Chaney Swiney

For me, the true wonder of Oregon is found in its astounding geographic diversity. From my apartment in Bend I can make day trips to landscapes and ecosystems representative of large portions of a continent, all converging in a tapestry of mountains, coast, lakes, high desert and more. Since this land became my adopted home, I’ve had the joy and privilege to explore much of its terrain, highlighting roads in my atlas as I drive to new trailheads, panoramic overlooks and the edges of wilderness.... More

In the Cascades of Southern Oregon, 6,173 feet above the Pacific Ocean to the west, a lake of perfect blue fills a void where a peak once stood. Roughly 7,700 years ago, a stratovolcano called Mount Mazama erupted cataclysmically, so enthusiastically spewing its contents that it gave away its foundation in the process. As the magma chamber emptied, the 12,000 foot peak collapsed in on itself, losing a mile of its height as it subsided into a caldera five miles across. Over time, this self-contained... More

It seems like most people don’t know about Steens Mountain, and fewer have been. Other mountains get all the attention in Oregon: Mt. Hood, the Three Sisters, Mt. Jefferson and countless other snow-capped Cascade peaks are the first summits that spring to mind when people think of the state’s high places. Steens exists in a land beyond most, and that makes all the difference. More