One of the reasons I love my neighborhood - the river is right here, with easy access to the…read moreDeschutes River Trail. Small park, nice footbridge over the river, a few areas to explore on either side of the river, a bench to sit on and watch the rapids. There is a very small parking area at the end of 1st Street. Otherwise, you're on the street.

This is a little spot at the First Street side of the Deschutes River Trail that goes between First…read moreStreet and Mt. Washington. Picnic tables and trash cans. A spot for a picnic, or meeting place before strolling along the Deschutes River. Beautiful location, great views, right on the water. Nothing fancy. No facilities. Street Parking in the neighborhood.

A beautiful park right here in downtown Bend. What seems so far away is within walking distance if…read moreyou are anywhere close to downtown Bend. Lots of space to throw a blanket and chill. You can put i. to float here as well.

Drake Park has a lovely walking trail as well as water access, restrooms, picnic tables and large…read moregrassy areas. There is alot of street parking (4 hour max). There were people floating on paddle boards, there could be some good fishing within as well as alot of crayfish. There are beautiful homes along the waterfront as well as some resturants and downtown access from the parkway.

This is my favorite park in bend great views great people great trails great playground great grass…read morespace great everything best park ever!

I love this place so much I would spend all day here in the summer. It's beautiful with great views…read moreand in a nice neighborhood.

We'd been to the other falls along Conklin Rd but missed Lava Island so we stopped by Saturday…read moremorning to check it out. The road down to the trailhead is rough, but so were those to the other falls. There's a turn around and parking near the water, with a picnic area at the day use and restrooms at the ramp loop. Unfortunately the trash was majorly overflowing at the day use...instead of carrying out apparently lots of people chose to just pile their refuse and dog poop bags around the full trash can. Real bummer. Luckily a good citizen must've had a bag on them, and by the time we returned to our van someone had sacked much of it. Thank you! The trail along the water to the falls is very pretty. You can't actually see the falls without doing a bit of climbing around the lava rocks. The falls aren't anything spectacular here, especially compared to those further up the road/trail. But the river is still very pretty and the surrounding area peaceful and lovely.

Lava Island is one of the many day use hiking and walking areas in the Deschutes National Forest…read more Located quite near Bend, Lava Island is accessed via Dillon Falls Rd, which intersects the Cascade Lakes Highway right at the ranger station. Just past Widgi Creek golf course and Seventh Mountain Resort. The trailhead parking area is not far off Dillon Falls Rd. The area is so named because of the island formed in the middle of the Deschutes River by a lava flow. The river was diverted by the eruption and now flows on either side of the island. There seems to be no 'official' access to the island, I got over from the main trail using a fallen tree. Even if you don't cross over to the island (which is pretty cool), the trail - part of the Deschutes River Trail - from the trailhead north is very scenic and quite easy to walk. You can also go the other way on the trail towards Big Eddy and Dillon Falls. The north trail direction quickly takes you to Lava Island falls where the river splits around the island. You can also see the Arnold canal/trough, a hundred year old irrigation canal that siphons water from the river. Super convenient to Bend, super nice easy hiking.

Nice view of the river and falls. Not very high but still beautiful. Would not recommend to lower…read morecars. I took a midsized car and encountered several locations that we bottomed out, muddy and or dusty area. Had porta potty at parking area. Near is addtional walking areas. Wear appropriate shoes since can be slippery. Area also looked like a tent camping place. No tents were in area. Possibly off season. Would like to return.

This is part of the Deschutes River System / Deschutes River Trail, which has its own listing…read more However, Dillon falls really deserves its own listing because there's parking nearby and you can treat it as a stand-alone destination. It's also listed on Google Maps as its own destination. The falls are glorious. This is a real gem of a spot. There's a couple of small parking lots nearby. It doesn't take long at all to walk to the falls - they are only a couple hundred feet away from the parking. There's also a bathroom that is maintained incredibly well. It's super clean. Check out the beautiful Ponderosa Pines on this land while you are on your way to the falls! The Deschutes River is incredibly beautiful. This spot is magical because above the falls it's quiet and serene. The falls themselves are loud and boisterous, a high energy feeling. Barely saw any people here. The few that I did see were walking dogs, fishing, etc. If you're looking for beautiful waterfalls to check out in the area, while Dillon isn't the biggest you've ever seen it's really pretty and worth the very short walk it takes to get there from the parking lot. Only downside... and it's non-negligible... the roads going in are amusingly atrocious. Like really really bad. I've never seen so many potholes in my whole life. I'm not docking any stars though, because it's still just so beautiful I don't care. Worth it anyway.

Great scenery and hiking! We really enjoyed this park and all the history, colors of the hills and…read morehiking. It's a fun day trip from Bend, Oregon. The trails are easy to slightly moderate with views that will wow you around every curve. The facilities are limited so bring your water, lunch and probably some toilet paper!

Bend has many great hiking opportunities what with the Cascades range to the west and the Oregon…read morecentral volcanic area to the east. One of these is the Oregon Badlands Wilderness Area, located about 20 miles east off Highway 20. The Badlands is a 30,000 acre tract of BLM land that offers several trails that will take you into scenic lava formations and ancient junipers. It's a wilderness, so there isn't much out there except that, which is cool. There are a bunch of larger lava outcrops in the interior that you can hike to, including the Flatiron Rock. The Flatiron is accessed via a ~3 mile mostly flat easy trail from a trailhead right off Hwy 20. Or you can get to it from the Badlands Rock trailhead located off a short road north of Hwy 20. Google Maps will show all you need to know in terms of trail locations. It's right outside Bend. Go. Hike.

We tried to pick something active and fun each day and one of the highlights was Tumalo Creek…read moreTrail. Depending on the season you're visiting, it's a different experience. In the winter when it snows, the parking lot is much farther away with the main road blocked off. The parking in this area is small, making it a challenge to find a spot on busier days. From this parking it's a few miles to the falls; about half way there you'll walk through the summer parking area. Even with the packed snow, it was a relatively easy hike as we saw families with little kids making it to the end. When you get close, there's a switchback trail up to viewing points overlooking the falls at various elevations; it's worth it going to the very top to see spectacular views of the valley you just walked in. There is a public restroom near the base of the falls, but it's closed when the summer lot is so don't expect facilities. Taking it easy, we spent about three hours here up and back with a break at the top. You really feel remote and far away, even though it's only a short drive from Bend. If you're a fan of hiking, this is worth your time.

In A Nutshell: -If…read moreyou are looking for fun, easy hike then Tumalo Creek Trail is a good one to do. -Parking was pretty easy, my advice is to drive all the way to when the road stops, look for a spot, if you don't see one, no worries, you will have noticed the many turn outs where you can drive back to & park, then walk back. -The trailhead has a bathroom facilities, a map & garbage cans. -There's also an immediate treat at the trailhead where you can pose for photos w/ the Tumalo Falls as your background. -After your Instagram selfies are taken, you can then begin walking the Tumalo Creek Trail. -The hike is very easy & moderate uphill. -Bring snacks & water. -In mid-June 2022, there was still evidence of snow, which is cool. Overall, this is quiet hike w/ beautiful views!

This place is clutch. One of the best courses in Oregon. This is my favorite course I have…read moreplayed. This place has multiple things to offer. Per friendly, sports complex, hiking, disc golf. It is absolutely amazing.

Love this park. Good fishing for the kids, sand volleyball, pickleball. Great walking paths and I…read morelove the little patch of tall grass. Great spot to watch a sunset and let kids run around