Paulina Lake and East Lake: a day in the Newberry caldera from a house near Sunriver

Paulina Lake and East Lake at a glance

The two lakes fill the collapsed top of Newberry Volcano, separated by cinder cones. Paulina Lake covers about 1,530 acres and reaches 250 feet deep; East Lake is 1,050 acres at 6,400 feet, about 50 feet higher than its neighbor. Visit Central Oregon says rain, hot springs and snowmelt fill Paulina Lake. Paulina Creek Falls sits just outside the rim.

Visit Central Oregon puts the caldera at 22 miles and about 35 minutes from La Pine, north on Highway 97 and then east on Paulina-East Lake Road, County Road 21. Visit Bend puts the hot springs roughly 25 miles south of Bend. Day use is $5 per vehicle or a $30 annual Northwest Forest Pass, and the $80 America the Beautiful pass also works. The road is usually open from late May or June into late October or November. The rest of the monument, site by site, is on Newberry National Volcanic Monument.

Paulina Lake Lodge: the west-shore base

Paulina Lake Lodge is on the western shore of Paulina Lake at 22440 Paulina Lake Road, with a restaurant and lounge, and it is pet friendly. Visit Central Oregon also lists cabins. The lodge's own site could not be opened for this guide, so its boat rentals, prices and 2026 season dates are not stated here; call 541-536-2240 before counting on it for a group.

The lodge is also the caldera's winter door. Visit Central Oregon lists snowmobiling, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing from it, with 150 miles of groomed snowmobile trails, and Sno-Cat shuttles on Friday and Saturday nights in winter.

East Lake Resort: cabins, the Blue Duck Grill and the marina

East Lake Resort, opened in 1915 and rebuilt in 1942, sits on East Lake 45 miles southeast of Bend. It offers cabins, RV sites and tent sites, the Blue Duck Grill with a pub-style menu and a lake-view patio, and a general store that sells tackle, groceries, day and annual forest passes, and Oregon fishing licenses. There is no wifi and very little cell service; the resort runs on a landline, 541-536-2230.

The marina rents fishing boats, pontoon boats and personal watercraft. A full day runs 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., with half days 7 a.m. to noon or 2 to 7 p.m. Rentals include life jackets, an anchor and fuel; rods are extra. The lake speed limit is 10 mph, a boater education card is required for motors of 10 horsepower or more, and the resort offers a free safety checklist on the spot for renters without one. Non-guests pay a $5 launch fee. The resort's directions say to avoid China Hat Road, above all with a trailer.

The Paulina Lake hot springs: a 2-mile walk

The hot springs are shallow pools on the northeast shore of Paulina Lake, reached on foot from the Little Crater Day Use Site. Park there with a Forest pass, walk east through Little Crater Campground about 0.7 miles to the start of the Paulina Lakeshore Loop, then follow the shore about 1.3 miles to a signed path on the left that drops back to the water. Call it about 2 miles each way.

Visit Bend lists 2 to 5 pools depending on the lake level, some only inches deep in late summer, with water from about 90 to 115 degrees. The bigger pools hold 6 to 8 people, so a group of 30 soaks in shifts. The season is roughly May to October, after the snow goes and before the roads close. Wear a swimsuit, do not dig new pools, pack out paper, and leave the obsidian. Dogs stay on leash on the trail, may swim in the lake, and are not allowed in the springs. Kayaks and paddleboards can reach the springs from either campground, but there is no dock there.

Fishing Paulina Lake and East Lake: kokanee and brown trout

Paulina Lake has the largest brown trout in Oregon, with the state record set there more than once, and a notable kokanee population, per Oregon Hikers. East Lake Resort says its lake produces brown trout over 10 pounds every season and keeps its record, a 22.5-pound brown, in the general store. Oregon's Central Zone rules list lakes as open all year. The general lake limits are 5 trout and 10 kokanee per day, and the one special rule on each lake is that tiger trout must be released.

Fishing and swimming off the boat dock at Little Crater are prohibited. Licenses are sold at the East Lake general store; the broader picture, including the Deschutes at the house, is on the Deschutes River at Sunriver.

The 7.5-mile Paulina Lakeshore Loop and the caldera trails

The Paulina Lakeshore Loop circles Paulina Lake in 7.5 miles with about 200 feet of elevation gain, staying close to the shore the whole way. Visit Central Oregon recommends walking it counterclockwise for the views. Horses and mountain bikes are not allowed on it. The loop passes the hot springs, so a group can split: some walk the whole lake, the rest walk the 2 miles to the springs and back.

Riders and long-day hikers take the Newberry Crater Loop instead, a 22-mile, mostly singletrack trail around the caldera, per Visit Central Oregon. The Big Obsidian Flow's one-mile trail and the Paulina Falls overlook are short add-ons on the way in or out.

Campgrounds at Paulina Lake and East Lake

Forest Service campgrounds sit inside the caldera. Paulina Lake Campground, on the west side of the lake, has nearly 70 sites with picnic tables, fire grills and flush toilets, and usually runs mid-June to late September. Little Crater Campground has 49 sites on a thin ledge right on Paulina Lake, with drinking water, vault toilets and a launch for trailered boats. Reserve on Recreation.gov; a reserved site is held only until noon the day after arrival.

At Little Crater, generators are off from 10 PM to 7 AM, fires may be restricted in hot weather, and camping in one place is capped at 14 consecutive days. For a group that wants beds, showers and a kitchen for 30, the house sleeps everyone under two roofs and the caldera stays a day trip.

Paulina Peak road dates above the lakes

The Paulina Peak road, 4.1 miles of steep gravel from the caldera to the 7,984-foot summit, is usually snowed in until early July and closes in late October or early November. The Forest Service closed it for the 2026 season on October 6. Only vehicles under 23 feet may drive it. The view takes in both lakes, the Cascades and the Fort Rock Basin, and on a clear day runs from Mt. Shasta to Mt. Adams.

A caldera day for a group of 30 from the house near Sunriver

Leave the house by 8 AM with coolers packed, because the caldera has picnic tables and two restaurants and little else. Park the caravan at Little Crater Day Use, where a Forest pass or a $5 day pass covers each vehicle, and split three ways: the hot springs walkers, the lakeshore loopers, and the boat party that drives on to East Lake Resort for rentals from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Everyone meets at the Blue Duck Grill patio or back at the picnic tables by mid-afternoon.

The house has parking for up to 15 vehicles, so the convoy forms in the driveway, and Chief Paulina Drive, a shared dirt road with families and pets, is driven slowly. Back home, the covered hot tub finishes what the hot springs started, dinner for 30 goes on the 12-foot dining table or the four 8-foot picnic tables, and the seasonal fire pit takes the evening when fire rules allow. Quiet hours run 9 PM to 8 AM.

Bring your own PFDs and water toys for the dock; none are provided at the house, and East Lake Resort's boat rentals include life jackets.

Where to eat near Paulina Lake and East Lake

In the caldera, the choices are the Blue Duck Grill at East Lake Resort, with dine-in or patio seating, and the restaurant and lounge at Paulina Lake Lodge. Call ahead for hours and a table for a group of 30, or picnic. Paulina Lake Campground and the Paulina Falls day-use area have picnic tables.

Dinner is back near the house, where where to eat near Sunriver lists the places that take a big table. Reservations matter for larger groups on summer weekends.

Where to stay near Paulina Lake and East Lake

Stay at Deschutes Riverfront Retreat, an 11-bedroom, 6-bath estate in the Three Rivers area near Sunriver that sleeps up to 30, with a maximum of 24 adults. It is about ten minutes from Sunriver Resort and about 30 from Bend and Mt. Bachelor. The six-bedroom Lodge sleeps up to 18 and can be booked on its own; the five-bedroom Cottage comes only with the full estate. Both sit on three private acres with 450 feet of Deschutes River frontage and a private dock.

The lakes are the big-water day; the river at the house is the rest day. Float from the dock, fish it subject to seasonal regulations, or hand-launch a kayak, with the Big River boat ramp, a public put-in, 2.5 miles up the road. The 6-hole disc golf course, bocce, the pool table and ping pong fill the evenings for the ones who stayed behind.

Every booking has a 2-night minimum, the renter must be 30 or older, and occupancy limits are enforced because the home is on well and septic. Booking direct on this site saves the service fees that Airbnb and VRBO charge, and the live calendar on Book Now shows the current rate. For a reunion, see family reunion house near Sunriver; for the room-by-room plan, see large group rentals near Sunriver.

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What groups said about exploring from the house

“We had a great time. The house is right on the river. Plenty of hikes nearby. Scott was a great communicator as well. We’d definitely stay again.”

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• Day trips from Sunriver for groups
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