Crack in the Ground

Located in Oregon’s Christmas Valley, Crack In The Ground is a unique, 2-mile volcanic fissure that makes for an amazing hiking location. A thin trail winds along the bottom of the crack, with walls on either side reaching as high as 70 feet. Be sure to dress warm, since the bottom of the fissure is significantly colder than the aboveground temperature.

here are numerous places where you can enter and exit the canyon. Most hikers walk through the canyon in one direction, and then back along the top. The landscape is stunning in both directions.

The trail begins at the Crack In The Ground trailhead, located in the Christmas Valley, southeast of Bend. To get there, take HWY 31 to Fort Rock Road, and then turn left onto the Christmas Valley HWY, which you'll take all the way to Crack In The Ground Road. From the trailhead, take a short walk following the signs to the Crack In The Ground.

Crack in the Ground is a super neat hidden treasure. It’s like an adult playground! (And for kids too of course) we got there around 5 on a weekday and we were the only ones there. If you’re in the area I’d definitely recommend it.

If you’re on Christmas Valley Hwy turn onto Crack in the Ground Rd and it’s about 7 miles back on that gravel road. You’ll know you’re there when you get to a little parking area with a tiny bathroom building.

The place where the crack in the ground is tagged and the actually sight is different. The trail is south west of the tag and off the beaten path.

Pretty amazing to walk through this. I would love if there were signs somewhere that talked about how it was formed. Definitely worth the drive into the desert. The temperature will drop about 15-20 degrees at the deepest parts. Wish I had spent more time there as I'll probably never be back. Of note this place is far off the beaten path. Besides being in the desert, you'll need to follow a "washboard" gravel road for several miles at which point you'll reach a small parking lot. From there you walk a quarter mile or so along a sand-dirt path. It'll pop out of nowhere.