PLAY A Lifetime’s Worth of New Experiences 29 Take a Hike

Official Visitor Guide of Bend Take a Hike

Hiking is one of the easiest—and most rewarding—activities to add to your Bend bucket list. It’s also one of the most popular pastimes for Bend visitors and locals alike, and with good reason.

Bend boasts more than 50 miles of in-town trails, and thousands of acres of hikeable terrain just outside the city limits. Choose from urban trails you can tackle in sandals or more challenging hikes that send your heart pounding and your head whirling with stunning mountain top vistas. From caves to desert terrain to alpine trails flecked with wildflowers, you’ll find a little of everything in Bend—and lots of it.

Perhaps Bend’s best-known hike is Pilot Butte State Park. This 500-foot cinder cone makes Bend one of just a handful of U.S. towns with a dormant volcano in the city limits, and you can hike all the way to the top. Take the mile-long paved road (watch for cars!) or the mile-and-a-half dirt trail to the summit. Once you’re there, catch your breath while savoring the 360-degree views of the Cascade Mountains to the west and the expansive high desert to the east. It’s a great way to orient yourself to the city.

Like your hikes with a side of water? You’ll find tons of trails running along the mighty Deschutes River, with options ranging from mild to wild. The upper Deschutes River Trail makes a great starting point if you kick things off at the Meadow Camp Day Use Area off Century Drive. Follow the river’s edge as far as you want to go, scoping out Benham Falls and Dillon Falls along the way.

If Central Oregon’s endless desert drew you here, take time to scope out the Oregon Badlands Wilderness. At 30,000 acres, the area is vast and wild, but still manageable enough for the average hiker to tackle in small chunks. You’ll see ancient junipers, craggy volcanic formations, and soaring hawks overhead. There are several trailheads off Highway 20 East, or head north toward the Larry Chitwood Trail located off Dodds Road.

Can’t get enough of the unique volcanic landscapes in Central Oregon? Spring, summer and early fall are great times to check out the Newberry National Volcanic Monument. Start at the Lava Lands Visitor Center and catch a shuttle to the top of Lava Butte for a quick loop hike around the top. Then head to Lava River Cave for some spelunking, or visit Paulina Falls for stunning views of this 80-foot waterfall. After lunch at Paulina Lake Lodge, spend time hiking around Paulina Lake or East Lake before detouring to the Big Obsidian Flow and ambling through endless fields of glittery, glass-like obsidian.

For more essential hikes to add to your agenda, check out the suggestions on the next page.

Oh, and before we forget, have you noticed how pristine and lovely it is in Central Oregon’s great outdoors? You can help us keep it that way! Follow Leave No Trace practices when you’re out on the trails, and pack out anything you’ve packed in. .

If you want to give back to the wild places that make Bend special, consider a donation through Pledge for the Wild. Pledge for the Wild is a group of mountain towns supporting responsible tourism in our wild places.

It’s easy, just text ‘WILD4Bend’ to 44321. Consider donating one dollar for every hour you spend playing in Bend’s wild places during your vacation. To learn more about the initiative, point your browser to pledgewild.com

For even more intel on hiking in Bend, head to: