A breathtaking hiking trail west of Bend. Lava Cast Forest is in the depths of Deschutes National…read moreForest. Since it's a relatively recent lava flow, one can see how the molten rock encased the Ponderosa pines. The lava preserved the casts of the majestic trees, leaving behind a ghost forest of sorts among the volcanic Cascade mountains. Signs along the path describe the dramatic geological history. It's in a pristine part of Central Oregon, a breath of fresh air not far from the growing city of Bend. Be sure to bring plenty of water&snacks for the trail. Worth the time&effort. Beautiful!

This is a unique trial that takes you to a lava flow that has giant casts of Ponderosa Trees in it…read more It is south west of Bend and located in the Deschutes National Forest. Here this trail does a loop and has some interpretive signage that explains what happened. Basically, when the lava flow that you are looking at started to destroy the forest is cleared many things in its path. But for some reason, there were some large Ponderosa Trees that did not get taken away. They were so thick that the lava just flowed around them and left them where they were. When the lava flow cooled and hardened, it hardened around the trees. Of course, a few years after the lava hardened the trees died and eroded away leaving these giant casts in the lava. You can actually fit your entire body into many of them and see just how crazy it must have been to see back in time. Here is a link to a website with more information on this trail. https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/deschutes/recreation/hiking/recarea/?recid=38390&actid=50

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

Open swim: Weekdays: 2p-530p…read moreWeekends: 1030a-530p What a fun indoor pool for guests/homeowners at Sunriver Homeowners Aquatic Recreational Center! Here on a family vacation for the holidays, there is no snow this year, so having this indoor pool to pass the time was great. We were the first in for the weekday rec swim time (2p-530p) and found into be clean and warm. The dreaded indoor chlorine smell wasn't bad either. As a bystander, there were ample loungers and benches around the pool to find a spot. The volley net and basketball hoop were up. A fun swirling whirlpool section was popular. The lap pool remained open for open swim, or to distance from the busy play and heavy splash areas once it got busier. The outdoor hot tub was running and steaming for those who wanted to be outside. A small slide for 48" and shorter was also a hot spot. Life jackets were available for free use, and lifeguards were actively patrolling the pools. Rec center also has meeting rooms, living room, café, and full locker rooms. Not to shabby!

The "water park" is the smallest lazy river ever seen by man, they are understaffed and overcrowded…read moreevery single day. And the Sunriver homeowners association is the most corrupt form of governing body on earth. I wouldn't recommend buying a house here because of them they are terrible and have surplus every year and never cut a check back to the homeowner and find random things to spend money on. They want even more money for a new recycling center, which got voted down and now they are making the current recycling center more difficult to use so it gets voted in eventually. Fire everyone who has any power and re do the entire organization it is sickening

Paid $120 for a family of four to go in. 30 minutes later they closed the pool due to…read morethunder/lightning concerns. No refund or option to transfer wrist band to the next day. Pool never reopened due to weather. Will stick to the cove from now on...

I confidently give 5 stars! Here's why:…read more To preface, yes it's expensive...(currently $30 per person) so $120 for our family of four today. But I found the value to be worth it. I'm the most anxious parent of all time, always holding my kids' hands and never taking my eye off of them..a public pool and large waterpark like this would normally be my worst nightmare. However, I felt so relaxed and comfortable here, which for me is priceless. The design of the space is open and gated and you can watch your kids from any point..the amount of staffing here is above and beyond. There are many lifeguards and staff keeping everything safe and organized. Everyone we encountered was super friendly and helpful. We took a break for lunch and for poolside food it was satisfying enough. Nothing amazingly notable, but nothing to complain about either. There is a great variety of stuff to do here. They've jam packed so much here, there is something for everyone. We saw babies playing in the baby area and elderly folks enjoying the lazy river. Between the indoor and outdoor pools..you've got a lazy river, water slides, basketball, volleyball, splash pad, floating obstacles, hot tub, whirlpool, etc. They even set up corn hole, and then later a live concert right outside in another field. Something to note is there are many more people than there are chairs, and there really isn't a lot of shade here besides a few umbrella'd spots that get snagged instantly. While you bring your own towels, it is smart to also bring your own chairs & little pop up tents/umbrellas if you can. There's a ton of grass space to set up your little spot for the day. We've loved our first family vacation at sunriver and this made our last full day a fantastic one. The perfect end to the perfect trip and we will definitely be back!

It was a beautiful drive. It is run by a contractor so no park passes are accepted. I think $12 is…read moretoo much, something around $5 would be more acceptable. There is a 2 hour time limit, I think that is annoying (they mark the time on your receipt that goes on the dash of your vehicle). The parking area is tiny and the chalk lines are far too narrow, difficult to put a normal size car in the lines let alone a truck. There are a LOT of rules. Can't do this, can't do that... on and on. But oh, you don't have to wear clothes. It's just over controlled. There is a really gross toilet at the springs -some sort of belt driven system, yuck, a pit toilet would have been better. There were 26 people there when I got there and it felt crowded. I can't imagine the 50 people they allow, that would be ridiculous. The water was nice and warm. I wouldn't rush to go back.

This is a clothing optional Hotsprings, we learned this the hard way after driving 5 hours my…read moregrandson was not so pleasantly surprised lol. So we immediately left..our bad. Oops....But the host was so friendly gave us recommendations on when to come back without him. What the best times are and nearby campgrounds. $12 a person 12 and up. Short walk from the parking lot up to the springs. Pack it in pack it out, porta pots in the lot. We will be back.

This is a little too rustic. The trail to the hot springs is steep and not well maintained. The…read morepools are gritty and shallow. Went once and that's enough.

This place was worth everything! We recommend coming early when they open so you get a pool. We got…read morethere at 8 and most were full but luckily they

This fitness center probably makes fives times as much money as any other gym in bend. They charge…read more65-75$ a month. All the gym products are old and falling apart. The locker rooms are absolutely disgusting by the end of the day. They don't have male cleaners here. That means no one is cleaning the men's locker rooms all day. The classes posted on the doors don't match up to the classes online. They do not turn on the heat in the hallways. You go from the sauna to a freezing cold hallway. Feels like you're gonna get sick. This gym is basically a daycare center mixed with an old people's home. They are always having events and closing the pools. They close early without notice and the hours here are horrible. There are homeless people lurking in the parking lots and come into use the facilities. Things get stolen as well. I cannot wait for there to be real adult fitness club in bend. Because juniper is garbage.

So many pools to choose from! Sauna, Hot tub, and no cold plunge but a cold shower. I wish there…read morewas a cold plunge. Barb D.'s restorative yoga class is amazing. Go at least ten min early though it fills up. I like the home made granola bars at the desk snacks. Also the lap swim is great. Both 25 and 50 meters. I think 25 is easier and allows more swimmers to have their own lanes but they switch it up. I'm thin and the outdoor pool is a few degrees too cold for me. I'm uploading pictures of the indoor pools only which are great temperatures.

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.

Everything was great only thing is we can't come back every year because it's way too expensive and…read moremy family only last and hour and half and there done. Please get some specials or deal days we would come back. Very busy in the winter was way too many people and most of the time we were there they were fixing the ice for 40 min of our 2 hours there including putting on skates and take off.

Ice skating was very fun, went with friends and we had a good time. But the three of us ordered…read morebrownies from the shop and we noticed that they were a week expired, which we were disappointed about.