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!

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.

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.

Sawyer Park holds so many memories from my childhood. I still stop by every time I am in the area…read more We used to eat lunch here with my grandma on her lunch break when I was a child. Sawyer has a nice grassy area with picnic benches. There is a few different trails you can take including the Fishermans trail that goes down to a few different water access points. There are large rocks and great photo areas. We used to eat lunch on the rocks by the river. This park is also dog friendly and we met quite a few furry friends on our visit.

See, this is why Bend is so great. Mere minutes from downtown, minutes from most of the city, a…read morestone's throw from a busy commercial street, you find an idyllic river park straight out of A River Runs Through It. This little spot where the Deschutes River gets a bit excited, where a reedy marsh attracts birds, where the Deschutes River Trail passes through, offers a wonderful place to do short walks, picnicking, dog-walking or just lazy contemplation. You also can jump on the river trail here and do a longer hike. Robert Sawyer Park is within the city limits and comprises acreage on either side of the river, connected by a nice footbridge. Other than picnic tables and benches, there are no facilities that I saw other than one port-o-john. Access by car is from O. B. Riley Rd just across from the Tumalo State Park Maintenance facility (the access road is easy to miss). There's a small parking lot a short distance down the road that can accommodate maybe a couple three dozen cars at most. Open sunrise to sunset. The parking lot side of the park (east side) offers a picnic area and access to civilization via a paved path. If you step off the path at the bridge and head north, you'll climb the basalt bluff and gain some pretty spectacular views of the river from higher up. You can also head away from the river here and wander among the ponderosa pines. Crossing the bridge, you can walk either straight up the hill to get to the Deschutes River Trail (which is a wide, bike-friendly trail here), or you can take less developed, less obvious paths along the river in each direction and through the trees. There's a large, grassy open area used for ... well, I don't know. Playing with your dog? Frisbee action? Whatever, there are no sports-related improvements such as baseball paths or anything. I'm a big fan.

Pretty cool and secluded spot for an easy hike along the scenic McKenzie Pass…read more We decided to pull off and check out the short hike to Hand Lake last weekend. There's a wide shoulder on which to park, big enough for 5 or so cars, right across from the trailhead. The trailhead sign provides info, as well as the free self-issue Wilderness permits for access. (Short and easy form) The trail is short and well-maintained, easy for most anyone. After trekking a bit through the gorgeous trees it opens up to the lake at the small cabin shelter. Right now it's more of a palm only, as the water pool is small this time of year, but you can still see the dry fingers. Nice views of the Three Sisters from the middle. It's a short trail, definitely more of just a leg-stretcher only as you travel along the McKenzie, but a cool setting and I'm sure much more of a scene when the waters up.

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!

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.

This is not the fault of what was once a serene, quiet top quality fishing lake. Now, the fishing…read moresucks because the lake is not really stocked anymore, and all the fish are natives, but because of the fact that paddleboarders have taken over, the fish are not as plentiful as they once were. Get there after 10 am? Good luck finding a place to park that isn't the side of the road on Elk lake loop. People now crowd in parking so badly on both sides to the access to the boat ramp makes putting in and getting out an actual boat extremely difficult. Plus people have no clue they are in the way, just put out your paddleboard and pump it up, oblivious that they are blocking the road, on both sides. Fishing is incredibly difficult when there is a freeway of paddleboarders and kayakers continually going by. The lake channels seem even more crowded when having to stay to the right with a non stop rush of non fishers speeding by as if it is a race to get wherever. At last visit i noticed hardly anyone had nw forest passes displayed nor dashboard daily passes. I think the paddleboarders have taken advantage that this lake's parking and access is not regulated. When i left there were over 20 cars in the "parking lot" at least 10 on both side of the access road and another 20 lining the Elk lape loop. I talked with a local person that had been going there for 50 years and in their words, "this place is a f*cking zoo". Never going back, this lake is ruined, thanks paddleboarders.

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!

The Oregon Badlands comprises a large area laced with interesting trails and features. The Dry…read moreRiver Trail, which runs north-southish on the east side of the tract, is perhaps not the most scenic when compared to the Badlands Rock or the Flatiron trails. But there's more here to see than you might imagine. For instance, towards the southern end you can divert through the fairly short Dry River gorge, which is not to be confused with (but often is) the longer Dry River Canyon trail located just east outside the Badlands proper. The gorge offers water-sculpted lava, some weird oil-like seepings and if you look closely, some pictographs. Most of the northern part of the trail is flatter, straighter with fewer of the iconic lava formations you find elsewhere in the Badlands but still offers a nice walk away from the hordes. The northern trailhead for the Dry River Trail is at the end of County Line Road off Willard Road, while the southern terminus is the large Badlands Rock trailhead.