East Lake is next to Paulina Lake just south of Bend. I brought my nephews to swim while I was…read morefishing from the shore. They had a great time playing out in the water. I had a few on and only reeled in one, but I was happy with my nice Kokanee. I tried different ways to interest the fish, but worms are what they really seemed to like. What I really didn't like about where we were had to do with people that had previously been there. We picked up quite a bit of broken glass. I wish people would respect the outdoors and everyone's right to enjoy it.

This lake is located in the Newberry National Monument. It is one of the two lakes that are located…read morein the crater below Paulina Peak. Both of these lakes have hot springs in them, but in my opinion, the hot springs at Paulina Lake are much better than the ones here at East Lake. But as with those springs be better in quality, you might find the East Lake springs to be less crowded. East Lake is a bit further away than Paulina, but very much worth the trek. Both of these lakes can be fished from shore or a boat. Sailboats are often found at these locations and make for some really stunning photos. You can hike the shore from around this lake and will have many photo opportunities if you are a fan of wildlife. All while hiking through this lake you can see the peaks from the Paulina Crater that constantly remind you, that you are traveling inside of an active volcano. If you have an interest in geology you need to come here and just soak it all in. Nearby there are cinder cones, shield volcanos, calderas, and obsidian lava flows all within a few square miles. If it's hot out and you need a break from the heat, this lake is a great option. Just remember to bring some cash for the fees and to respect the environment to avoid any tickets. Here is a link to the land management agency that manages this area. https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/deschutes/recarea/?recid=66159 Here is a link to some other information about this lake https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/deschutes/recreation/recarea/?recid=71988&actid=42

This was an ok trip but I had mixed feelings about it…read more Pros: The guide was nice (we had Lane), which made the ride more enjoyable. He knew all of our names before we even left the parking lot. The trail was in good shape from recent rain so a beginner would have no trouble participating. Cons: The email confirmation and website mentioned the bike shortage and that riders had to be a minimum of 4 ft tall with a 24 inch inseam but didn't really explain how to measure that, etc. Sure, I know what an inseam in pants is, but turns out an inseam measurement for bike riding is different. Would have been nice to know without having to look it up the night before and then worry my kid wouldn't be tall enough. Lots of standing around. We were on the 10-4 tour and though we arrived at 9:45 no one directed us to have our kids take the bike test to see if they could go and nobody got fitted for bikes until everyone in the booking had arrived. Then, the large 10 am group was split into two smaller groups and if you were in the second group, you had to stand around for 20 minutes killing time to give the first group a head start. Why not just stagger the starts and have a 10 am and a 10:30? From a customer perspective this sort of sucked. This was billed as a Mountain bike ride with waterfalls and slides, but it was more like, walking/hiking to see 3 waterfalls and then a very mellow 3 mile single track ride to finish. It would have been nice to sort people by skill or interest (shorter vs longer rides) as we definitely had some gung ho dudes in our group and some newbies like me. Two of the waterfalls (at least) were accessible via McKay campground, which was a little disappointing. I thought we would be off the beaten path, checking out a little known spot, etc. Overall, our young kids, 8 and 10 enjoyed it and had fun. It was their first time mountain biking. I'd rate the ride and scenery 4 stars but the administration and organization only 2 stars (I'm a fan of efficiency and customer service) , hence my 3 star rating.

Was excited to go. Day of the trip for our group smoke was heavy. Hazardous in fact. His terms and…read moreconditions explain that you must show up no matter what the conditions. From there the group will vote and you must conform to the group decision. We were the only ones who showed up. The owner, Todd, decided after getting various voice messages the day before and the morning of, but he would cancel the event. Great! No pick up the phone and call your customers to make sure they don't waste their time and come all the way out to the top of a mountain only to find your experience was canceled. He claimed to have sent a text in the early morning hours. But I didn't get it until after the fact. Oh well, not great but not terrible. Did waste a lot of our time driving out there on a horrific weather day for smoke. Talked to Todd personally later, and he said "no problem I'll give your money back." Refund it all of it except our deposit, then wouldn't answer the phone or return multiple calls. In my final message I reminded him of his neglect as a business owner and a conscientious honest human. Told him repeatedly he needed to refund my deposit, as there were no terms or discussion of anything other than a full refund. Really annoying to deal with business owners who aren't conscientious. Really detracts from your credibility. So here's the review I promise to leave you if you went another two weeks without returning my calls again. Gave you four chances Todd.

August 26-29, 2025 - La Pine, OR…read more We've stayed at La Pine Campground a few times over the years, and each visit reminds us why we keep coming back. The campground is divided into three loops, each with its own character. The North Loop offers water and electric hookups, with sites that are more widely spaced than the others--something I really appreciate. That extra room makes it feel quieter and more private, and it's probably where we'll book our next stay. The Middle Loop has full hookups, while the South Loop is the busiest, featuring full hookups as well as some cabins. . There are many hiking/cycling trails (dog-friendly), and the Deschutes River runs through the campground. There is a short hike to a waterfall, and a large dog park. Unfortunately, we were a bit restricted in our outdoor activities because of the smoke from the two fires in the area. There was actually ash falling on one of the days. Also, there had been several sightings of a mountain lion in the area, so that added a bit of caution to our activities. Nevertheless, we will definitely come back.

We just stayed one night, right before the campgrounds closed for the year. The grounds were nicely…read moremaintained, and we enjoyed a very peaceful and quiet stay. Some sites are fairly tight, while others had some nice room. The trails here were very enjoyable. Serene surroundings around the river and through the trees. We saw lots of deer, birds, and other critters scrambling about. I'm sure it would've had a slightly different feel during peak season, but we very much enjoyed our night and day of off season.

We went here twice during our stay at Sunriver. We were a disheveled group when we first arrived…read moreand the owner and his daughter were some of the nicest, helpful, and easy going people ever!! Blown away by the service and the quality of the items. Came back for more gear the next day because we knew the level of service we'd receive. Highly recommend!!

Convenient, affordable, and great service! We found this place last minute when we decided to…read moresnowshoe. I took a chance and called the number on Christmas Day, and they were working. The person on the phone was very accommodating and patient. We let them know when we were planning on arriving, and they said they would make sure the store was open. Snowshoe rentals were only $15 each, and they included poles, goggles, and a balaclava. I believe the snow pants and snow boots were also only $15 each. The teal pants were SO cute. The person in the store was also very patient and helpful. There was a cute little hot cocoa station that included marshmallows, tea, Vitamin C, and apple cider packets. The only things missing were candy canes! But they made up for it with sweet treats (sugar cookies, fudge, and more). While we were there, we realized that we forgot our hand warmers. The person overheard us and gave us some for free!! What makes this place so convenient was that it was 6 minutes from our AirBnb in Sunriver AND they have a return box outside of the store if we get there after hours! I was also pleasantly surprised that we didn't have to return the rentals under the next morning at 9:00. Will definitely come back for more rental needs!

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.

I love the vibe here. Cute & eclectic. Beautiful outside area with a comfy area inside the…read moreoutfitter bar. Bartender Zach is so charismatic & makes sure you're taken care of! Laid back & homey.

Came here with a family of 7 so we got our own boat but 1 person sat in the middle seat and didn't…read morerow. She didnt want to row so she was fine with that. The overall trip was fun but not the best I've done. We did a class 3 rapids and the beginning of the rapids was slow as in it took some time to get into the rapids. It was fine because our guide was nice and telling us about the surrounding lava rock. The guide was great at telling us what to do. He let people ride the bull and jump into the water if they wanted. I'm so glad we did this as a family activity.

Hunter was our guide and he was excellent. My two friends had no experience and he had them…read morecatching fish in no time. Very nice, very patient, and very knowledgeable. I highly recommend him!

What a beautiful day on the Crooked River. Tommy and John took care of 2 newbies and 3 repeats for…read morea fruitful day of fly fishing. We had a ton of fun and all felt like professionals by the end. Best guides ever!!!

It's a bummer this campground isn't nicer - it has so much potential!!…read more We stayed in June 2026 and the pool is definitely under construction. (No water in it and they just put up a new fence around it.) They have a playground which is nice, but it's just 4 swings (2 for babies) and a climbing structure. It looks like they took out 3 tennis courts and have 6 pickleball courts. They look pretty new and we had fun using them on our stay! The put-put golf course is still there, but it's looking pretty old. We did't notice anyone using it. There are baskets for a disc golf course, but I didn't see any info on it. I am guessing it's 9 holes. Maybe less? You can check out pickle ball racquets and balls at the office! They also have discs and golf clubs and balls. Just know you have to check out items before 4:30 when the office closes. This campground is quite large. Like previous reviewers the signage is horrible!! No directional exit signs, no loop signs on every loop entrance, and no obvious/easy to read signs with the site letter & number on it. It takes time to find your campsite! We were in loop K and we didn't like it a ton. There isn't a lot of trees/brush in between the sites like other loops and we had 3 other sites surrounding us. Pretty cool that it's on the Little Deschutes! When we arrived on a Friday night at 7pm, the office let us know that the water was off and would be on soon. We finally had water around 9:30pm! (I guess the water is an issue a lot - per other reviews.) I don't think we would stay at this campground again - but if they make some improvements, just its location would convince us to give it another try!

Need more signs for the exit and better more in view signs to get to your camp area and we had to…read moredrive around to find j camp loop. Saw people having a fire when there is a ban

So they have new reservation system and we were worried about it. When we arrived the spot just…read morewasn't going to work for us. Went back to the office and Kate was absolutely amazing. We just love her personality and just over all willing to help us. We will always be grateful for her willingness to help.

A person in the ranger hut that is not rude! Good Sam members are supposed to be able to dump for…read morefree at Good Sam campgrounds. Although they are listed as such, we were rudely turned away.

Three day, two night float, fish and camp on the Lower Deschutes with Josh and Glenn end of…read moreSeptember 2025. Money really can't buy such a trip, well worth it!!!

I'm out of state - big thanks to these guys for going above and beyond helping me get a gift for my…read moreson.