Henkle Butte & Aspen Hollow Geo-Exploration

Led by Derek Loeb

Friday, September 22

9:30 AM - 1 PM

Please join Derek Loeb for a geo-exploration trip focused on the geology of the Deschutes Formation and Henkle Butte, an example of a Pleistocene age cinder cone.  As we drive to the meetup location, there will be intermittent views of Henkle Butte on the skyline.  The initial meetup location is a quarry off of Vista Ridge Road on the southeast side of Henkle Butte (about 5 miles NE of Sisters, exact location provided in a followup email to participants).  The quarry is fenced off but we will get a good view of the internal structure of the cinder cone and there will be plenty of local cinders in the adjacent parking area.  We will then proceed to the end of Stardust Lane where we will park the vehicles along the side of the road and walk down an access road into the Whychus Creek canyon.  The road cut associated with the access road provides good exposures of the Deschutes Formation and a basalt flow associated with the Pleistocene aged eruption of Henkle Butte. Total hiking distance will be about 2 miles with 200-300 feet of elevation loss/gain.

The creek, canyon bottom and cliffs are part of Aspen Hollow, a preserve owned and managed by the Deschutes Land Trust that is not open to the public and visitation is only allowed on organized trips outside of the Golden Eagle nesting period.  Participants will need to complete a Deschutes Land Trust waiver in addition to accepting the standard COGS waiver.

Trip is limited to 15 participants.  Please contact Derek Loeb, DerekLoeb@gmail.com with any questions.  There will be a ride share meetup option for Bend area participants.