Crescent lies in central Oregon in the heart of the 1.6 million acres of the Deschutes National Forest. One of the Forest Service’s three visitor centers lies in the community.
Planning a visit? Stay at Hoodoo’s Crescent Junction.
One of the most popular attractions in the region is Newberry Crater National Volcanic Monument. The crater is the cone of a still very active volcano. NASA sent astronauts to the rugged black lava-covered landscape to train for walking on the moon. A five-mile paved path traverses Lava Lands today or you can walk the Trail of Molten Land. Elsewhere, self-guided tours explore a mile-long lave tube in Lava River Cave. The Deschutes National Forest also has mapped out three scenic drives.
Neighboring Gilchrist was the last lumber company town in Oregon until the processing of Ponderosa pine trees stopped in the early 2000s. Frank and Mary Gilchrist bought 100,000 acres and started the town in 1938; the Gilchrist Timber Company painted all the 120 houses and other buildings a deep shade of brown. Crescent and Gilchrist combined to provide workers a resort-like atmosphere in the woods that can still be felt today.
