Lake County

Jutting out amid the barren and flat landscape of the Oregon High Desert, Fort Rock in Lake County demands to be noticed. Standing 200 feet tall and nearly 4,500 feet wide, it is believed to be the result of magma forcefully rising to the surface of a prehistoric lake. Archaeological expeditions have also unearthed countless artifacts belonging to Indigenous peoples of the region, including the famous "Fort Rock Sandals" which have been dated to more than 9,000 years old—that's not just the oldest footwear found in Oregon, but the oldest on Earth.