Tumalo State Park - Oregon
Posted by: 
Volcanoguy
N 44° 07.720 W 121° 19.897
10T E 633472 N 4887517
Tumalo State Park is located on the Deschutes River just north of Bend, Oregon.
Waymark Code: WM1QEC
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 06/23/2007
Views: 61
Tumalo State Park is located on the Deschutes River and consists of a Day Use Area and a Campground separated by O.B. Riley Road. The campground (fees vary) contains 23 full hookup sites, 54 tent/trailer sites, 9 yurts, and 2 group tent areas. The day use area ($3.00) includes picnic facilities and a swimming area. In addition to the developed facilities park lands extend up and down the river for more than a mile in each direction. There are trails leading up river and down river. The upstream trail leads into a deep scenic canyon.
Most park users come for the camping or for access to the river on hot summer days. Unknown to most users is the complex geology that has formed the landscape of the park. The oldest rocks within the park are lava flows of the Deschutes Formation which are more than 5 million years old. The low cliffs across the river from the day use area are exposures of the Desert Springs Tuff, which was erupted from the Cascades about 630,000 years ago. Along O.B. Riley road are a series of exposures and old quarries in the Tumalo Tuff and Bend Pumice which was erupted from the Cascades about 380,000 years ago. The rimrocks east of the river are the basalt of Bend which erupted from Newberry Volcano south of Bend about 78,000 years ago. This eruption caused the landscape we see today. Prior to the eruption the Deschutes River was in unknown location somewhere to the east. Following the eruption the Deschutes had to establish more than 25 miles of new channel to reach the area of Tumalo State Park and another 20 miles to return to its old channel to the north. Over the last 78,000 years the Deschutes has cut a 200 foot deep gorge just upstream from the developed part of the park.
Park Type: Day Use and Campground
Activities:
Picnic, camping, swimming, hiking.
Background:
Geologic and scenic
Link to Park: [Web Link]
Park Fees: Not listed
Date Established?: Not listed
Additional Entrance Points: Not Listed
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