Pilot Butte is a cinder cone that was created from an extinct volcano located in Bend, Oregon.

[9] During the late Pleistocene, eruptions at Newberry Volcano produced voluminous basalt lava flows that extended into the area now occupied by Bend and Redmond.

[5] Pilot Butte erupted basaltic andesite, which underlies other lava flows dating to the Quaternary near Bend.

[10] There are four major faults in the Bend area, which run from the northern side of Newberry Volcano to 1.2 miles (2 km) north of the point where Oregon Highway 20 and 97 meet.

[14] Pleistocene activity produced highly porphyritic lava with 10 to 15 percent plagioclase phenocrysts reaching diameters of up to 0.20 inches (5 mm).

[3] The volcanic rock has normal magnetic polarity, suggesting that it was laid down after the most recent geomagnetic reversal about 780,000 years ago.

[17] The most common tree on Pilot Butte is Western juniper, which is sometimes parasitized by witches' broom mistletoe.

The property encompassing the lava dome and its summit park were donated to the state of Oregon by F. R. Welles, Kempster B. Miller, and Charles A.

[18] Foley was the leader of the local Elks lodge until his death in a 1926 automobile accident, and the summit park has a memorial tablet dedicated to him.

[19] Pilot Butte was named in 1851 by Thomas Clark, leader of the first party of European settlers to camp on the future site of Bend.

[22] A winding paved road spirals to the top of the summit, which is accessible by car during daylight hours but is closed in winter.

[23] Pilot Butte State Scenic Viewpoint includes more than 7 miles (11 km) of trails on the volcano.