Long Hollow Ranch provides a taste of the Old West and appeals to visitors fondly remembering those…read moreold John Wayne westerns and life on the range. The majority of their business is focused on guests who are staying at the ranch (many from overseas) who want to go on longer trail rides or an old fashioned cattle drive a la City Slickers. Since we already have a home in the area, we didn't get to take advantage of their hospitality as guests. However, we did visit to enjoy a trail ride. My boys love to ride, but it has been quite difficult finding a trail ride that satisfies all of our needs. We've tried Diane's Riding Place, but they tend to be more instructional. The stables at the Seventh Mountain Resort were only OK. My goal was to get more of an 'authentic' trail ride with a little bit of fun. We were only partially successful. First off, making reservations wasn't terribly easy. After calling the main business line, I was given a second number to dial for the stables. Since the focus is on their ranch guests, they don't seem to be overly eager to take outside riders. Fortunately, some of those guests had another activity planned, so we were able to arrange a ride. It turned out to be semi-private and Katie was a wonderful guide. You will sign a brief liability waiver, and riders must wear jeans and boots. The boots requirement was a first, but fortunately they have plenty to borrow at no charge. Children are also required to wear helmets. The ranch covers 600 acres, so they took a gentle ride up through the hills to enjoy the view of the Three Sisters. It was a good ride, but low on the excitement factor. No cantering or galloping, just an easy mosey up and back. Unlike the prior reviewer, the ride lasted exactly 60 minutes, so no complaints there. It is really disappointing that there aren't more horseback riding options in the area. These hills are filled with ranches, but due to liability concerns, very few open their doors to the public. We still feel like we are searching to find that magical ride. http://www.lhranch.com/index.php

This place was EXACTLY what we were looking for on our way home from our family vacation. We…read morewanted somewhere quiet to lay our heads down, somewhere 'different' than the normal hotel scene, and a place that our kids would remember. The Long Hollow Ranch checked every one of those boxes. We stayed in the Homestead cabin, which had three beds upstairs, and one downstairs. The cabin had two strong window AC units, which were wonderful. The cabin had no TV, which was great, but did have a vintage stove that served as a table top for the in-room microwave. There's also a mini-fridge and a Keurig Coffee Maker. Beds were comfy, bathroom has hot water in the shower, and the decor was fantastic. The morning breakfast was signaled by a good old-fashioned dinner bell at the main house, which is beautiful. There were lots of hash browns, fruit, juice and more. They even offered to cook each of us an egg to order, which our son took advantage of. The breakfast was absolutely great. All in all, this place was well worth the price, which was already much lower than other places on our trip. They even let us dabble with our fly pole in their bass pond free of charge. They accommodated our late check in (10 PM) and even had the AC going when we arrived. Customer service was top notch. This is the definition of a 5 STAR property.

good pizza, good delivery service, clean, good service in house as well. I sometimes go in to…read moreorder, have a drink and watch bowling while waiting for the pizza.

Lanes and bowling balls are well kept. The staff is friendly and helpful. The pizza is very good…read moreand the place is clean. Fun place!

What an amazing place! This park and the surrounding scenery is breathtaking. Lots of things to get…read moreinto depending on your preferences - hiking, trail running, rock climbing, bird watching, picnic and park area for kids and those wanting a more leisurely day. Theres even Smith Rock Ranch nearby that has beautiful animals out grazing the farm, and different activities including fall seasonal events (check their website for dates/times before you go). Will definitely visit again when we're in the area, it's too beautiful to pass up!

Came here for part of a day and really enjoyed it. At the surprise urging of my kids, we ended up…read morehiking up the Misery trail to the other side of the mountain and then around the entire thing - took a couple hours and I was shocked they wanted to do so much. There's lots to see and the views are spectacular. We brought some food and ate at a picnic table before leaving. Would definitely come back.

We took the river trail on our last visit to the park. The trek is great, meandering along the…read moreCrooked River directly below the wall of rock and climbers above. The trail itself is fairly flat, and should be pretty accessible for almost anyone. There are countless offshoots down to the water and up into the rocks. My only slight disappointment was that it's an out&back. Would be so great if there was at least one place to cross over the river to enjoy a trip back from the other side. There's plenty of parking along the drive in the park, and bathrooms at the start AND down the trail a ways. This time of year there are some gorgeous fall colors to take in along the water. Great, easy hike...and many more to take nearby.

A nice, mellow, gentle trail that takes you around a good section of Smith…read more The grade is calm enough that you'll frequently see families with strollers. I use it mainly to get to climbs. As a destination in and of itself, it's kind of a snooze.

Tam-a-lau seems like a bucket list hike, at least in terms of those in Central Oregon. It's not…read moreterribly difficult but is well worth the effort nonetheless. The trail runs from near lake level in Cove Palisades State Park to the top of the 'Peninsula', as it's called. The Peninsula is that bit of land jutting north into Lake Billy Chinook between the Deschutes and Crooked Rivers (minus The Island, which is a whole 'nother experience if you are fortunate enough to get a chance to go there). Tam-a-lau Trail is about seven miles in length, which comprises 1.7 miles hiking from the trailhead parking lot and then ascending the steep canyon wall, about 3.6 miles of relatively flat hiking on top of the Peninsula, and then 1.7 down. The trailhead is two locations, really. One starts at the big parking lot just past the boat launch on the Deschutes River and has you walk a bit to the other trailhead. That one is at the Deschutes Campground and is the beginning of your ascent up the slope. Unless you're staying in the campground, I recommend the further trailhead - the half mile or so extra is a nice trail. Footing is OK throughout, although the ascent has some steep bits that you'll want to be careful with. Once you're at the top, it's a piece of cake. The top reminds me of the Oregon Badlands, except for the really nice lake views. Once you get to the top, you'll be at a junction. Left takes you to the tip of the peninsula by way of the Deschutes River side, while right takes you overland to the Crooked River side and thence to the tip. Either way, your goal is the peninsula tip. Some folks seem to think the overland section is boring but not me. If for some reason you want a shorter hike, go left and then backtrack the way you came. Tam-a-lau is about views of Lake Billy Chinook, the canyon lava walls and, if the weather is good, the distant views of the Cascades. It's also a good bit of exercise. During the summer, it will be hot. There's not a lot of shade - this isn't a ponderosa forest hike. Take plenty of water. Being in a state park, you'll either need an annual/biannual pass or pay $5 to park. Note that you can access the upper part of the Tam-a-lau (the flat part on the Peninsula) from roads to the south. You don't have to enter the state park from that way. In fact, much of the Tam-a-lau is not actually within the state park boundaries but rather on BLM land.

Very nice views from the top of trails definitely will be back used to go camping there al the time…read morewhen I was a kid now going back as a adult

OMG, flyboarding is easily one of the most trilling experiences of my entire life. I am so glad to…read morehave found Flyboard of Bend and I absolutely cannot wait to get back out there to do this again. My brother has been obsessed with flyboarding for over a year now after seeing a video of a group of people doing it on Youtube. And so, this year for his birthday I decided to take him to try it out for our first times. After about 3 hours of driving we meet Jason, the owner, and Hunter his assistant down at Lake Billy Chinook. Like skydiving or anything else, the first thing we did was go over safety and a quick ground course. Then it was time to strap up and get in the water. Jason had injured his foot and had to stay on land so Hunter took us out. He was an excellent coach. My brother went first and Hunter was able to get him flying within about 2 minutes. During his hour on the board my brother was able to change direction, turing and circling, raise and lower himself about 15 feet and even do a trick called the Orca. My experience was very similar, although I was less successful with the Orca. The whole time though I felt like a super hero. It was seriously amazing. It was pretty cool to look around and see the audience I had gathered too. Other boaters came closer to check out what we were doing and some cars were even stopping on the road to take pictures. Did I say I felt like a Super Hero yet? One of the other things Jason did which I though was really neat is bring a second jet ski. That way the whole time we were there, whoever wasn't on the board was on the second jet ski. It allowed us to learn from each other and take photos/videos. And being on a jet ski is super fun anyway. By the way, if you have not been to Lake Billy Chinook it is beautiful. Jason seriously picked a perfect location, especially for a first time experience. It just is one more thing to make sure your time is worth while. I would highly recommend, scratch that...it is a must do. You have to check out Flyboard of Bend. It is worth every penny and will be an unforgettable experience. And if you want to go out with a group they have 2 different setups which allows them to take 2 people out at a time. Quick tip. Make sure you reserve at least an hour a person. Anything less and you will leave wishing you did more.

We were renting a party boat & went the day before to check it out & came across this place. Very…read morequaint on the inside but lots of outdoor seating. It was almost triple digits & wanted light so 2 BLTS were ordered. Reeser's Potato Salad & bagged Chips & orange slices. Vanilla Shake to keep cool... just enough options to fill a persons desire. Check it out

so overpriced and so bad. I'm sorry to say this place was a huge let down. I was expecting a really…read moregood burger for the price but it was actually terrible. The lemonade was decent at least, and the staff was nice.

Nice campground well taken care of. Clean restrooms and showers. Tons of deer walking through the…read moresites at all hours. So cool to see these majestic creatures with no fear. No reception or cell service so you really are able to disconnect and relax. Beautiful golden hour sunsets and gorgeous sunrises.

We stayed a couple nights at the Crooked River campground, which is a part of Cove Palisades State…read morePark. We had a great time. The campground was really nice and well tended. Staff and volunteers were very attentive and kept things in tip top shape. Our site was nice, which had water & electric. We went to a couple of the evening ranger programs, where I learned quite a bit. Bathroom facilities were really nice. Park was really windy, which may have just been when I was there but I suspect it's a common occurrence. There were deer that wandered through the campground, owls, and lots of other wildlife. Would stay here again if we were in the area.