Benham Falls: Biking the Sun-Lava Trail in Central Oregon

Looking for more to explore near Benham Falls and Lava Lands?
Hike the Trail of the Molten Land, or head south to check out Paulina Lake and the Big Obsidian Flow.

WE BIKED IT

August, 2025, around 45 minutes each way, plus an hour for picnicking and exploring near Benham Falls

CURRENT INFO

Information about the Sun-Lava Trail is available on TrailLink. Check the National Forest Service website for information about Lava Lands Visitor Center, which is part of Newberry National Volcanic Monument.

GOOD TO KNOW

• To park at the Lava Lands Visitor Center, which is part of Newberry National Volcanic Monument, you must either pay a daily entrance fee of $5 or use the America the Beautiful pass (or other national parks pass). You can purchase an annual American the Beautiful pass ahead of time online or at the Lava Lands Visitor Center. Day passes can be purchased at the center or from the automated ticket machines in the parking lot.
• Check ahead of time to see if you qualify for a free or reduced price pass — seniors, fourth graders and active military do! Fourth graders must print a voucher ahead of time to qualify.
• Flush toilets are available in the Lava Lands Visitor Center.
• Vault toilets are available at the Lava Lands Trailhead, the East Benham Falls Day Use Area and Trailhead, and the West Benham Falls Trailhead.
• A drinking fountain and water bottle filling station are available at the Lava Lands Visitor Center.
• Pets on leash are welcome.
• For a slightly more challenging ride, bike the unpaved trail from Lava Lands instead of the paved Sun-Lava Trail. This path branches off from the paved trail soon after you leave the Lava Lands parking lot. It meets back up again at the bridge crossing the Deschutes River near Benham Falls.
• You can also bike to Benham Falls from Sunriver Resort. The Sun-Lava Trail connects Sunriver with Lava Lands, with Benham Falls located between the two.
• For a shorter trip, hike or bike one mile from the East Benham Falls Day Use Area and Trailhead. This section of the trail is dirt, and although it is mostly wide and flat, there are a few brief narrow, rocky sections. You may prefer to hike rather than bike.
• The East Benham Falls Day Use Area has a few shady picnic tables for a lunch or snack break.
• For a much shorter trip, park at the West Benham Falls Trailhead. This small parking area is located near the short but steep downhill path to the Benham Falls overlook.
• Bring water, hats for shade, sunscreen, and bug spray. While much of the trial winds through ponderosa pine forests, sunlight easily filters through the trees. Bugs weren’t too bad on our visit, but this varies.
• Always follow Leave No Trace principles.

HIGHLIGHTS

No surprise here, the rushing waters of Benham Falls are the high point on this beautiful bike ride. While not exactly a waterfall in the traditional sense, the tumultuous rapids of Benham Falls are impressive. On this ride, you’ll see the dual personalities of the iconic Deschutes River: the raging ruckus of the falls as it squeezes through a lava rock canyon, and the languid river flowing peacefully under the wooden bridge just upstream.

THE KIDS’ TAKE

The paved Sun-Lava Trail is perfect for families. The wide, well-maintained trail is good for all abilities, although some may struggle with the uphill sections on the return trip to Lava Lands from Benham Falls. Gentle though these hills may be, they can take a lot of effort if you’re tired or not used to biking.

For kids (or adults) looking for some more challenging terrain, you’ll get a little taste on the dirt trail leading to the Benham Falls viewpoint. Of course, if you’d rather not plunge down a short series of switchbacks on two wheels (only to have to go back up again), it’s easy to park your bike and walk instead. Naturally, biking this part of the trail was the high point for my 14-year-old.

Another thing we love about the Sun-Lava Trail is that it connects so many other kid-friendly activities. Stop for a picnic at the East Benahm Falls Day Use Area, check out the exhibits at the Lava Lands Visitor Center, or hike the short Trail of the Molten Land. Young visitors can pick up Junior Ranger booklets at the visitor center and complete a range of activities to earn a badge. No matter your age, there’s plenty to explore at Lava Lands.

WHILE YOU’RE HERE

There is much to explore at Lava Lands and the Newberry National Volcanic Monument. We enjoyed a ranger talk at the Lava Lands Visitor Center prior to our bike ride, and hiked the short Trail of the Molten Land following our ride. You can also hike or take a shuttle bus from here to the summit of Lava Butte. For nearby food and drink, I recommend Century Commons Taps & Trucks in Sunriver.

Another popular option near Lava Lands is Lava River Cave. Please note that advance reservations are required. Unfortunately, I misunderstood the reservation system, and mistakenly thought we could get same-day reservations. Not so! Through the recreation.gov website, some tickets are available to reserve seven days in advance, while others are available one day in advance. If you wait until the day of the visit, chances are no reservations will be available. In 2025, these reservations were only available for visits from Friday through Monday. Lava River Cave is only open during the summer season.

What if you want to visit Lava River Cave on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday? Or if you want a guided tour? Well, when we went to the Lava Lands Visitor Center (on a Wednesday), we discovered that there is another agency that runs tours of Lava River Cave. As luck would have it, these tours must also be booked in advance. This information is pretty hard to find if you’re not looking for it, but fortunately I found it for you! Learn more and make reservations on the Discover Your Forest website.

Merely a five-minute drive north of Lava Lands, the High Desert Museum is well worth a visit. Allow several hours to get the most out of this fascinating museum, which includes a wide range of indoor and outdoor exhibits.

We visited this area while camping at LaPine State Park Campground. Located half an hour west of Paulina Lake, it’s a great home base for exploring. The park includes access to the Deschutes River, as well as beautiful hiking and biking trails. We enjoyed hiking the Fall River Falls loop. From LaPine State Park, it’s a half hour drive to the Paulina Lake section of Newberry National Monument, which offers great kayaking, the chance to hike through an obsidian field, a natural waterslide, and gorgeous views.

After spending a few days exploring the Paulina Lake area of Newberry National Volcanic Monument, we were ready to try something new: biking! Sunriver Resort in Central Oregon is well known for its paved bike trails, and I had a hunch that trail system extended to the Lava Lands Visitor Center. We could do a little exploring around Lava Lands, the other main area within Newberry National Volcanic Monument, then head out for a ride.

After arriving at the visitor center, we took our time looking around, and even caught a ranger talk on the terrace. My hunch about bike trails was also happily confirmed. All we had to do was head to the far end of the parking lot to join the Sun-Lava Trail, a well-maintained paved path leading to Benham Falls and Sunriver.

The trail starts off nice and easy through a forest of ponderosa pines. There are a few gentle hills, and we noticed that we were gliding effortlessly downhill more often than not. You know what that means — there’s going to be an uphill climb to look forward to on the return trip!

After a few miles, the Sun-Lava Trail met up with the road. Good signage marks the way to Benham Falls and Sunriver, so we did as the sign said and turned right onto the road. After crossing an overpass, another sign directed us to turn back onto a dedicated bike and pedestrian trail. We had just 1.1 miles to go to Benham Falls!

As we approached the Deschutes River, we passed a long line of bikes parked alongside the trail. This is the point where the paved path ends, and many visitors opt to hike the final stretch to Benham Falls on foot. We decided to keep riding.

The final stretch to Benham Falls starts with this beautiful wooden bridge crossing the Deschutes River. Here the river is deceptively placid, the calm water betraying no sign of the thunderous rapids that lay ahead.

On the opposite side of the bridge, the trail was unexpectedly rocky and narrow. It was also clogged with hikers, so I dismounted and walked my bike up the short hill to more level ground. I wondered if I would have to walk the bike all the way to Benham Falls just to avoid knocking into someone or bumbling over clunky rocks. Fortunately, the trail soon leveled out and I found myself biking down a smooth gravel path. The hikers, too, had spread out by this point, and the trail no longer felt congested.

As you would expect, we heard Benham Falls well before it came into view. The Deschutes River frothed and foamed defiantly in the canyon below, looking nothing like the docile stream we’d crossed only minutes earlier.

The trail led directly to a small parking area and vault toilet. This is the West Benham Falls Trailhead. From here, signs indicate two different routes to reach the Benham Falls viewpoint, one for hikers and one for bikes. The boys decided to do a little mountain biking, while we adults parked our bikes and headed down on foot.

Since I’ve already shared a photo of Benahm Falls above, I won’t include one here. Although more of a raging rapids than a typical waterfall, it’s magnificent nevertheless. From here, you can also head further downstream along the Deschutes. We wandered briefly along the riverside trail before turning back. By now, it was time for lunch, and the hunt was on for a picnic table.

We found one table alongside the trail near the West Trailhead, but were hoping to find something a little more secluded. Fortunately, after crossing the wooden bridge once more, we discovered a few shady tables tucked away in the woods at the East Benham Falls Day Use Area.

We lingered over lunch, then followed the Sun-Lava Trail back to Lava Lands. Although the trail isn’t steep, we definitely noticed the pedaling was harder on the uphill approach to the visitor center. My nine-year-old needed a few extra breaks, but we were in no hurry and made it back to the parking lot not long after the others.

Even with these minor challenges (or maybe in part because of them), it was an enjoyable ride for all, and a great way to round out a fun-filled day at Lava Lands.