Scenic Drives:
The Outback

 

See other Southern Oregon scenic drives

1	The Shadow of the Cascades
2	Fort Rock State Park
3	Paisley
4	Goose Lake State Recreational Area
5	Summer Lake Wildlife
6	Rim Shot
	Estimated travel time: 4 Hours

From Highway 97 (La Pine) take Route 31 to Fort Rock State Monument (seven miles off Route 31). Fort Rock is the remains of a volcano that rises 325 feet above sagebrush plains reminiscent of the Australian Outback.

Continue south on Route 31 to Picture Rock Pass. Area is named for the ancient Indian petroglyphs located a short walk from the highway.

Next stop is Summer Lake Wildlife Area. Beyond the lake is the town of Paisley. Continue on Route 31 until it joins Highway 395. The horizon is dominated by Abert Rim, a 30-mile-long fault escarpment rising 2,000 feet above the desert floor.

Lakeview, Oregon’s ”tallest town” at 4,800 feet, is next. The byway ends at New Pine Creek and Goose Lake State Recreational Area, a full-service RV Park.