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.

We tried to pick something active and fun each day and one of the highlights was Tumalo Creek…read moreTrail. Depending on the season you're visiting, it's a different experience. In the winter when it snows, the parking lot is much farther away with the main road blocked off. The parking in this area is small, making it a challenge to find a spot on busier days. From this parking it's a few miles to the falls; about half way there you'll walk through the summer parking area. Even with the packed snow, it was a relatively easy hike as we saw families with little kids making it to the end. When you get close, there's a switchback trail up to viewing points overlooking the falls at various elevations; it's worth it going to the very top to see spectacular views of the valley you just walked in. There is a public restroom near the base of the falls, but it's closed when the summer lot is so don't expect facilities. Taking it easy, we spent about three hours here up and back with a break at the top. You really feel remote and far away, even though it's only a short drive from Bend. If you're a fan of hiking, this is worth your time.

In A Nutshell: -If…read moreyou are looking for fun, easy hike then Tumalo Creek Trail is a good one to do. -Parking was pretty easy, my advice is to drive all the way to when the road stops, look for a spot, if you don't see one, no worries, you will have noticed the many turn outs where you can drive back to & park, then walk back. -The trailhead has a bathroom facilities, a map & garbage cans. -There's also an immediate treat at the trailhead where you can pose for photos w/ the Tumalo Falls as your background. -After your Instagram selfies are taken, you can then begin walking the Tumalo Creek Trail. -The hike is very easy & moderate uphill. -Bring snacks & water. -In mid-June 2022, there was still evidence of snow, which is cool. Overall, this is quiet hike w/ beautiful views!

Really easy hike. Bathrooms at the parking lot were clean and had paper towels. There were picnic…read morebenches to eat at around there also. The trail leading to the falls is well maintained. It's a half mile down stream. You end up Walking under the overpass and cross a small dead end service road and the falls is pretty easy to find from there r

Cline Falls State Park was a good state park to go too. Upon arriving at the parking for the park…read morehowever we got disoriented a great deal and went to the opposite side of the parking for the falls trying to find them. In other words the signage to reach these falls aren't the best. You have to walk out the way you drove in. There is a sign along that road which directs you off onto a path but it doesn't really tell you how far to go. Luckily when we were on the other side of the park someone asked if we were looking for them and we were told that you had to go under the bridge where the highway is in order to get to them. You go a little ways still and then the falls are located at last along the river...just listen for the sound of them and you will find them. Was it worth after getting lost and slightly frustrated until we reaches them? Absolutely it was worth it. At the time we were here parking was still free to utilize but there were signs saying that parking rates were on the way so that is definitely something to be aware of.

One of the Best Parts of Bend Was Right Outside Our Hotel…read more While staying in downtown Bend, my family and I were looking for something outdoorsy and close by, and the Deschutes River Trail ended up being one of the highlights of our trip. What started as a casual morning walk quickly turned into a beautiful four-mile hike filled with rushing rapids, peaceful river bends, towering pine trees, and some incredible Central Oregon scenery. One of the best parts of this trail is how much the landscape changes as you go. At some points the river was calm enough for paddleboarders floating by, and at others the rapids were roaring against the rocks with serious energy and sound. The trail itself was also a nice mix. Some sections were smooth and paved, while others became a little more rugged with dirt paths, rocks, and small elevation changes that made the hike feel adventurous without being overly difficult. I would still consider this a very approachable hike for most people and fitness levels. We saw walkers, runners, families, and people out with their dogs enjoying the trail. Pro tip: bring water, especially on warmer days, because parts of the trail are fully exposed to the sun. Another thing I appreciated was how accessible this experience was from downtown Bend. We were able to walk straight from our hotel into what felt like a completely different environment surrounded by river, forest, and nature. We eventually wrapped up near the Old Mill District, which made for the perfect ending with shops, restaurants, and a chance to relax after the hike. Sometimes the best travel experiences are not the big tourist attractions, they are the simple moments outside on a trail reminding you why places like Bend are so special.

This hike hit all the spots. Easy to get to from downtown. You get a nice river view. You get a…read morebridge. You get trees. You get sunlight if the weather is cooperating. You get a small park/playground area at one point and you get rocks and trees and nature and a few homes to look at too. Easy 3.5 miles walk around.

This trail branches off of the north side of the Deschutes River Trail. It travels uphill into…read moreAwbrey Butte. The beginning of the trails travels upwards into a dry canyon. The canyon is filled with smaller pine and junipers trees. You can start to see the view of mt Jefferson and Hood as you climb up in altitude. Once you leave the dry canyon that the trails start off on you begin to cross a few roads. There are about four from my count until you reach Sylvan Park. Nearly each time the trail approaches the road, the trail on the other side of the road is to the left or the right. So you may want to give the Bend Parks and Rec map a look before hand. This trail will take you to two different parks. The first being Sylvan and the second being Summit Park. Both have tennis courts, picnic tables, and water fountains. But most of the fountains are shut off currently. Most of the trail is shaded and not too busy from the few times I have been on it. All in all, I would say if you are looking for a good uphill hike and a good view isn't a deal breaker, this trail would be a good alternative to Pilot Butte!

The Deschutes National Forest is one of the twelve national forests in Oregon (Oregon is in a three…read moreway tie for second place with the most national forests in the US & Puerto Rico) and covers over a million and a half acres. They are all beautiful, but Deschutes is special. It spans the area between the McKenzie River area to the high desert in eastern Oregon. You start in the warm(er) area and by the time you hit the summit there's snow on the ground. And as you're reaching higher elevation, you find yourself passing through the lava beds. One of the volcanos in the forest was used by the Apollo astronauts in the 60s. It's a really peaceful drive, and a breathtaking one. Suttle Lake is near Sisters, and it's really beautiful. There are several pull-out areas along the highway to take in the view. Bend is the big town in the area, and Sisters is a popular tourist stop as well.

National Parks have always been at the top of my list of great things: America's Best Idea…read more National Monuments are not far behind. But National Forests really hadn't registered with me until lately - they've just been large undeveloped places with lots of trees that I drove through to get to a park. Not anymore. I love Deschutes National Forest. What with the Cascade Volcanoes, the river, the creeks, the lakes, the many hiking trails, the dirt roads for my 4WD, this forest is like a huge national park. And so close to Bend. You literally are in the forest as you drive out of town. It will take many years to explore even a small fraction of the forest, but I'm up for the challenge.

Bend has a great many trails to walk and jog and this is one of the best. There are areas to launch…read morea personal non motorized watercraft and plenty of places to sit and watch the natural runs of the river. The Descutes river is so pretty. A great way to spend the day walking and enjoying the natural landscape.

The Deschutes River Trail runs a fair distance, including through the city of Bend. Lucky us - it's…read morea great resource virtually at our doorsteps. On Yelp, reviews for the trail are divided among the various 'reaches', or segments, located within and near the city. For a good overview of the whole trail system, see Chris C's review here: https://www.yelp.com/biz/deschutes-river-trail-system-bend Running from Pioneer Park/First Street rapids to Sawyer Park, the River Run reach is a fine urban trail popular among locals who live along and near its path (which includes me). We obviously can walk to the trail from home but there are parking areas at both ends, although quite limited. At Sawyer Park, you'll find a moderately-sized lot but that park is very popular (with good reason) and likely to have a full lot. At the south end, you'll find space set aside for three or four cars only. After that, it's street parking, which is plentiful. The trail runs right along a fairly placid yet still scenic section of the Deschutes, crossing Mt Washington Drive near the middle. There you will need to walk along the sidewalk a bit before proceeding. It also runs past the River's Edge Golf Course, and here's where I take issue with whatever urban planning went into this section of the trail. The third hole of the golf course is literally divided by the trail. The tee boxes are on one side, the fairway and green on the other. Golfers must hit their tee shots across the trail. For non-golfers, the tee box is where the initial shot of a hole is played, typically with a club meant to deliver the ball a good distance. But golfers are not all PGA pros - sometimes their shots go wild. I know mine do. Here, however, if you shank your tee shot to the left, you may well send your ball on a path directly along the trail. You may well hit someone on the trail. Needless to say, getting hit by a golf ball driven with great force off a tee is not pleasant and can be quite dangerous. Because the trail runs close to the tee box, there is little time to warn trail-goers of an errant missile coming their way. It may not even be a good idea to issue a warning. Yelling 'FORE', for example, may only cause unwary people to look towards the call, thus exposing their faces to the ball. Not everyone knows to cover up and hunker down when they hear that warning. The trail has signs advising people on the trail of the possibility for flying golf balls, but they are inadequate. The tee box is a bit hidden anyway and what are people supposed to do? Run as fast as they can through this section? Hold up shields? The signs are a joke, although better than none, I guess. I've played River's Edge Golf Course. The first time, I was horrified when I arrived at the third tee box. Seriously? You expect me to drive a golf ball over the heads of people on the trail? As it happens, Old Man Winter was still with us and there was no one on the trail, so I went ahead and hit the shot. The second time, too. However, on my third visit to the course, it was a pleasant day and there were people on the trail, including a group of one adult, two kids and a dog. I waited on the tee box for them to walk out of sight and with great trepidation, hit my shot. It went screaming to the left, directly up the trail towards them. I was horrified. It could possibly have hit someone and if I hadn't waited, I'd say there was a very good chance it would have. Plus, the golfer has no way of knowing if a runner or biker is coming down the trail towards them. You hit the shot and then there they are, exposed. It's unsafe and the golf course should be redesigned to make the third hole a par 3 or short 4 with the tee box on the same side of the trail as the fairway and the green. For myself, when I play River's Edge I've vowed not to take that tee shot. I'll just drop my ball at the beginning of the fairway and start from there. Other than that, this section of the Deschutes River Trail is awesome! Very scenic; very relaxing. And being a golfer, I know to listen for the sound of a club striking a ball and look the other way. You should do the same if you come here.

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.