Skip to main content

What is the Crack-in-the-Ground in Christmas Valley, OR?




Another interesting geological formation in Lake County.

The Crack-in-the-Ground is one of the many geological attractions in Lake County, Oregon. Managed by the Bureau of Land Management, it has a small dirt parking lot with an on-site bathroom, a well-beaten path, and beautiful views.

The Crack-in-the-Ground is a volcanic fissure formed long ago and preserved in the high-desert surroundings around Christmas Valley, OR. There is a 2-mile-long hiking trail that runs through the formation that goes as far down as 70 feet below the surface; the average width between the stone walls is 10 ft.

Visitors will have to traverse a rocky dirt road that leads up the hills surrounding the basin area where Christmas Valley and Fort Rock are located. The parking area and start of the hiking trail are around five miles from Christmas Valley and 102 miles southeast of Bend. Once visitors are past the short, rocky, hundred-foot climb, they will be on a smoother dirt road that winds its way to the trailhead within a couple of miles — higher clearance vehicles are needed for the rocky area (a Subaru Outback works well). The elevation is 4,500 ft.

The basin area where the town of Christmas Valley is located doesn’t have many trees and is full of sagebrush, yet in the surrounding hills where the location is visitors will find mostly juniper trees and sparse forests mixed with sagebrush throughout the area.

The Crack-in-the-Ground is free for visitors and is usually not very busy. The temperatures within the opposing stone walls can get up to 20 degrees cooler than on the surface. This makes it a nice place to visit in the summer heat.



The trail is rated moderate by the BLM, as it sometimes requires traversing over large boulders and through tight spaces. The many cracks within the larger opening lead to visible openings many feet below the trail; these are interesting to observe yet could lead to dogs and children getting stuck and or falling into them.

The trail goes through two main cracks, allowing visitors to see the beautiful surroundings above. The middle and end intervals allow visitors to stop and rest, have a picnic, let the sun warm them, and/or rest in the shade of the trees. The view on top of the small plateau makes for good pictures.


If visitors want to camp, there is the Green Mountain Campground about 10 miles further into the area where there are six campsites, a toilet, and picnic tables. The campground is elevated above the surrounding area and gives a great view. Otherwise, there are many other dirt roads in the area where visitors can venture out and find camp.


The Crack-in-the-Ground is open year-round, yet the roads might be inaccessible with snow and wet weather. Overall, it is a great place to visit and find some respite from the hustle and bustle of city life and spend some time with family, friends, and dogs.

Originally published at NewsBreak


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

I will always stand for America

The united states of America is my home, it is where I have my citizenship in the State of Oregon. I left the unites states lower case because that is how it used to be before the federal government became more important than the states that formed it.  There are many reasons to want to leave America, yet the reasons not to are stronger. This is my country too, along with every other citizen. The difference between me and many other citizens is I love the good part about America, the essence of what it is.  Many citizens hate America and are working very hard to change it into something else; what they don’t realize is America is special because of those things they are trying to destroy.  Regardless of the haters, many people like myself still love this country, for what it is at its heart. We don’t want to change it into something that has proven to not work, we want to appreciate and enjoy it for what it is.  With all the wokeness, I’ve struggled to love America, as my perception of

A Guide to Winter Fishing on the Oregon Coast

When it comes to finding the perfect winter fishing destination, the Oregon Coast won't leave anglers disappointed. The mild weather coupled with an abundance of fishing locations and fish make Oregon's coastline a perfect place for winter fishing adventures. What's the Weather like on the Oregon Coast in Winter? The average temperatures in the winter on the Oregon Coast are around: high 51° F and low 42° F . Other weather factors include high wind gusts up to 80 mph and the bulk of the annual rainfall of 75" coming down from October to May. Basically, the wintertime weather on the Oregon Coast is rugged enough to filter out the fair weather visitors, yet mild enough to welcome anglers looking for some of the best fishing in the world without the crowds. Types of Fish to Catch and Where Weather is mostly a secondary consideration for anglers visiting the Oregon Coast; their first consideration focuses on the types of fish there are to catch. I

The Information Machine vs. the Creative Thinker

The AI-curated online world has created a new breed, yet some hold on to their creative uniqueness despite the pervasive trend. The stormtrooper gazes at the flower wondering with awe at the natural creativity found within it. The internet is conditioning human thought and behavior and creating information machines among us. These are humans who have given over to the influences of the hive mind.  The hive mind is the personification of the internet and the big data brain behind its user-friendly interfaces. The hive mind is the holistic sum of the digital age and the internet of things (IoT). On the other side of the human spectrum is the Luddite creative thinker who is detached from the influences of the hive mind, even though part of it in some measure.  The most important aspect of the creative thinker is they are not led by the influences of the hive mind, at least not overtly and consciously.  The information machine-human is keen to know the secrets of the hive mind; they obsess

NewsBreak vs. Medium/30-day Comparison

February was the first month for me being monetized at NewsBreak and the second month for Medium. The results are in and they are drastically different. In this article, I’ll share the details and some thoughts about them. To make this easier with how both of these writing sites show stats, let’s compare the stats from Feb. 4 to March 4, or the last 30 days. NewsBreak Articles: 20 Views: 60k Likes: 1,104 Money made: $440 Medium Articles: 14 Views: 1,734 Claps: 124 Money made: $10.75 ----------------- Although my Medium account goes back to August 2018, I’ve only started seriously writing there since early Dec. 2022 (three months ago). I started writing at NewsBreak in late Dec. 2022. Here are some stats on my overall efforts at these platforms: NewsBreak Followers: 803 Articles: 44 Medium Followers: 417 Articles: 69 -------------- While I’m grateful for any money made on both platforms, the difference is fairly drastic. NewsBreak is a place where you can actually make decent money for