Off the beaten path: Balancing act - Window on the West - Deschutes National Forest's balancing rocks - Brief Article

Sunset, March, 2002 by Bonnie Henderson

> In the canon of improbable-looking landforms, Balancing Rocks in central Oregon's high desert is a standout: flat stone caps teetering atop rock columns, as if patiently placed there by ancient hands. Ash flows some 6 million years ago left a thin layer of hard rock, or tuff, on a base of softer rock; centuries of assault by wind and rain left chunks of the harder rock intact but eroded most of the softer rock below "What I think is so cool about this," explains Deschutes National Forest geologist Larry Chitwood, "is that after the capstone falls off and crashes down on the slope below, it lies there and the whole process begins again."

Forest rangers don't hand out maps to Balancing Rocks--what took millions of years for the elements to accomplish could be undone within hours by a vandal. Travelers determined to see Balancing Rocks won't let a little exploring stop them, however--especially where lovely views of the Cascades and Lake Billy Chinook offer rewards of their own.

The rocks are located in Deschutes National Forest, east of Cove Palisades State Park. This area lies 24 miles northwest of Redmond, Oregon, off State 97. For more information, call (541) 549-7700 or visit www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon.>

COPYRIGHT 2002 Sunset Publishing Corp.

COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group