Heather Kelly paddles on Paulina Lake in early June. (Makenzie Whittle)

There aren’t many places where you can fish, swim, paddle and soak in a hot spring all in the same day and there are even fewer that you can do it all within an active volcano.

But for us Central Oregonians, these activities can all be found just a half-hour drive northeast of La Pine at Paulina and East lakes.

Nestled within the caldera of Newberry Volcano, the lakes are great spots to cool off, warm up and take in the rugged rocks and towering peak, along with the heavily forested shorelines this summer.

For me, Paulina Lake was the recent destination to help christen my new stand-up paddleboard on its maiden voyage. Having never stand-up paddled before, the familiar lake’s cold water was a perfect escape from a recent sweltering Sunday in Bend. Luckily, the lake was more than accommodating.

Paddling through

If you catch it in the morning hours, Paulina Lake’s water can be like glass, assuring smooth paddling or whatever water-based activity you have planned.

With two day-use areas, Paulina Lake and Little Crater, both with their own boat launches and docks, you can spend the cooler hours of the day casting from the comfort of your craft and fish for the lake’s rainbow trout, brown trout or Kokanee. Paulina Lake even holds the record for the state’s largest brown at a whopping 29 pounds. Or bring a kayak or paddleboard for a leisurely meander around the lake, especially during those calmer mornings before the wind kicks up and you have to paddle twice as hard into the wind to get back to your car.

Clocking in at 250 feet deep, Paulina keeps things cool below the surface, but if you know where to look, you can find things heating up along the shoreline.

A little over a mile from Little Crater Day Use Area on the lake’s loop trail is Paulina Lake Hot Springs, a reminder of the volcanic activity of the mountain the lake sits within.

Dug out of the gravel and grassy beach, the hot springs have a perfect view of the lake and Paulina Peak above. While not a “hot-tub” level of heat, the warm water still brings a relaxing feeling to those cooler morning paddles or hikes.

And once you’ve warmed up, you can take a swim in the lake for the ultimate cold-plunge experience.

Sleeping giants

Newberry Volcano may not look like much when you zoom past it on U.S. Highway 97 or when you catch its hunched profile while traveling south on the parkway in Bend, but once you make the climb up into the caldera, you begin to appreciate the scope of this mighty giant.

The largest in the Cascades volcanic arc by area (Medicine Lake in northern California wins by volume), this active shield volcano encompasses around 1200 square miles and is listed as a “very high” threat potential according to the National Volcano Early Warning System. But don’t let that stop you; other volcanoes, such as South Sister and Mount St. Helens, share the same potential.

Newberry also features the site of one of the younger volcanic events in the range, with Big Obsidian Flow erupting around 1,300 years ago.

You can see the evidence of the mountain’s volcanic past at every turn: with the many exposed rock faces that clearly show old flows between the lakes, the craggy Paulina Peak standing resolutely above them, the geothermal activity at the hot springs (and potential energy sources) and even tiny bits of obsidian flecking the pebble beaches throughout the monument.

The caldera rim itself is a reminder of the explosive past, having formed when a massive explosion around 75,000 years ago collapsed the mountain top and eventually formed the two beautiful lakes we have today.

Balancing act

Crater Lake may be the more famous of the caldera lakes of Oregon, and the spots along Cascade Lakes Highway may get more attention, but Paulina and East lakes are just as worthy of the time spent on their waters.

For easy paddling, great fishing, a good warm soak or a cold plunge, all paired with stunning volcanic scenery just an hour from Bend, Paulina Lake strikes a perfect balance of being close enough for comfort and tranquil enough to wash the worries away.

If You Go:

Where: Paulina Lake, Newberry National Volcanic Monument

Cost: $5 per day, Northwest Forest Pass, Interagency Passes accepted

Contact: fs.usda.gov or 541-383-5300

Directions: From Bend, drive south on U.S. Highway 97 for 23 miles and then turn left onto Paulina Lake Road/County Road 21 and continue up the mountain. Paulina Lake Day Use is first at 12.9 miles up the road, Little Crater Day Use is 14.5 miles up the road.