Belknap Crater, Shield volcano in Linn County, Oregon.

Belknap Crater is a shield volcano in Linn County, Oregon, with a broad, gently sloping summit built up from layer upon layer of basalt lava. The flows that poured from its vents hardened into dark, rocky ground that covers a wide area around the crater.

Belknap Crater was built by four confirmed Holocene eruptive periods, forming the shield and its vents in under 1,500 years. The last episode ended about 1,500 years ago, and the German source dates the final eruptions to roughly 800 BC and about 480 AD. The USGS Volcano Hazards Program considers another eruption unlikely soon.

The place holds meaning for its connection to huckleberry gathering, an activity that shaped how people moved through this landscape for generations. Local trails today follow routes that indigenous peoples once walked during their seasonal harvests.

A parking permit is required at the trailheads that lead up the slopes, so it is best to sort this out before arriving. The terrain is rough basalt, so sturdy footwear is important for any walk on or near the crater.

As lava flowed through the old forest, it wrapped around the trees and hardened, leaving hollow molds in the rock where the trunks once stood. These tree molds, still visible today, show exactly how the molten rock moved across the ground.