Drake Park in downtown Bend, Oregon
Bend, Oregon is a quintessential town for outdoor adventurers, beer enthusiasts, foodies, and families alike. It is one of the cleanest, most conscientious and picturesque towns I have been to in the US, and has a unique, thriving downtown with beautiful green space. The Deschutes river runs right through downtown, hugged by the scenic Drake Park which is dotted with large trees offering shade on sunny days. A pedestrian bridge spans the river, and in nice weather the park is brimming with people walking dogs, pushing baby strollers, pedaling bikes and just relaxing on the soft grass. Homes seem well-kept, there are bike lanes everywhere, and drivers are courteous to an almost ridiculous extent. I even saw a teenager walk down the side-walk, see an empty cup, stop to pick it up and put it in the trashcan. In some neighborhoods parents walk their kiddies to school each day. Besides just being a great American town with a neighborly atmosphere, the outdoor activity options are hard to beat. After spending a week in Bend, here are some of the top things we loved about this town.
View of Mount Bachelor
1. Snow sports. Mount Bachelor is less than half an hour drive from Bend, and was open through the week we were there (Memorial Day)! While we didn’t ski or snowboard, this resort is well-known in the area and boasts 7 high-speed quad lifts, 3 triple chair lifts, 88 runs and an elevation change of 3300 ft.
2. Hiking. Hiking is my absolute favorite activity when I am traveling. Bend offers a wide variety of places to hike with very diverse landscapes, as it is located in the transition area between the wet mountains and the dry desert. Here are a few of the hikes we did while in Bend:
– Pilot Butte – A tall hill really, the Butte is right in town, and offers great 360 degree views. The hike is about a mile to the top; make sure to take the “Nature Trail” otherwise you will be walking on paved path/road. For those who can’t make the hike or are short on time, you can actually drive to the top.
– Tumalo Falls – About 20 minutes from town is the Tumalo Falls park. The falls themselves are almost within view of the parking lot, however the hiking trail follows the river to showcase a number of other waterfalls. We attempted this hike in mid/late May, and there was still quite a bit of snow on the ground further up the trail. Instead of completing the loop hike we ended up just doing an out and back. Cost of the park was $5.
Monkey Face at Smith Rock State Park
– Smith Rock State Park – Most famous for rock climbing, this park is only a half hour drive north of Bend in Terrebone, Oregon and has a network of hiking trails. Beginners or those looking for a more relaxing walk can hike down in the valley which is flat except for the steep downhill from the parking lot (and uphill on your way out!). The steepest hikes, while challenging, are well worth the amazing views at the top! Just beware of rattlesnakes :).
– Tumalo Mountain Summit – Only a short half hour drive west of town, this is a short but sweet hike with amazing views!
3. Mountain Biking. There are many options for mountain biking near Bend. To rent a bike, Life Cycle Bikes delivers your bike directly to your hotel or wherever you are staying, and is reasonably priced both for the bikes and for drop off or pick up from any of the nearby mountain biking trails.
– Phil’s Trails. This trail complex is about 4 miles from town in a dry, forested area. Most of the trails are single track, one-way trails, which makes riding there seem more remote and enjoyable. My husband and I are only recreational, entry-level mountain bikers, but we found Phil’s trails for the most part to be within our skill level, with the exception of a few rocky, steep sections. We ended up riding there for about 3 hours, logging a total of 17 miles. We caught a ride to the trail head from Life Cycle Bikes for $15 (for both of us), and biked back to town in record time as it was almost all downhill on the way back.
– Shevlin Park. If you have a few hours to kill and a mountain bike available, Shevlin Park is an enjoyable mountain biking excursion 4 miles west of Bend. The trail, though nothing spectacular, makes a U shape, staying high on the ridge on either side of a river and then descending/ascending mid-way to cross the river via a wooden bridge. It was not very crowded, and was pleasantly shaded for most of the trail. I rode in the counter-clockwise direction, and found the first mile or so to be the most challenging (and least shady) as well as the most populated. I rode to the trail from Bend on my bike, which I would say was in the easy/moderate category.
4. Dining/Breweries. There are soooo many restaurants, coffee-houses, breweries and other places to eat and drink in Bend. Here were some of my favorites:
– La Magie – I was looking one morning for a bakery/coffee-house type place to grab some breakfast and connect to WiFi, and stumbled across this amazing place right in downtown Bend. It had light, delicious fare, great staff/service, and a very cute atmosphere, including glass mason jars with handles for water, unique colorful one-off mugs and dishware, and interesting decor. When you walk in, there is a more hidden room back to the right that is fairly quiet, and my favorite spot was the window seat booth. Also back in that area is a parlour-type sitting room where you can sip your coffee in comfort.
View from nature trail up Pilot Butte
– Deschutes Brewery – This is the most well-known and widely distributed brewery in the area, located right in downtown Bend. After having tried 5-6 breweries in Bend, this brewery was my favorite for both beer and food. I also loved their delicious homemade ginger ale (this is the real deal good stuff!).
– Barrio – I kept coming across great reviews online for this restaurant, and the last day we were in Bend we decided to give it a try for lunch. Long story short, it was amazing and I am still craving their Carnitas tacos, which have pretty much ruined all other tacos for me.
Tumalo Falls
– Sparrow Bakery – Just outside of downtown, this cute little bakery has friendly service and a nice outdoor patio area to enjoy a coffee or some of their delicious baked goods. My favorite was their specialty Ocean Roll.
– Goody’s Chocolates – If you have a sweet tooth, this chocolate and ice cream shop will hit the mark. The service was a bit slow in the downtown store when I was there, but it was delicious especially after a long day of biking!
Tumalo Falls Hike
A few other places we tried that were good but didn’t make the top of our top list were: 10 Barrel, McMenamin’s, Cascade Lakes, and Crux which all had decent, solid beer. I will say that Crux did have an awesome hang out space (indoor and outdoor) as a bonus and was hopping both nights we stopped in. Growler Phil’s was also a cool spot to fill up a reasonably priced growler if you are planning on enjoying some draft beer for an evening in. If you are looking for a fancier place to dine, 900 Wall is delicious and is located right in downtown.
As you can tell, we ate and drank a LOT while in Bend – good thing there were so many fun activities to burn off all those calories! Overall we greatly enjoyed our week spent in this pleasant and beautiful town, and we hope to go back someday!
Resources:
Two Toned Travelers 
I think I want to move there