An easy hike on Hoffman Island Trail

We did not find this in a book. We found this hike when we went to Lava Cast Forest. There was a hiker symbol, so we just Googled what was in the area. We had wanted to do Wake Butte Trail when we did Lava Cast Forest Trail, but didn't have the energy, so we went back today to do both Wake Butte Trail and Hoffman island Trail.

You can get to this trailhead by Exit 153 on Hwy 97 south of Bend, Oregon. You would stay to the left at the exit and then turn left. Go straight and follow the Lava Cast Forest signs. You make one right turn while you're following the signs. A few miles after the turn, you should be able to see a hiker sign to the right. Across the street from the hiker sign, is a small parking area that can fit a couple cars.

Here's the Lava Island. Exciting stuff eh?

This hike was about a mile out and a mile back. There was a gentle slope up which gave us a gentle slope back out. I did have to stop a couple times because I'm so incredibly out of shape. By the time we were done, my legs were not really happy with me. I was tired and getting cranky, but we've only been doing two miles or less lately and like no elevation. We had already done Wake Butte Trail earlier, and my calves were sore. The good news was that my back didn't really hurt.

The trail started off in the woods and then went through some lava and then went back to the woods. At the end, there is a sign that says you're at the end of the trail. If you turn right at the sign, you'll see the lava island. It's really not all that exciting. It's literally an island of lava. there are threes pretty much surrounding this thing. There was a pretty scenic vista with some snow capped mountains way off in the distance, but we both walked away from this one a bit disappointed. We should have known it wouldn't be all that great since it hasn't made it into any of the books we've read. It didn't even get mentioned with Lava Cast Forest. A lot of the books will say stuff like, "And if that wasn't enough for you, go ahead and add on this other short thing that's close by." This didn't get that. Live and learn! I'm glad we went just to see it, but I wouldn't suggest it to anyone else.

There were a bunch of Pokemon there. No PokeStops or gyms though. They were all Rock Type and Oddish. I actually got a Vileplume, which actually annoyed me a bit since I was deciding between using my candy for a Vileplume or the Bellossum or whatever it's called. I went for the Vileplume and now I have two and only 50 candy so I can't do the Bellossum. Oh well!

There are no bathrooms here, but you can go the extra mile up to the Lava Cast Forest trailhead if you need a bathroom and there's a Pokestop and a gym there. :)

I forgot to mention that I brought home a passenger when we left. We think it was from this hike since it was more foresty, but it could have been Wake Butte. We decided that it was an American Dog Tick and I don't think I'm getting Lyme Disease or a beef allergy, but I could still end up with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, some strange infection, or Tick Paralysis. Let's hope I don't end up with any of those! I'm just glad I was smart enough to take the pic so I could blow it up and decide what kind of tick it was so I could find out what kind of diseases I could end up with. We've got extended family members who got Lyme Disease and a beef allergy due to tick bites. It's been on the news lately too about ticks. BTW. I don't really think I'm getting Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, the strange infection or Tick Paralysis. I was, however, freaking out about the thought of getting Lyme Disease!