One of my favorite short hikes that my family and I have enjoyed for decades. Stunning views, safe…read moretrails, lots of hikers and cyclists, I feel safe here. One can make this a long hike, but I limit my hikes to an hour round trip--Benham Falls is the perfect weekend hike.

Beautiful falls and area to hike and bike. Porta potties at parking sight. Was not very busy. Road…read moreis bumpy and dusty. Trail to falls was nice, clean and easy to walk. Map of area located in the parking area. Had picnic tables on area and wonderful sound of the falls in the background. Recommend SUV or 4x4 due to pot holes. Would love to return.

This hike hit all the spots. Easy to get to from downtown. You get a nice river view. You get a…read morebridge. You get trees. You get sunlight if the weather is cooperating. You get a small park/playground area at one point and you get rocks and trees and nature and a few homes to look at too. Easy 3.5 miles walk around.

The Deschutes River Trail is super cool because you can walk, jog, or hike as far as you want…read more There are intermittent bridges where you can cross at different points. The landscape is beautiful because of all the shrubs with berries or the pretty flowering plants. The water in September is clean and clear. I didn't see any fish, but there were a few birds resting by the water banks. I liked that there were poles markers at different points showing the distance and a small map of the whole trail.

Beautiful place Lovely hike…read morePlenty of parking Quick wrkout Scenic Popular Would recommend Go enjoy! :)

The views from the top are unmatched! You can see the entire valley, and luckily on this clear day…read moreall of the mountains too!! We did the dirt trail and though there were parts that were steep, it was fairly easy to navigate in just our regular sneakers & jeans. There were lots of people trail running, many walking the paved path, it was such a fun way to get a look at the city.

It's been awhile since my last stay here. We love the yurts here. Easy access, they have heat, a…read morecouple of tables and beds, and it's comfortable. The fire pits are nice to but they cemented the bottom of them. They need to have more holes for air flow. Still I'm grateful to have those. Love the river trail as well. So beautiful! It's been awhile since we've been here. No snow this time but that's ok. Still peaceful and beautiful and not far at all from Bend.

Nice little state park. Well maintained. Crowded but quiet. Didn't have a lot of time to walk the…read moretrails but the ones that I did were nice.

The oath is well cleared so the walk is easy. It's about 100 paces from the parking lot to seeing…read morethe falls. And if you want to walk more it's a little less than half a mile to Paulina lake. Then you can go across the bridge and hike down the otherwise to see the falls from the other side. I don't think it actually loops all the way around unless you go even further.

Loved this spot! The falls were easy to get to. The upper view was an easy walk from the parking…read morelot. The lower view point required a little bit of hiking, but nothing strenuous. I would recommend some sneakers or hiking boots for the lower view.

Very beautiful lake. A short walk from the parking. Don't forget your parking pass. Very quiet and…read moretranquil.

Did an engagement session, winter 2019 and there were a ton of cars/people in the parking lot. We…read moredecided not to hike the trail since my couples were dressed up and didn't have the proper shoes to hike. We went down to the field and took pictures and found snow to do the rest of the engagement photos in. If you are looking for an intimate wedding or elopement photographer, please visit stunningportraitphotography.com

Shevlin park is somewhere we would visit every summer growing up when visiting family in the area…read more They have great trails, fishing, picnicking, and even slow spots where you can get in the water. Shevlin park has a teepee that you can check out and go inside of, they have more than one trail, good for bike riding, dog walking, fishing. I remember having picnics here as a kid and I still come back as an adult when in the area. They trails are low impact and fairly flat.

My mom friend and I were visiting from out of town. As we were visiting Dudley's bookshop, the book…read moreshop seller shared that we had to try hiking here. We absolutely love nature, and knew we had to try it. At first upon arriving, I feared there would be no parking at 11:00 a.m. However, the lot was only halfway full which was nice. The trails were laid out on the trail map a little ways past the shelter on the left, but there was a discrepancy between what the trail map said and the websites listed in terms of trail names and trail lengths. So, we decided to forge our own path. We took the main loop around. The conifer trees and contrast with the desert landscape were beautiful, and the creek shots were stunning.

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.

Great place for a peaceful walk…read more We love Riley for getting some exercise in a serene setting. There are a couple of loops running the upper perimeter of the ranch...flat and easy for anyone. Then there's the gorgeous canyon loop below, through the trees and along the river. Both are great, but canyon loop is my favorite, just a beautiful space...large boulders, sweet trees, and the constant sound of rushing Deschutes. Apparently you can take the canyon trail to Tumalo State Park, although we haven't done that yet. Love having this space for nature and animals. Although we saw deer on the way in, we didn't see any while inside, but we did spot lots of tracks...as well as lots of birds. Great preserve!

Riley Ranch is a wonderful nature area operated by Bend Parks & Rec that probably many Bendites…read moredon't know about yet. It hasn't been open long. - Scenic views of the Deschutes, where the river runs fairly fast and has carved a canyon through the lava. Above the canyon wall on the east side lies Gopher Gulch air field (private property). - Lots of riparian areas here. People are instructed to only approach the river at designated access points. There are several, so that isn't too much of a restriction. - Junipers and ponderosas abound. - Trails are easy walking on mostly level terrain in the higher elevation areas (Juniper and Sage Loops). Robin's Run is a short segment which drops down somewhat steeply but there are rock steps installed to make it easier. The Canyon Loop trails along the river are much like you'd encounter along the Deschutes River Trail south of Bend. - This is a well-marked hiking area. Directional signs at key intersections, a very good overall map at both entrances (and mini-versions on some intersection markers), river access points identified. - If you keep going north past the Canyon Loop, the trail will take you out of Riley Ranch and towards Tumalo State Park. Along the way is the confluence of Tumalo Creek and the Deschutes River, which is pretty cool. - There are a couple of old (~1900) cabins fenced off along the Canyon Loop trail (one is actually a short distance down the trail towards Tumalo SP). - A Bend Parks & Rec person was stationed at the parking lot on a Sunday to remind people not to bring their dogs. - Medium-sized parking lot. As Rick J suggests, maybe its not larger on purpose. There's certainly room for a bigger lot. Bend has a surplus of great in-town and nearby casual walking trails. Riley Ranch is one.

I had the pleasure recently of visiting the Bend area for the first time since I was a kid -…read moreincluding a day trip to beautiful Hosmer Lake for some canoeing! Set against the picturesque backdrop of Mount Bachelor, Hosmer is a popular, serene lake full of wild birds, lilipads, and great canoeing and kayaking. The weather was warm and the water was smooth as we glided the canoe across the lake and found a quiet spot at the far end to go ashore and do some exploring. Even though the parking lot was busy, the lake was big enough that we didn't feel crowded or like we were encountering other visitors at every turn. There's a small boat launch, decent sized parking lot, and a pit toilet here - as well as a campground (which we didn't visit on this trip). If you're looking to enjoy some watersports near Bend, I highly recommend Hosmer!

Loved it. Easy area to park and inflate kayak. The "lake" looks small from shore but it is really a…read morelong stretch of waterways through reeds that continue on and on until a larger area. You can decide how far you want to go before turning around. It was a great and interesting area to paddle. We could see large fish below at times and ducks, etc. Would definitely come back.