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Oregon Volcanoes Map | All 54 Oregon Volcanoes + Top Picks Skip to main content

Oregon
Volcanoes

From the iconic 11,240-foot Mount Hood to the ancient caldera that became Crater Lake — Oregon sits atop one of North America’s most volcanically active regions. Here’s your complete guide: interactive map, notable picks, and the full searchable list.

54Named Volcanoes
11,240 ftHighest (Mt. Hood)
2Currently Active
~7,700 yrsSince Crater Lake Formed
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National Park
Crater Lake National Park
Oregon’s only national park, formed by the catastrophic collapse of ancient Mount Mazama
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Monument
Newberry National Volcanic Monument
Oregon’s largest volcano by volume, featuring lava tubes, obsidian flows, and twin crater lakes
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Recreation
Mount Hood: Oregon’s Iconic Volcano
Hiking, skiing, and climbing on Oregon’s highest peak and most recognizable dormant stratovolcano
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See It In Person

Oregon’s Volcanic Past, Written in Stone

One of the best places in Oregon to witness the raw geological legacy of millions of years of volcanic activity isn’t a towering peak — it’s the high desert of John Day in eastern Oregon. The John Day Fossil Beds National Monument preserves an extraordinarily detailed record of ancient ecosystems buried and protected by successive layers of volcanic ash and lava flows from the Cascade Range. Over roughly 40 million years, eruption after eruption blanketed the region, entombing plants and animals and creating the layered, vividly colored landscapes visible today. The result is one of the world’s most complete records of plant and animal evolution from the Eocene to the early Pleistocene.

The Painted Hills unit offers perhaps the most visually dramatic evidence of this volcanic history: smooth, rounded hills striped in red, gold, black, and tan — each band representing a distinct volcanic ash deposit laid down during a different eruptive period. Nearby, the Blue Basin trail descends into a surreal blue-green canyon carved from ancient volcanic tuff, where fossils of prehistoric horses, rhinos, and saber-toothed predators still erode out of the hillsides. Whether you’re a geology enthusiast or simply looking for one of Oregon’s most otherworldly landscapes, a trip to John Day Fossil Beds National Monument is an unforgettable window into the volcanic forces that shaped the entire Pacific Northwest.

Clarno Arch Trail, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Oregon
Trip Guide 3-Day Trip to John Day Fossil Beds National Monument
Painted Hills, Oregon — colorful striped volcanic ash hills in John Day
Guide Painted Hills, Oregon
Blue Basin, John Day Fossil Beds, Oregon — blue-green volcanic tuff canyon
Guide Blue Basin, John Day Fossil Beds
Must-See

Oregon’s Most Remarkable Volcanoes

The most spectacular, accessible, and geologically significant volcanoes in the state — selected for their scenery, historical importance, and visitor experience.

01
11,240 ft Dormant
Mount Hood Wilderness · Stratovolcano

Mount Hood

Oregon’s highest peak and most iconic volcano. Last erupted in 1866 with minor activity. Now home to year-round skiing at Timberline Lodge and a popular summit climb via the South Side Route.
02
8,159 ft Dormant
Crater Lake National Park · Caldera

Mount Mazama (Crater Lake)

The most dramatic geological event in Oregon’s history. Around 5700 BC, this massive stratovolcano collapsed to form the caldera now filled by America’s deepest lake at 1,943 feet.
03
7,989 ft Dormant
Deschutes Co. · Shield Volcano

Newberry Volcano

One of the largest volcanoes in the contiguous United States by volume. Last erupted around 690 AD. The caldera contains two lakes and the Big Obsidian Flow — one of the youngest lava flows in Oregon (1,300 years old).
04
10,495 ft Dormant
Jefferson Wilderness · Stratovolcano

Mount Jefferson

Oregon’s second highest peak and a heavily glaciated stratovolcano. Last erupted around 950 AD. Surrounded by the Mount Jefferson Wilderness and accessible by several iconic hiking trails.
05
10,363 ft Dormant
Three Sisters Wilderness · Complex Volcano

South Sister

The youngest and most potentially active of the Three Sisters. Scientists detected ground uplift suggesting possible magma intrusion in the late 1990s. A popular non-technical summit with a crater lake at the top.
06
6,873 ft Dormant
McKenzie Pass · Shield Volcano

Belknap Crater

One of the most recently active volcanoes in the Oregon Cascades, last erupting around 480 AD. The surrounding lava fields are so well-preserved that NASA used them to train Apollo astronauts. McKenzie Pass scenic byway passes directly through the flow.
07
9,184 ft Extinct
Umpqua National Forest · Shield Volcano

Mount Thielsen

Known as the “Lightning Rod of the Cascades” for its needle-sharp summit spire — a remnant volcanic plug eroded by glaciers over millions of years. A technical rock scramble to the summit, rewarded with sweeping Cascade views.
08
9,495 ft Dormant
Southern Cascades · Stratovolcano

Mount McLoughlin

The dominant peak of southern Oregon, visible from much of the Rogue Valley. Last erupted around 20,000 BP. A strenuous but non-technical 10.4-mile RT hike with spectacular views from the bare, windswept summit.
09
9,068 ft Extinct
Cascade Lakes · Stratovolcano

Mount Bachelor

Home to one of the Pacific Northwest’s premier ski resorts, Mount Bachelor is the southernmost major volcano in the Three Sisters volcanic chain. Its symmetric cone makes it a photography favorite from Cascade Lakes Highway.
Complete List

All Oregon Volcanoes

All 54 named Oregon volcanoes with elevation, type, and status. Click any column header to sort. Use the search to filter by name.

54 volcanoes shown
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Name Elev (ft) Elev (m) Type Status Last Eruption Coordinates Map
Questions & Answers

Oregon Volcanoes FAQ

Mount Hood is classified as dormant, not extinct — it last had significant eruptive activity around 1866. Scientists at the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory continuously monitor it for seismic activity, ground deformation, and gas emissions. While geologists consider a future eruption possible, there are currently no signs of increased volcanic unrest. Large eruptions of Mount Hood have occurred roughly every 1,000–2,000 years historically.
  • Active: Has erupted recently (within the last 10,000 years) and is likely to erupt again. In this list, Lava Dome and Glass Mountain (near the OR/CA border) are classified as active.
  • Dormant: Has not erupted in historical times but is not considered dead — could erupt again. Mount Hood, Newberry Volcano, and South Sister are examples.
  • Extinct: Has not erupted in recorded history and is considered unlikely to erupt again, typically because the magma supply has been cut off. Most of Oregon’s older Cascade peaks fall in this category.
Around 5700 BC (approximately 7,700 years ago), the massive stratovolcano known as Mount Mazama underwent a catastrophic eruption — roughly 42 times more powerful than the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption. The volcano’s magma chamber emptied so rapidly that the summit collapsed inward, forming a caldera nearly 5 miles wide and 4,000 feet deep. Over several thousand years, rain and snowmelt filled the caldera to form Crater Lake, now the deepest lake in the United States at 1,943 feet.
Yes — most of Oregon’s volcanoes are accessible for hiking, climbing, and sightseeing. Mount Hood has extensive trail networks and year-round skiing. Crater Lake is a National Park with a scenic rim drive open in summer. Newberry Volcano is managed as a National Volcanic Monument with lava tube caves and lava flow walks. McKenzie Pass offers a roadside viewpoint into Belknap Crater’s lava fields. Always check with the relevant land management agency for current access, permits, and safety conditions.
Oregon sits above the Cascadia Subduction Zone, where the Juan de Fuca tectonic plate dives beneath the North American plate. As the oceanic plate descends and melts, magma rises through the overlying crust to create the chain of volcanoes known as the Cascade Range. This process has been ongoing for roughly 35 million years. Eastern Oregon also has significant volcanism from the High Lava Plains, a hot spot track, and the Basin and Range extensional tectonics.
Despite the unassuming name (derived from the town of Boring, Oregon), the Boring Lava Field is a remarkable volcanic field on the doorstep of Portland. It consists of approximately 80 small shield volcanoes and cinder cones that erupted between 2.6 million and 27,000 years ago. Several of these — including Rocky Butte and Powell Butte — are within Portland city limits and are now public parks. The field is considered extinct, with no signs of future activity.
Yes — Oregon has several volcanoes considered active or capable of future eruptions. On land, Mount Hood is the most seismically active volcano in Oregon and the one most likely to erupt, while South Sister, Newberry Volcano, and Belknap Crater have all erupted within the past 2,000 years and remain closely monitored by the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory. But the most actively erupting volcano linked to Oregon isn’t on land at all: Axial Seamount, an underwater volcano sitting about 300 miles off the Oregon coast on the Juan de Fuca Ridge, is the most active volcano in the entire Pacific Northwest. It has erupted in 1998, 2011, and 2015, and Oregon State University researchers predicted another eruption by the end of 2025. When Axial does erupt, it poses no danger to coastal communities — the lava flows slowly underwater and there is no tsunami risk.
Mount Spurr is an Alaskan volcano, not an Oregon one — but it drew significant attention in early 2025 after scientists at the Alaska Volcano Observatory detected escalating seismic activity, ground deformation, and elevated volcanic gas emissions that suggested a possible eruption was likely within weeks or months. The alert level was raised to “Watch” (Orange) before activity decreased and the status returned to Green in August 2025 without an eruption occurring. Based on previous eruptions in 1953 and 1992, a Mount Spurr eruption would primarily impact Southcentral Alaska — depositing up to a quarter inch of volcanic ash in Anchorage, disrupting air travel across the Pacific, and potentially producing lahars (mudflows) on the volcano’s flanks. It is located about 80 miles west of Anchorage. Washington State emergency managers have confirmed that even a significant Spurr eruption is too distant to cause ash fallout in Oregon or Washington.
According to the USGS, Mount Hood is the Oregon volcano most likely to erupt. It has erupted three times in the past 2,000 years, most recently around 1865, and is the most seismically active volcano in the state — recording one to two small earthquakes per month near the summit. The USGS rates its threat potential as “Very High.” That said, scientists note that a future Hood eruption would most likely resemble its historical pattern: lava dome growth and pyroclastic flows on the southwest flank, rather than a violent explosive blast like Mount St. Helens in 1980. The probability of eruption-generated lahars affecting the Sandy or White River valleys within the next 30 years is estimated at 1-in-15 to 1-in-30. Newberry Volcano near Bend is also rated “Very High” threat by the USGS due to its eruptive history and proximity to populated areas, and South Sister has shown signs of ground uplift suggesting magma movement in recent decades.
The supervolcano drawing the most scientific attention right now is Italy’s Campi Flegrei, located beneath the port town of Pozzuoli just west of Naples. Over 500,000 people live within its eight-mile-wide caldera. Since 2023, it has experienced a significant increase in earthquake frequency and intensity — two 2025 quakes were described by scientists as the strongest ever recorded there — along with ongoing ground uplift and rising gas emissions. Italian authorities continue to closely monitor the situation. Campi Flegrei’s last eruption was in 1538; its largest prehistoric eruption, about 39,000 years ago, caused a volcanic winter across Europe. Separately, the Yellowstone Caldera in Wyoming remains a frequently discussed supervolcano, but scientists emphasize it has not erupted in 70,000 years, its magma chamber is largely solidified, and a catastrophic eruption in the foreseeable future is considered very unlikely — with any future eruption far more likely to be a lava flow than an explosive event.

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