recreation Trail located next to the observatory provides remarkable views of lava that flowed from the surrounding craters.
Check out the photo gallery of scenes in and around Dee Wright. See it before you hike it! Use Travel Lane County’s Google-Trekked Trails to see Google's "trail view" of this trail. Click on the "trail details" for more information on the trail itself. Dee Wright Observatory / trail details
Amenities
Points of Interest
Weather Forecast
Nearby Streamflow Levels
Gauge | Streamflow |
---|---|
Crooked River Below Opal Springs
USGS 14087400 |
1,850 cfs |
Smith R Ab Smith R Res Nr Belknap Sprgs
USGS 14158790 |
190 cfs |
Mckenzie River At Outlet Of Clear Lake
USGS 14158500 |
514 cfs |
Deschutes River Near Culver
USGS 14076500 |
533 cfs |
So Fk Mckenzie River Abv Cougar Lake Nr Rainbow Or
USGS 14159200 |
1,070 cfs |
South Santiam River Below Cascadia
USGS 14185000 |
753 cfs |
Crooked River Blw Osborne Canyon
USGS 14087380 |
684 cfs |