A unique, desolate area off the beaten track near Sun River, Oregon. Here's a good description from stephhicks68.hubpages.com: "If you come to visit the Central Oregon area during spring through fall, you must take time to visit the Lava Cast Forest, just east of Sunriver. Take the exit off Highway 97, as if you are going to Sunriver, but head east instead. You'll follow an unpaved road for 9 miles until the final destination. It is totally worth the drive! Step back into history and witness the remnants of an explosive volcanic eruption more than 6000 years ago. The Newberry Volcano to the south spewed hot lava through standing forests thousands of years before anyone inhabited this area. The trees that were existing at the time became encased in stone when the lava cooled. What remained were "casts" of the trees, many of which go down several feet below surface level. Lava fields still remain over much of the area. But, wondrously, new life erupts from the stone ground. Only 15 miles south of Bend, the Lava Cast Forest should definitely be on your list of places to visit when you come to Central Oregon! The elevation is a little over 5700 feet, so you may want to bring a sweatshirt, just in case. Not surprisingly, the area is not open during the winter months when the ground is covered in deep snow."