Bend, Oregon is a special place that nature has given us. Bend itself is a neat small city whose downtown area hosts plenty of breweries, a beautiful Riverwalk and touristy shopping. The city itself is worthy of a visit for the food and beer scene, but what really makes this area unique is the accessible hiking and outdoor activities. If you’re looking for things to do in Bend Oregon, this is the post for you.
The first half of my trip was spent staying in an Airbnb outside of Sisters, OR. I was lucky enough to stay in an amazing Airbnb that was on 6 acres, boasted its own disc golf course and was surrounded by a Juniper Forest that was in full bloom. I imagine the Gin industry may source their berries from this area and if not, there is ample supply.
Day 1: South Sisters Peak
On my first day I wanted a longer hike and decided to drive to the South Sisters peak. Not really knowing what to expect from the hike other than a round trip distance of 13 miles I packed a layer of clothes, 4 liters of water, energy bars and my hiking poles. The initial ascent zig zagged through an easy wooded trail that had a pretty stream alongside it. That stream would come into play a little later in the day. About 2 miles into the hike, you come out of the woods and are treated to the real hike that lies ahead. The sight of the peak is daunting and a little nerve racking after breaking out from the woods. Earlier in the year I had summited Half Dome in Yosemite which covered 5500 vertical feet over 10 miles, but that hike wasn’t exposed like south sisters was going to be and from recollection wasn’t as steep. This hike ascended 5000 ft. to the summit in only 5.5 miles and I had only done a 1/5th of it so far.
As I started up the hike, it quickly became clear that it was no joke, and I probably should’ve packed more supplies. The climb was steep and encumbered with lots of rocks under foot, plus you’re completely exposed to the sun as there are very few, if any, trees for shade. At some point you get up to a false summit and have to climb over a steep pitch of scree or loose rock that when stepped on slips out from under your feet. This area is extremely dangerous because you can slip and fall easily. Hiking poles are essential for balance as well as durable hiking shoes (like Keens). After clearing the scree field, I was treated to the sight of the Lewis Glacier. This was a nice surprise because in my planning I hadn’t read about glaciers on top of South Sister, even though the information is readily available. I was purely looking for challenging long hikes as my search parameter. In this case, my laziness researching the hike was rewarded in the awe inspiring (and more importantly) cooling effects of the glacier.you
After an extreme calorie burn getting to this point, the glacier provided a natural air conditioner to cool and reinvigorate me. This was needed since the glacier only represented the start of the final climb to the summit, which I accomplished about an hour later. As expected, the views were spectacular and are well worth the effort that it takes to see them! I will spare you the details of the descent as it was equally as difficult in parts, but very rewarding when I returned to the sight of the stream where I immediately jumped in and cooled off from the glacier fed waters.
I certainly recommend this hike if you want to have a very challenging – non technical hike (no ropes). I would recommend that you bring more water and snacks than you think you’ll need and be prepared for a long day. This hike took me all day – in comparison to the Half Dome hike in Yosemite covered 20 miles round trip and took me about 8 hours to finish. This hike took me 9 hours and it was 7 miles shorter!
Day 2: Smith Rock State Park
On Day 2 I drove out to Smith Rock State Park. Smith Rock is an outdoor adventure seeker’s dream. In addition to some easy to moderate hikes that get you high enough to see the surrounding landscape, you can partake in some exhilarating rock climbing. I spent the majority of the day in the park enjoying the valley views from the top of the rock (1 hour hike up). The views overlook farms below, one of which I believe was cannabis by the smells that were lofting up on the thermals.
There are pretty views of the Crooked River below and most exciting was a 350-foot rock tower called monkey face that had 4-5 climbers ascending on either side. The rock formations are very similar to what you may see in southern Utah at some of the national parks. As I continued my hike, I descended to walk along the river. Here I stopped for lunch and observed the many duck species that were swimming in the water. I also tried some of the juniper berries that were in full bloom – not recommended as they are bitter and sticky from sap.
You can easily spend the day exploring Smith Rock. It’s a great place to hike, climb and just enjoy nature.
Day 3: Crater Lake National Park
On Day 3 I drove two hours south to Crater Lake National Park. My visit was unique in the fact the California and Southern Oregon forest fires were raging at the time of my visit and as result the air was thick with smoke. Despite the poor air quality, the smoke made for excellent photography. The smoke created this eerie scenery in the distance like out of a horror movie and appeared as mist coming off the lake on a cool day.
The 30 something mile driving loop around lake has many trailheads where you can stop off and do shorter hikes to different vantage points. My favorite one headed down to the lake’s edge where you can jump in if you feel so inclined. I felt inclined even though my day started at 24 degrees. You have to jump in the nation’s deepest lake! Believe it or not the lake was roughly 55 degrees when I dove in despite the cold temperatures. After doing some earlier hikes it was very refreshing and woke me up for the drive back to Bend.
Be sure to visit the gift shop as it is one of the more well stocked ones of the national parks that we have visited.
Day 4: Downtown Bend, OR
On my last day I had enough time to spend time walking along the Deschutes River in downtown Bend. Anyone visiting here will want to walk along the picturesque river that connects the downtown shopping and dining areas to a 2 mile greenspace. You can see ducks and geese in the river while enjoying your morning coffee.
After you caffeine up head over to Tumalo Falls for a 6.5 mile hike that takes you past a 100 foot waterfall and some of its smaller cousins. This is a more popular hike with people from the city and there are lots of dogs off leash, but when I was there everyone was quiet and respectful of the other hikers.
Finish your day with an absolute must – Monkless Belgian Ales. This brewery had the best beer that I have enjoyed since my time Belgium and Germany. In addition, the fish and mussel stew was out of this world and just what I needed to replenish the calories after all of the hiking.
Travel Tips for Bend, OR
- Enjoy the outdoors. Nature provides free entertainment – you just provide the motor.
- Plan for more supplies on hikes than you think you need and carb up the night before!
- Experience the breweries like Monk Brewery and Deschutes Brewery…and outdoor biergarten (get name)
- Float down the Deschutes River in a raft.
- Fly into Redmond if possible, via Seattle around 5 pm for incredible views of Mt Rainier. Remember sit on left side on the plane.
- Consider staying in Sisters, OR instead of downtown Bend if you want a quieter stay.
