Obsidian is a favorite of mine so seeing the flow area was great fun. Easy walk to the base, then about 150 stairs to the next level, which is where we stopped. Additional climbing to the caldera, but we have done so many before, we opted to enjoy the view and the sun shining on the obsidian. Nice breeze, and a beautiful vista.

An amazing short hike to see the obsidian flow and how amazing nature is. It is a hike up the steps to the top, but well worth it.

While planning out our road trip around Oregon, I came across Bid Obsidian Trail on Google Maps. There was not a huge amount of information about it, but it looked amazing. I made it a place we could possible go, depending on how we were doing time wise that day.We were a bit ahead of schedule the day between Crater Lake and Bend, so we chose Big Obsidian over Lava Cast Forest as Paulina Falls was right there too. The drive out from 97 was very cool. There are a few pull-off that give excellent panoramic views that we stopped at. Once we made it to the trail, we couldn't believe the landscape we were looking at. There is so much obsidian and pumice and the trail snakes you up and down through it. The trial takes you though a little sliver of the flow, which is huge. Many square miles huge.The trail is a extremely rocky and uneven and climbs up and down the flow. The obsidian can be very sharp (it is glass after all), so it is not something you would want to do with mobility issues, We are are in our 50's and not exactly athletic, so it should be ok for about anyone that can handle to rocky paths.This is a place very much worth your time. Don't forget Paulina Falls down the road and there is Paulina Peak too (which we did not do).