Location: Bend
Top Things to do in Bend
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What to do and see in Bend, Oregon (OR): The Best Nature & Parks
Only 21 miles from RDM airport, Bend is a natural playground for families and adventure travelers. Hiking and fishing along the Deschutes river, mountain biking and skiing at Mt. Bachelor are among the favorite activities. Enjoy award-winning restaurants or one of the nearly 30 breweries and pubs. Sunny weather compliments the many world class festivals and concerts. Bend is a great spot for family-friendly fun as well, from the High Desert Museum to ski areas with no fees for children under 12.
Restaurants in Bend
1. Deschutes National Forest
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 201 reviews
Encompassing more than 1.6 million acres of Central Oregon, this region extends for about 100 miles with a scenic backdrop of volcanic mountains of the Cascades.
Reviewed By pepevallejo
amazing place to visit with family or groups, nice views, good kids activity , clean and the gardeners work very hard to keep this area up to . at 100 %
2. Deschutes River Trail
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 58 reviews
A popular 10.5-mile mountain biking trail in Oregon's Deschutes National Forest.
Reviewed By CrankingChick - Tucson, United States
We stayed at a hotel adjacent to the trail and went out for a peaceful walk at sunset. The paved trail follows along the banks of the Deschutes River, so the scenery is great. It's suitable for wheelchairs and strollers and passes through Riverbend Park and Farewell Bend Park where there is a playground and some picnic shelters. We easily walked about 2 miles, crossing bridges over the river to go down both sides. There were a lot of people out walking or jogging and we saw people fishing, kayaking and paddle-boarding on the river. Waterfowl were abundant and didn't seem bothered by the company. The Mill District shopping area is right next to the trail; it would make a fun date night to have dinner at one of the restaurants there and then take a walk along the river.
3. Hosmer Lake
4. South Sister
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 87 reviews
Reviewed By 921adriank
I hiked to the top 7/18/20. It is a challenging hike. I recommend bringing hiking poles, lots of water, good hiking shoes, and sunscreen. I recommend starting early before it gets too hot. I arrived to the parking lot at 6:10 and it was almost full. This is very popular hike. It took me about 4.5 hours to get to the summit including few breaks that I took to have water and a snack. There are parts of the trail that has loose rocks. I noticed a lot of dogs. A lot of owners lacked trail etiquette. I could tell that too many poor dogs were struggling doing this trail but their owners did not care.
5. Deschutes River
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 253 reviews
Reviewed By jonc588 - Las Vegas, United States
Wide open park and river space (was there during beer fest!)...float down the river, surf on rapids and miles of walkways, with plenty of restaurants, pubs, shops and other distractions. Everyone seemed to have a great time...as did we!
6. Broken Top Trail
7. Hollinshead Park
8. Pine Nursery Park
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 4 reviews
Reviewed By klinoregon
City park made over a US Forest service surplus property, Has numerous baseball.softball and sports field, including two all weather soccer/rugby fields and all weather pickleball courts
9. Mt. Bachelor Ski Area
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 668 reviews
Offers twelve ski trails and ski clinics to help novice to advanced skiers.
Reviewed By 617JamesM617 - Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Our trip to Mt Bachelor was in late April 2021. My wife and I purchased the late-season pass, which was the best value we have ever found in over 40 years of skiing together. We had a great trip and we think that Mt Bachelor is probably about as good as it gets for a trip at this time of year. I If you are considering a trip to Mt Bachelor, you need to understand that this is not a typical destination ski resort. There is no lodging on or near the mountain. Most people who come from outside the area stay in Bend, Oregon, which is about 1/2 hour from the ski area. We did not find this to be a problem. We flew into Portland Oregon and rented a car and drove to Bend, where we stayed. The daily drive to the ski area was very pleasant. It is along a very scenic route. The road was bare and dry during our stay. The first thing you should do when planning a trip to Mt Bachelor is reserve your parking (easily done from Mt Bachelor's web site). Do not buy a resort pass, plane tickets or reserve a room until you have reserved parking. It is clear from other reviews that parking can be a major problem during the high season. However, during our trip, parking was no problem at all and we were always able to park within a 1-2 minute walk to the lifts. We skied from April 19-23, 2021. The first three days were wonderful, blue-sky days. The temperatures during the day were above freezing and we had great corn snow skiing, particularly on the side of the mountain with the most direct sun exposure. The third day was also a warm blue-sky day but it was a little windy. As a result, for much of the morning, they were only running two of the high speed chairs, the Sunrise lift near the parking lot and the Northwest lift, accessible only by hiking a considerable distance. We decided to stick with the Sunrise lift. It only has an 800-foot vertical rise. They slowed down the chair because of the wind. Also, because of the pandemic, most of the chairs were only loading two people. As a result, there was about a 10 minute line for most of the morning. A lot of people quit skiing because of this. Later in the day, however, they were able to open most of the other lifts. The afternoon was absolutely epic, with the best corn-snow skiing we have ever experienced. The final day was partly cloudy and colder and the runs were pretty icy, so we quit after only a few runs and went back to Bend. It was by no means a lost day, however. We used this opportunity to have lunch at one of the micro-breweries in Bend, and we also went on a nice hike along the Deschutes River. Despite the poor skiing conditions, we still had a great day. The vast majority of the mountain immediately accessible by the lifts consists of easy blue runs, and a few green runs. Most of the black runs below the summit chair are accessed from the Northwest chair lift. The resort does accurately state that there are runs off of 360 degrees of the summit (accessed by the Summit chair). Most of the black or double-black runs off of the summit are not groomed or regularly patrolled, so we did not ski any of these runs. There are several really nice blue runs off of the summit that are groomed. We usually skied these runs in the afternoon when the snow was softer. It was really fun to ski well-above the tree line on a dormant volcano! Everyone who worked on the mountain was very helpful and courteous. Also, they are taking all of the appropriate measures to protect their staff and guests during the pandemic, such as loading only families or groups traveling together on their quad chairs. To maximize your enjoyment on a ski trip to Mt Bachelor in the spring, you need to have realistic expectations and be flexible. Understand that you may be mostly skiing blue and green runs. Recognize that resort operations may be limited as a result of conditions, such as wind. Plan ahead for the possibility that some of your skiing days may not happen as planned. There are other activities in and around Bend to consider, such as hiking or fly fishing on the Deschutes or just walking around the charming downtown area and checking out their many fine restaurants. Our trip was not perfect, but it was still great fun, even on the day when we quit early due to icy conditions on the mountain. In the future, Mt Bachelor will be at or near the top of our list for a mid to late spring skiing vacation.
10. Sparks Lake
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 257 reviews
Reviewed By A1288HTallanb - Clackamas, United States
Center lake shallow, gets deeper as you paddle south. We have secret camp tucked away. Been canoeing since 70’s, spent 5 anniversaries there. Few fish at south end. Kids filled canoe with salamanders. Crowded now a day—get there early. Has ramp but so many people can not use ramp—I now have row boat on trailer. Camping around lake may not be allowed—stay at Elk or Hosmer
