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.

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.

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.

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!

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

Nice view of the river and falls. Not very high but still beautiful. Would not recommend to lower…read morecars. I took a midsized car and encountered several locations that we bottomed out, muddy and or dusty area. Had porta potty at parking area. Near is addtional walking areas. Wear appropriate shoes since can be slippery. Area also looked like a tent camping place. No tents were in area. Possibly off season. Would like to return.

This is part of the Deschutes River System / Deschutes River Trail, which has its own listing…read more However, Dillon falls really deserves its own listing because there's parking nearby and you can treat it as a stand-alone destination. It's also listed on Google Maps as its own destination. The falls are glorious. This is a real gem of a spot. There's a couple of small parking lots nearby. It doesn't take long at all to walk to the falls - they are only a couple hundred feet away from the parking. There's also a bathroom that is maintained incredibly well. It's super clean. Check out the beautiful Ponderosa Pines on this land while you are on your way to the falls! The Deschutes River is incredibly beautiful. This spot is magical because above the falls it's quiet and serene. The falls themselves are loud and boisterous, a high energy feeling. Barely saw any people here. The few that I did see were walking dogs, fishing, etc. If you're looking for beautiful waterfalls to check out in the area, while Dillon isn't the biggest you've ever seen it's really pretty and worth the very short walk it takes to get there from the parking lot. Only downside... and it's non-negligible... the roads going in are amusingly atrocious. Like really really bad. I've never seen so many potholes in my whole life. I'm not docking any stars though, because it's still just so beautiful I don't care. Worth it anyway.

Mostly paved trails with a few natural areas for walking. There is a skatepark and a grassy area…read moretowards the north end of the park. They also have a small disc golf course.

New multi-use city park in the NE section of town. Boyd Acres neighborhood, I guess. The park has…read moretwo green areas with recreation facilities (a larger one in the NE corner and a smaller one in the SW) and a good bit of acreage in between for bikes. - Lots of bike trails - Spiffy skate bowl - 9-hole disc golf - Picnic pavilions - Various 'nature' areas for kids, including a cool-looking log forest - Another playground area in the SW corner (I didn't go there). - One port-a-john in the main area. There's another in the playground area. I don't think the city intends on installing more permanent restroom facilities. The main access off 18th street via Egypt Dr is still under construction but I imagine it will be complete soon. The park itself is complete.

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.