A Traveler's Experience

Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway (OR)

Our drive through the Deschutes National Forest was so peaceful and beautiful. It’s a good thing there wasn’t a lot of traffic, because we had a hard time keeping our eyes on the road. We were drawn to the majestic, snow-covered peak of Mt. Bachelor rising above the forest. It was an amazing sight! We drove up to the base of the mountain to the Mt. Bachelor ski resort. The resort wasn’t open yet, but we saw a family getting ready to go sledding – and it was only October!

We discovered an interesting phenomenon at the southern end of the byway when we suddenly came upon huge mountains of black lava rock. It appeared to be a giant rock reef that went on for miles and miles. We had never seen anything like it before. Just when we thought we had seen the last of it, we would catch a glimpse of more rock through the trees lining the road.

There are hundreds of lakes surrounding the byway and we drove up to several of them. The water was so clear and blue. Lava Lake provided the perfect setting for a photograph, with Mt. Bachelor rising up in the distance.