The Deschutes National Forest is one of our favorite places on Earth and if you're unfamiliar with…read morethe many roads, trails and attractions, this is the place to start. Located conveniently off Cascade Lakes highway just a few miles outside of Bend.

Tam McArthur Rim appears on many 'must do' lists for Central Oregon hiking trails. Rightfully so…read more It's spectacular and accessible. Clocking in at about 6 miles round trip from the trailhead to the rim overlook, the trail gains some 1300 feet in elevation, so it's not easy. More like moderate. The trail can be negotiated with pretty much any athletic shoes. There is a steep section near the beginning and also somewhat near the end. Although it's fairly well marked and apparent, the trail does split in two during the second half and it's not apparent which path is the 'officail' one. It doesn't matter we took the rim-side path going up and the other one coming down. I suspect one may be designated the horse trail (a horse trail joins TMR along the way). From the rim you'll get great views of the Three Lakes area below as well as the Cascade Range volcanoes. When we hiked, the fires in the region caused limited visibility but Broken Top and the Three Sisters were nicely in view, as well as Bachelor looking the other way. Being super popular, I expected a lot of traffic on the trail even on a weekday. Not so much. we saw maybe six other groups/singles and had the overlook to ourselves for a good half hour. The trail continues on to Broken Top but even if you're not doing that, do hike a bit further along the rim (a few hundred yards) - there's a loop that comes back around to the trail to Three Lakes. This is a lightly shaded trail. You'll be among the trees for a good bit but more often you'll be exposed to full sun. As always with area hikes, check out Chris C's review too.

This is a must go trails if you are looking for a view of the mountains without actually climbing…read moreany of the actual mountains. Things to note, depending on the time of year you go, the parking may be snowed in, there might be a lot of mosquitoes, and you may get fairly sunburned if you do not wear sunscreen. This trail starts out of three creeks lake parking lot. It is a pretty steep incline to start out as you approach the actual rim. Once you reach the rim you can start to ge t a good view of the lakes in the area to the east. Then the trails gets fairly flat and you start to follow a cliff that has a massively steep drop off so be careful. As you walk along this cliff you are treated to one of the most breathtaking views of the three sisters mountains in central Oregon. Depending on the time of year you are hiking you will encounter many snowfields that are quite a sit themselves. If you are a photographer looking for shots, be sure to wake up and leave early as the sun approaches this area fairly quick. This is one of my favorite hikes in central Oregon and I'm always back for more! Here is a link to the land management agency that monitors this area https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/deschutes/recarea/?recid=71841 Here is a good website with navigation and distance for the hike http://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/oregon/tam-mcarthur-rim-trail

Cool 1/2 mile interpretive trail set amid a wildlife preserve. While you can't venture further into…read morethe valley without permission, taking in the views from the rim trail or from this preserve location while getting to learn about its history is worth the visit. The trail is short, flat, and well-maintained...easy for anyone. They have interpretive signs along the route, as well as beautiful trees and wildlife. While there for only 1/2 hour or so we saw loads of birds, turkey, and a buck wander by. It's a brief stop, but easy to get to from town. They have a handful of parking spots and a porta potty. Peaceful and lovely spot...so appreciative it's there for wildlife!

I think I walk this trail 3-5 times a week! It is the best trail to chill out or walk your dog. You…read morestay within city limits but escape the noise and busyness of it all! First off. NO SWIMMING IN THE CANAL. I am not an expert but I think that might be drinking water??? Someone fact check me. Also all of the bridges are blocked underneath so if a lonely tourist decides to try and float the canal. They will get stuck under a bridge and no one will see or hear them again. Ominous right? But don't do it. Otherwise, very very lovely trail and I enjoy it immensely.

An in-town walking trail running from about the intersection of Reed Market and American to the…read morewest side of the parkway south of Blakely Park, the Central Oregon Historic Canal Trail (also referred to as the Central Oregon Canal Trail but the trail markers include the word 'Historic') is one of the many maintained by Bend Parks and Recreation. As such, it connects (or comes close to connecting) to other trails - the Larkspur Trail on the east side, and the Deschutes River Trail to the west. The trail is improved gravel and affords easy walking. With several inches of loose gravel in some areas, I'd say it isn't the best biking trail but maybe some like it for that anyway. One of the great features is an underpass that gets you across the parkway without dealing with the parkway itself. One of the drawbacks to the trail is that it runs alongside or near Reed Market for a good ways and that means traffic noise.

I found the preserve on articles when researching where I could check out larches as they turn…read moreyellow. We'd been hiking around Camp Sherman before, but didn't even know the Metolius Preserve existed. There are 2 trailheads, North and South, each with parking. We chose to park at the North Trailhead, as we'd chosen to take the Larch Trail this day. There's a good amount of parking, and nice gravel roads throughout. Trails and trail intersections are signed well. The 10 miles of trails here are for hikers and bikes, although we only met a couple of each while there. The Preserve grounds are very pretty and serene. Gorgeous trees and fall colors (including turning larches) abound, as well as birds and the occasional critter in the brush. Everything we encountered while there was well-maintained and clean. Can't wait to check out the other trails.

This is a great paved path that takes you out of town. This path travels along the Deschutes River…read moreand parallels Colorado Drive for the first part of the trail. As you start to leave the urban areas out of town, this trail will take you out to Forest Service land where you can link up to the Phil's trail Complex via the COD trail. The path itself starts on the top of an old canyon allowing for some great views of the Deschutes River and the Old Mill District. I always take this path when I am heading to school from the Old Mill. There are a couple side trails along this path once you get to the bend in the Deschutes River that are definitely worth stopping and checking out. The view at these trails is unique and perfect for a panorama shot. The view is on top of some interesting rock faces and can be a great way to scout how busy the river is in the summer. If you happen to be staying in the Old Mill District, this path is a great way to kill some time with some great views of Bend.

I came here to see the source of the Metolius and was blown away by how well done they've made this…read morespot. Big parking lot, a beautiful paved path through the forest with a really nice rustic wood fence along the entire stretch. Takes you right to the source, which you can kind of see bubbling up out of the earth through the trees. There's also a nice view of the river with a snowy mountain (Jefferson?) in the background. I don't know that I need to come back, but I'm really glad I stopped by.

I'm a big fan of the Metolius River, it's just a stunning place for a hike. We didn't pull off to…read moresee the head last time so we decided to when passing through this weekend. While the air of mystery associated with the head is very cool...the river seems to appear from nowhere...the actual visual reward once there in person was definitely underwhelming. It's a very nice trailhead with lots of parking, picnic tables, and toilets (which were very clean). A short, paved, flat walkway takes you directly to the head. I'm not sure what I expected to see, but there's honestly nothing to take in. Maybe it would've been better to leave the head of the Metolius as a mystery! :) It's an easy find and a peaceful leisurely stroll to the head, but one and done. Save your time with this and just hike the beautiful river instead!

An absolutely amazing set of bike trails. We rented bikes at Pine mountain sports and brought them…read morehere. There were tons of beginners trails that were very well-maintained. I really liked that there were lots of one-way sections, as a beginner it was nice to know that no one was going to come around a corner right into my bike. There is also a ton of signage so I always knew where I was and how to get back to the main parking lot. I can't recommend checking this place out enough!!!!

Great place, clean and nice smelling toilets (if there can actually be something like that)…read more Love the pumper course and all the trails. My wife, son and I road well over a 100 miles while here for 5 days and loved it. Must ride up to lower whoops. Phil's trail is great for beginners (though it might test you in a few areas). Tyler's and funner are amazing as is tiddlywinks. We will back.