The Mrazek trail is technical and filled with beauty. I love this trail when Phils Trailhead is…read morepacked and the weather is nice. It's a good way to escape the crowds and still have some beauty to explore. If you start from the downhill section you will have a good climb ahead of you. If that is not your thing you could shuttle this ride, but the road up to the top is gnarly and will work over any car that does not have a lot of clearance. The trail follows the edge of a canyon that has been created by Tumalo Creek. When you get to the top, the trail becomes a blast and can be technical in a few spots. The upper section is pretty straight and super fast, and the lower section is packed with switchbacks and a bunch of rocky sections. I would not take a beginner on this trail as it's just a little gnarly for someone new to biking. Overall this is a technical trail packed with beauty and a little out of the way from the other popular trails in Bend, which makes it a great way to escape the crowds on a busy day. If you have the time, be sure to check it out! Here is a good link with a map and elevation gain and loss https://www.mtbproject.com/trail/21030/mrazek Here is a link to the land management agency that manages this area https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/deschutes/home Here is a link to a website with biking rules for the area https://bendtrails.org/

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.

Beautiful lake on the cascade lakes highway with the most incredible emerald color of water when…read morethe sun hits! It's also the starting point for south sister and it's fun to camp here the night before to get an early start. The camp sites are phenomenal right on the water, complete with fire pits. Great Lake for water activities for just to come hang out/walk around. Do watch out for mosquitoes though!

Another jewel on the Cascade Lake trail. Plenty of camping here. Beautiful views everywhere…read more Lakes here were formed by volcanic activity. This particular lake is in average 9' deep. Very clean banks and areas surrounding the lake. Plenty of places for day use and picnicking.

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

I would definitely recommend this lake in summer. Lots of places to paddle to and the views are…read moreamazing. I would recommend NOT going in fall. The water level was only 7 inches or less in a majority. To not get stuck in the mud you had to find the channels. It's an extra adventure to try to push yourself 20 feet out of mud.

This is such a beautiful location to hike or paddle! Beware that the lake slowly drains over the…read moresummer, so it becomes too shallow to paddle as the summer wears on. It's pretty awesome to be able to hear the water draining out through the lava rocks when you're along the edge of certain parts.

The oath is well cleared so the walk is easy. It's about 100 paces from the parking lot to seeing…read morethe falls. And if you want to walk more it's a little less than half a mile to Paulina lake. Then you can go across the bridge and hike down the otherwise to see the falls from the other side. I don't think it actually loops all the way around unless you go even further.

Loved this spot! The falls were easy to get to. The upper view was an easy walk from the parking…read morelot. The lower view point required a little bit of hiking, but nothing strenuous. I would recommend some sneakers or hiking boots for the lower view.

I stopped by this park with my partner and his family while we were visiting Bend. It's a nice…read morelittle area with a few spots to sit. The big attraction is obviously the whitewater rapids, which had some river surfers and kayaks going through. There is plenty of street parking by the park. It's all free. There is also a public bathroom in the park, but I didn't use it so I can't say how clean it is. This is a pretty peaceful and surprisingly clean park. It's definitely worth a trip if you're looking for a chill and peaceful way to spend some time.

We stopped by to enjoy the scenery at this park. We didn't get a chance to go tubing while in…read moreOregon. We enjoyed tubing the river in Montana. We will have to come back and enjoy some of the activities we missed on this trip.

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.