In these days of mandated social distancing and closed parks & trails, neighborhood paths become…read moreattractive alternatives. Having walked every neighborhood street and urban trail near my house several times, I decided I needed to expand my horizons. So, Larkspur it is. Larkspur is a Bend Parks and Recreation District in-town trail running from Larkspur Park (where the Senior Center is located) north to Pilot Butte. The BPRD trail map suggests it also includes a section from Larkspur Park west along Reed Market road but that's just sidewalk action. If you do go that way, you'll connect with the Central Oregon Canal Trail near the intersection of Reed Market and American. Larkspur Trail is an easy, wide path that runs through neighborhoods but in such a way as you get a good feel for not being so much in the city. I also like it because there are many interesting properties along the way. In fact, if you walk the short offshoot near the south end of Craven Rd, you'll see an airport! Yep, Pilot Butte Airport (private) still operates in the neighborhood with small plane charter service using a very short runway. Urban trails - one of the good things about Bend.

Often, I feel like the east side of Bend gets left behind when it comes to recreational…read moreopportunities. That is until I discovered the Larkspur Trail. This trail takes you from the Bend Senior Center to Pilot Butte all with minimal road crossings. The trail takes you by a pretty little canal with some greenery and then by some neighborhoods. Once you pass canal you will be walking through a Juniper forest and mountain bike trails. I have not taken the biking trails, so I can't say if they were made by some random people or professionally built. The trail takes you through some beautiful little wooded areas and eventually back to some neighborhoods. There are plenty of fences to make the walk less awkward, and after a while, you will cruise through some apartments. I have seen a few suspicious looking characters here, so keep that in mind. After the apartments, you cross maybe two or three roads and then need to take the sidewalk west to reach the other part of the trail. From here you will head over to the Lava Lanes bowling center and take the underpass to Pilot Butte. If you live on the east side and want to jog or walk a beautiful trail without driving far, this is a great change of pace from Pilot Butte. Check it out for sure!

Bend has a lot of nice green spaces, Farewell Bend being one. Along with enjoying walks or whatever…read morealong east/south side of the river, this park has easy access to the other side (Riverbend Park) and south to the Deschutes River Trail.

Hike it up you know you wanna!…read more Coming here was just the start of the way to a trail that leads you down river and back up again as that's what was good on this given day! I'm going to keep this short and awesome as pretty much most of our time spent here was on the trail that leads you away from the park basically it was beautiful and full of just a mellow vibe that you so know you wanna hike about! Overall this trail wasn't too long and wasn't too short but it was a definitely a fun little adventure I'd do again!

This park is such a great place. It's part of the Deschutes River Trail. It covers over 15 miles…read morealong the Deschutes River, that pass through numerous parks along the river. And it also serves as the launching area for people SUP and tubing down the river itself.

Riverbend Park is beautiful and right next to the Old Mill District. You can float the Deschutes…read moreRiver here in the summer (season ends on Labor Day), and the views are gorgeous year-round. The walking path has signs that share cool history about Bend, which makes it fun to explore. There's also a dog park and a spot nearby to rent all kinds of bikes, so it's easy to make a full day of it. Sometimes you can even hear live music from Hayden Homes Amphitheater in the evenings. Such a great park to hang out, relax, and enjoy Bend.

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.

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.

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.

The Deschutes River Trail system in the Bend area comprises several sections, called 'reaches'…read more Starting from the Deschutes National Forest south of town heading north, they are South Canyon Reach, Old Mill Reach, Pioneer Reach, River Run Reach and Awbrey Reach. North of that is North Reach but that's outside Bend limits towards Tumalo. The trail system also includes non-Bend sections both to the south and the north, including a section all the way up at the Columbia River. All are worthy of a visit. This section - Awbrey Reach - runs north from Robert Sawyer park to the northeast side of Awbrey Butte, tailing away from the river as you go north of the Archie Briggs Canyon trail intersection. With all due respect to Christopher C (former Yelp Bend CM, who made it a mission to review tons of trails and waterfalls while in Bend), he has it a bit wrong in that the section of trail that runs along the Rivers Edge Golf Course north to Sawyer Park is actually the River Run Reach. But as Christopher writes, Awbrey Reach is a good biking trail - little used, wide and offers spectacular canyon views. The Deschutes River Trail is a jewel of Central Oregon.

This is chill hashtag super cool I went hiking here multiple times and the views are greatread more

We were excited to complete the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway and visiting Tumalo Falls was our first…read morestop. We visited in late September and the temperature was pretty perfect. Be sure to arrive early to grab a good parking spot. The lot is small and fills up very quickly. Once parked, we walked up to the viewing area and took in these gorgeous falls. They are located within the Deschutes National Forest and the falls head over a cliff face of 97 feet. Tumalo Creek continues down the mountain. We followed the trail up further and discovered more waterfalls which I believe are called Middle Tumalo Falls. I believe we hiked a total of 4 miles and we really enjoyed hanging out here. I love and seek water hikes of all types and this one just kept providing us a good time. It was a great way to start our day and prepared us for a whole day of experiencing the beauty of Central Oregon. Always remember when visiting these natural areas to pack in/pack out and LEAVE NO TRACE.

Beautiful Falls. We went to Tumalo Falls and Deschutes National Forest with our family (locals) and…read moreloved it. We started our hike at the trailhead just steps from the parking lot. The path is well-maintained and leads directly Tumalo Falls. It is incredible and cascades from a height of 89 feet. So impressive. The sound and power of the Falls is such an outstanding sight. It took us 2 1/2 hours-but it was worth every view. See you next year!