If you love the outdoors, adventures, fresh air and microbrews, then Bend, Oregon has it all for you. The town a little over three hours southeast of Portland has become a mecca for athletes who share a passion for healthy living.

It’s location in Central Oregon makes it ideal for trail running, hiking, mountain biking and skiing with 300 days of sunshine, hot summers, Christmas card white winters.

If you’re headed to Bend on a road trip you will definitely have a lot of options for various activities, most physical and outdoors, but not all. I was lucky enough to experience winter in Bend this year, but I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t a lot of snow. Being a LA girl and even living in Humboldt for two years, I’ve never really experienced a white winter. Most of the snow in Bend had melted away by the time I got there, but there were still patches and a significant amount on higher elevation.

Since the most of the snow had already melted away, I was able to try a few new things like mountain biking and skiing! I’ve never skied before so that was one fun experience. If you have a desire to experience the outdoors, Bend has several opportunities for you to do so. Here are my recommendations of things to do in Bend, Oregon:

 1. Mountain Biking on Phil’s Trails

Just a few miles from downtown Bend Phil’s trails is the place to go ride. With a huge network of flowy singletrack you’ll have endless options to choose from. During the summer months you can even ride all the way from Mt. Bachelor down into Bend.

The best way to go is to start at Phil’s trail head and head uphill from there, you can choose Kent’s or Phil’s trail. Both will take you up further and you can make many different loops. Before you head out be sure to pick up a map at a local store or check out COTA.org for a map and trail conditions.

 

2. Trail Run on Deschutes River Trails

The Deschutes is a majestic and wild river that winds all the way from the Cascades to the Columbia River. The section that passes through Bend is no exception and lucky for you there are trails along the majority of it. One of my favorite trails to run is north of town along the river trail. You can park at the Old Mill and head upriver, eventually you will meet singletrack and can continue all the way down to a foot bridge that crosses the river. You can return on the other side.

3. Hike to Tumalo Falls

During both summer and winter months Tumalo Falls is a great escape. You can hike into a lovely waterfall and go further, or just sit and relax at the falls glory. In the winter you can snowshoe or cross-country ski into the falls to witness a shimmering icy cascade. To get here just head up Skyliner Road until it ends at a trail head.

 

4. Stand-up Paddle Board on the Deschutes

The Deschutes winds through Bend and creates many play opportunities. One is to paddle board on its many still water sections. You can easily access the river and set out on the water anywhere along this section of the river in at the Old Mill.

This makes for a great summer activity and you can cruise up and down the river. If you want to test your skills you can even meet up for paddle board races in the summer months.

5. Ski Mt. Bachelor

Only 30 minutes from downtown Bend, Mt. Bachelor is one of the biggest draws for any snow sport lover. Forget long drives and traffic on the way to the mountain, you can easily roll up to Mt. Bachelor and take a few laps and head home before noon. In Bend you get the best of both worlds–a great town at lower elevations and great skiing within a half hour drive.

6. Drink Beer

Bend is in the midst of a beer boom. With more than 13 local breweries constantly gunning for the top brew you will never have a hard time finding a great beer, but you may have difficulty deciding which to imbibe in. From the more established Deschutes Brewery to the new 10 Barrel Brewing, you can’t go wrong.

 

Conclusion

Quick access to many outdoor activities is what makes Bend, OR among the best mountain towns in the US. There are few places that you can wake up and stroll to a local coffee shop, hit the slopes to skin the morning, cruise single track in the afternoon, and paddle board watching the sunset with a local microbrew in hand.

 

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