The Bend activity guide · by locals
What’s worth doing here changes with the month. A June plan is a bad February plan. So this guide starts with right now: what’s in season, what’s closed, and what locals are doing this week.
Snow up high, quiet in town
Heads up: The Cascade Lakes Highway past Bachelor, Tumalo Falls road, McKenzie Pass and Newberry are all gated for winter.
The best skiing of the year
Heads up: Presidents’ Day weekend is the busiest of the winter. Book dinner ahead.
Ski in the morning, ride or hike in the afternoon
Heads up: Trails in town are muddy or icy in the shade. Stay off wet singletrack so it does not rut.
Low desert season
Heads up: Everything above about 5,000 feet is still under snow. Do not plan on the Cascade Lakes yet.
The gates start to open
Heads up: The river is still very cold and running high. The lakes are open but ringed with snow.
Long evenings, snow still on the peaks
Heads up: Wilderness permits start June 15. High trails like Green Lakes can hold snow until July.
River days and high country
Heads up: Tumalo Falls and Smith Rock at midday. Go early or late. Expect mosquitoes at the high lakes until late in the month.
Get on the water, and have a backup plan
Heads up: Check the air quality before you commit to a big hike. Wildfire smoke can roll in for days at a time.
Warm days, empty trails
Heads up: The float shuttle stops after Labor Day. Smoke can still linger early in the month.
Gold aspens and the last high-country days
Heads up: Wilderness permits end October 15. Lava Lands winds down mid-month. The first real snow can land any time.
Quiet trails while everyone waits for snow
Heads up: The winter gates close: Pilot Butte’s road early in the month, then McKenzie Pass, Tumalo Falls, the Cascade Lakes Highway and Paulina Lake Road by mid-month. Sno-park permits start November 1.
Lights in town, lifts turning up high
Heads up: The week between Christmas and New Year’s is the busiest of the ski season. Go early or go Nordic.
If you only do a few things
The ones we send every visiting friend to. Out-of-season picks drop off this list on their own.
Before you plan
Bend sits where the forest runs out and the high desert begins. A river runs through the middle of town, and a volcano with ski lifts stands 22 miles up the road. That is why you can ski, bike and paddle on the same spring day. People really do it. There is even a race built on it.
It also means elevation decides everything. Town is at 3,600 feet and open all year. The lakes, the waterfall road and the high trails sit above 5,000 feet, behind gates that close in November and open in May or June. Most bad Bend days start with a plan that ignored the calendar.
The other rule locals live by: one anchor a day. Pick the main thing, then add food and a walk nearby. Stack four “must-dos” and you spend the day in the car on Highway 97.
River trail, Drake Park, Pilot Butte, downtown, the Old Mill, food truck lots.
Smith Rock, Steelhead Falls, the Badlands, the Painted Hills. Hot by July.
Lava Butte, Lava River Cave, Benham Falls, Newberry Caldera.
Mt. Bachelor, the Cascade Lakes, Tumalo Falls, the Three Sisters Wilderness.
Pick your dates
What to do, what to skip and what’s on, for every month of the year. Coming later? Tap your month.
Deep winter
The Cascade Lakes Highway past Bachelor, Tumalo Falls road, McKenzie Pass and Newberry are all gated for winter.
The quietest month for events, and the cheapest for a place to stay.
Peak snow
Presidents’ Day weekend is the busiest of the winter. Book dinner ahead.
Bend WinterFest lands in mid-February, with ice carving, live music and fire pits.
Two seasons at once
Trails in town are muddy or icy in the shade. Stay off wet singletrack so it does not rut.
Spring break brings families. Winter PrideFest lands early in the month.
Mud and sun
Everything above about 5,000 feet is still under snow. Do not plan on the Cascade Lakes yet.
The Pavilion swaps ice for roller skating. Patio season starts on the first 65-degree day.
Things reopen
The river is still very cold and running high. The lakes are open but ringed with snow.
Pole Pedal Paddle, the ski-bike-run-paddle relay from Bachelor to the Old Mill, is the local holiday. The amphitheater season gets going around the end of the month.
Early summer
Wilderness permits start June 15. High trails like Green Lakes can hold snow until July.
Sisters Rodeo, Big Ponderoo and the Bend Yoga Festival. McKenzie Pass usually opens mid-month.
Peak summer
Tumalo Falls and Smith Rock at midday. Go early or late. Expect mosquitoes at the high lakes until late in the month.
The Fourth of July Pet Parade downtown, Balloons Over Bend, and amphitheater shows most weeks.
Hot, dry, sometimes smoky
Check the air quality before you commit to a big hike. Wildfire smoke can roll in for days at a time.
Concerts nearly every week, and the Perseid meteor shower mid-month under properly dark skies.
The locals’ favorite
The float shuttle stops after Labor Day. Smoke can still linger early in the month.
Bend Roots Revival, Oktoberfest and the Sisters Folk Festival.
Fall color
Wilderness permits end October 15. Lava Lands winds down mid-month. The first real snow can land any time.
Bend Fall Festival downtown, BendFilm, and pumpkin patches. Ice returns to The Pavilion late in the month.
The in-between
The winter gates close: Pilot Butte’s road early in the month, then McKenzie Pass, Tumalo Falls, the Cascade Lakes Highway and Paulina Lake Road by mid-month. Sno-park permits start November 1.
Mt. Bachelor aims to open around the turn of the month, snow permitting. Thanksgiving weekend starts the holiday season downtown.
Holiday season
The week between Christmas and New Year’s is the busiest of the ski season. Go early or go Nordic.
The Bend Christmas Parade on the first Saturday, plus holiday markets and New Year’s Eve events.
The finder
66 things, each with a local note. Start with how much time you have.
The footbridge, the geese, the big ponderosas, and downtown one block away. In October the park turns gold. It is the most Bend 30 minutes you can spend for nothing.
Pair it with coffee →A flat loop on both banks, linked by footbridges. You pass the flag bridge, the old smokestacks and the whitewater park. Start at Riverbend Park, where parking is easiest.
Bend without a car →The Bend Whitewater Park has a standing wave under the Colorado Avenue bridge, and locals surf it in every month of the year. Stand on the footbridge and look straight down.
River guide →An old cinder cone in the middle of town. The trail is about a mile each way and climbs nearly 500 feet. From the top you can count the Cascades from Bachelor to Hood on a clear day. The summit road is closed to cars from early November to mid-April, but the trail never closes.
Dinner after, nearby →Wall and Bond streets are four blocks of local shops, with public art tucked into the alleys between them. Park once in the garage on Lava Road and walk.
Where to eat downtown →On the first Friday evening of every month, galleries and shops stay open late with art, wine and live music. It runs all year, and it is busiest when the weather is warm.
See this month’s events →Wednesdays from 11 to 3 in the alley above Mirror Pond, May to mid-October. NorthWest Crossing runs a bigger Saturday market from 10 to 2, late May through September.
Local produce guide →Big touring acts on the riverbank from late spring into September. Walk or bike in if you can. Parking is the hard part, and half of Bend floats up to listen for free.
Bend music scene →Free Thursday evening concerts on the lawn in July and early August. Bring a blanket and get dinner from the food carts.
Festival calendar →Bend’s default night out: a taphouse in the middle, a ring of carts, fire pits and picnic tables. Everyone orders what they want. Several lots are heated for winter.
Every lot, open now →Pick one neighborhood and walk between three or four breweries. Trying to cover the whole map in a day is how people end up driving when they shouldn’t.
Ale Trail guide →Most Bend happy hours run from about 3 to 6. Eat early, pay less, and be home before the mountain crowd gets back into town.
What’s on special now →There is a game somewhere in town every night of the week, and most are free to play.
Trivia by day →Sunday-morning bingo parties, Wednesday music bingo and brewery bingo for local charities, most nights of the week.
Bingo by day →Stand-up, improv and open mics rotate through breweries and small theaters most weeks.
Comedy guide →Part museum, part wildlife park: river otters, birds of prey, a working 1904 ranch and sawmill, and strong rotating exhibits. It is the best answer in town to “what do we do if it rains.” Half is outdoors, so on smoky days stick to the galleries.
Bad-weather plans →A 1936 Catholic school turned hotel, with a tiled soaking pool open to the public, a movie theater, and hidden rooms to hunt for. Ask nobody. Finding the broom closet bar is the fun.
Date night ideas →Day passes and rental gear for bouldering and roped climbing. The right swap when the hike got cancelled and you still need to move.
More indoor ideas →Bowling, arcade, laser tag and mini golf under one roof. Handy for a mixed-age group that needs several things to do without moving the car.
Bend with kids →About an hour, fully indoors, and it works for couples, families and teams. Book ahead on smoky or rainy weekends, when the whole town moves inside at once.
Group activities →A covered, open-air NHL-size rink run by the parks district. Ice goes in around late October and stays until April. Dress warm, since the sides are open.
Bend with kids →Wood-fired and riverside saunas have taken off here, often with a cold plunge in the Deschutes. It is best after a ski day.
Sauna guide →A good rainy-night plan that ends with dinner already made.
Cooking classes →When you have had enough beer. Several distilleries pour flights and run short tours.
Distillery guide →Nearly 1,000 acres along Tumalo Creek, ten minutes from downtown. The aspens go yellow in October and the larches turn gold after them. The creek loop is flat enough for anyone.
Dog-friendly Bend →About three miles of dirt trail through a basalt canyon that starts at a city park. It feels like you drove an hour. It gets icy in the shade in winter.
Natural wonders →Canyon rim trails above the Deschutes with a wide view of the Cascades. No dogs and no bikes are allowed, which is exactly why it stays this quiet.
Wildlife watching →A 97-foot waterfall about 14 miles west of town, the last 2.6 on washboard gravel. The viewpoint is steps from the lot. Keep walking a mile upstream to Double Falls and you lose most of the crowd. The lot fills by mid-morning on summer weekends. You need a $5 day pass.
Natural wonders →The network that made Bend a mountain bike town starts ten minutes west on Skyliners Road. The dirt is best in spring and fall, and gets dusty by August. New to it? A guide or shuttle saves you from learning the map the hard way.
Bike tours & shuttles →The river trail southwest of town runs through lava flows and old-growth ponderosa, past loud stretches of whitewater. Benham Falls is an easy flat walk from its trailhead. Dogs must be leashed here from May 15 to September 15.
Natural wonders →About four miles round trip and 1,400 feet of climbing to a summit that looks straight at Bachelor, Broken Top and the Sisters. It sits outside the wilderness, so it needs no wilderness permit. That makes it the locals’ answer when Green Lakes is booked.
Cascade Lakes guide →The big Bend hikes. Green Lakes is about nine miles round trip along Fall Creek. South Sister is about twelve, with nearly 5,000 feet of climbing to Oregon’s third-highest summit. Both need a Central Cascades Wilderness Permit from June 15 to October 15.
How permits work →Drive 20 minutes east and the sky goes properly dark. Go on a moonless night. The observatory in Sunriver runs public night viewings year-round, and you need a reservation.
Stargazing guide →From state park loops on the river to lakeside sites up the Cascade Lakes Highway. Summer weekends book out months ahead, and midweek is easier.
Camping guide →Bend is flatter than it looks and has bike paths along most of the river. An e-bike turns a day of parking problems into a day of none.
E-bike guide →The summer rite of passage. About two hours door to door from Riverbend to Drake Park. Park free at Park & Float on Bradbury Way and take the $5 shuttle, which runs mid-June to Labor Day. Launch before 11 on weekends. The water is colder than it looks.
How to float →Paddle upstream from Riverbend Park toward the canyon and drift back. Mornings are calm and empty. By early afternoon in July you are weaving through tubes.
Paddling guide →A shallow, slow bend of the Deschutes with a lawn, shade and picnic tables. It is the easy river day with small kids. There is a state park day-use fee.
Tumalo guide →A short, splashy guided run through Class III rapids, 20 minutes from town. A good first whitewater trip, and done in half a day.
Tours worth booking →Shallow, lava-edged and pointed straight at South Sister and Broken Top. Go early or late, when the wind is down and the water is glass. The last stretch of road is rough dirt, so take it slow.
Cascade Lakes guide →Sandy beaches, a lodge with burgers and a marina with rentals, all under South Sister. It is the closest thing Central Oregon has to a lake resort day.
Cascade Lakes guide →There is world-class trout water in every direction. If you have one day, hire a guide. They know which river is fishing well this week, and that saves you the guessing.
Fishing guides →A volcano with lifts on it, 22 miles from downtown. On a clear day you can ride 360 degrees off the summit. The season usually runs from around the start of December into May. On powder weekends, be in the lot before 8.
Mt. Bachelor guide →Miles of trails groomed by a local nonprofit, with warming shelters out on the loops. All you need is a sno-park permit, and a donation is the right thing to do. No dogs here in winter.
Sno-park permits →The sledding hill, with a warming hut at the bottom. Dogs are welcome on this side of the highway. Bring your own sled and a sno-park permit.
Bend with kids →Marked snowshoe trails lead to log shelters with wood stoves. Pack a thermos and lunch. Rentals are easy to find in town.
Snowshoeing guide →When the road gate closes for winter, the falls get quiet. It is about five miles out and back from Skyliner Sno-Park, mostly flat, and you may have a half-frozen waterfall to yourself.
Snowshoeing guide →From late June to early September the lifts haul bikes and sightseers, with a downhill bike park, a zipline and disc golf. The chairlift ride up is the easy way to a summit view.
Summer guide →A dozen alpine lakes strung along 66 miles of road. Pick two, not ten. The gate past Mt. Bachelor closes in mid-November and reopens in May, but snow hangs on at the lakes into June.
Cascade Lakes guide →Orange rock spires over the Crooked River, and the birthplace of American sport climbing. Misery Ridge earns its name. The River Trail is flat and nearly as good. Go at sunrise in summer, when the canyon bakes by noon. Spring and fall are prime. Parking is $10 a day, or $12 with out-of-state plates.
Smith Rock guide →Walk across a 7,000-year-old lava flow, then ride the shuttle up the cinder cone it came from. The visitor center is open mid-May to mid-October and the shuttle runs mid-June to Labor Day. You need a $5 day pass.
Newberry guide →A mile-long lava tube you walk on your own with a lantern. It is about 42 degrees inside all year, so bring a jacket in July. You need a timed ticket from Recreation.gov, which opens seven days ahead, plus a day pass. A great escape from heat or smoke.
Cave tours too →Two lakes inside a collapsed volcano, twin 80-foot waterfalls, a square mile of black volcanic glass you can walk across, and a road to the top of Paulina Peak. It is the most underrated full day near Bend. The road in closes for winter in mid-November.
Newberry guide →A small western-front town below the Three Sisters with good bakeries, galleries and its own food cart lots. Easy to pair with the Metolius or a hike.
Sisters guide →A full-size river pours out of the ground at the foot of Black Butte. Walk to the headwaters, then follow the river trail past the hatchery. The vine maples turn red here in late September.
Metolius guide →A flat trail loops the whole lake, with a lodge at one end for lunch on the deck.
Suttle Lake guide →A narrow old highway across a sea of black lava to a stone lookout built from the same rock. The road is usually open from mid-June to early November. It is too tight for trailers and big RVs.
Sisters guide →Miles of flat, paved bike paths through the pines, a nature center with an observatory, and an easy river float of its own. It is the low-stress family day.
Sunriver guide →A short, steep walk into a desert canyon to a wide waterfall on the Deschutes. There is no fee and no shade. Go in spring or fall, and pair it with Smith Rock.
Smith Rock area →A paved path runs along the floor of a canyon through the middle of town. Climb out and you are a few blocks from the densest cluster of food cart lots in Central Oregon.
Redmond guide →Doable in a day, and long. It is about two hours each way in summer, when the north entrance is open. In winter the route is longer and the rim drive is closed. Leave early and bring layers, because the rim sits above 7,000 feet.
Natural wonders →Striped red and gold hills with short boardwalk trails. The color is strongest in late afternoon and after rain. There are almost no services out there, so fuel up in Prineville.
More day trips →Lava cave trips, moonlight canoe paddles, snowshoe outings with a bonfire. A guide is worth paying for when gear, a permit or a shuttle is the hard part.
Tours worth booking →Alpine lakes and meadows a few miles from the trailhead. Every overnight trip in the Three Sisters, Mount Washington and Mount Jefferson wilderness areas needs a permit in season.
Backpacking guide →Bend takes its yard displays seriously. We keep a map of the streets worth the drive.
Holiday lights map →October means pumpkin patches, corn mazes and a full calendar of costume events.
Halloween guide →Try dropping a filter. If “In season now” is on, the thing you want may just be waiting on snow or sun.
Stop scrolling, start going
Year-round
Year-round
Year-round
May–Oct
May–Sep
Dec–Mar
Year-round
Jun–Oct
Mar–Jun, Sep–Nov
Jun–Oct
Apr–Nov
Dec–May
Here for longer? Use the weekend plan, or the guide for hosting visitors.
What locals do differently
Nothing here is a secret. It is mostly about timing. The same place can be a traffic jam at noon and empty at 8.
Instead ofTumalo Falls at noon on a Saturday
Do thisArrive before 9 or after 5. Or keep walking a mile upstream to Double Falls, where most people have already turned around.
Instead ofLaunching your float at 2 pm in July
Do thisBe on the water before 11, or go on a weekday. Park at Park & Float and skip Riverbend, which fills by late morning.
Instead ofMisery Ridge at midday in summer
Do thisGo at sunrise, take the flat River Trail, or save Smith Rock for October when the rock is cool and the light is better.
Instead ofRefreshing Recreation.gov for a Green Lakes permit
Do thisHike Tumalo Mountain. It needs no wilderness permit and has the same skyline, from higher up.
Instead ofDriving to the top of Pilot Butte
Do thisWalk it at sunset. It takes 25 minutes, and you get the view to yourself after the cars leave.
Instead ofBachelor on a powder Saturday
Do thisGo on a weekday, or be parked before 8. If the lot is already full, Nordic ski at Meissner and try again tomorrow.
Instead ofForcing the hike on a smoky day
Do thisGo underground or inside. Lava River Cave and the High Desert Museum both still feel like Central Oregon.
Instead ofTen Cascade Lakes in one day
Do thisPick two. Sparks for the paddle and the view, Elk for the swim and the burger. You will remember both.
Know before you go
This is what trips up visitors most. Checked October 10, 2026. Dates shift a little with the snow each year.
Most national forest trailheads and day-use sites: Tumalo Falls, Lava Lands, Benham Falls, the Cascade Lakes
A Northwest Forest Pass or an America the Beautiful pass both work. Buy a day pass online before you lose cell service.
Day hikes from 19 busy trailheads, including Green Lakes, Broken Top, Tam McArthur Rim and Todd Lake. Every overnight trip in the three wilderness areas.
Required June 15 to October 15. Book on Recreation.gov. Day permits are released 10 days ahead and again 2 days ahead. Nothing is sold at the trailhead.
Smith Rock, Tumalo State Park and other fee parks
Pay at the machine or online. Pilot Butte is a state park too, and it is free.
Every sno-park, including Meissner, Wanoga, Swampy, Dutchman and Skyliner
Required November 1 to April 30. Buy it in town at an outdoor shop or the DMV. It goes on the windshield, and they do ticket.
Everyone entering the cave
Tickets open 7 days ahead and again 24 hours ahead on Recreation.gov. The cave is open from May into September.
Paddleboards, kayaks, canoes and rafts
Oregon requires one for most paddlecraft, plus a life jacket and a whistle on board. A basic single-person inner tube does not need one.
You can always drive to Bachelor and the sno-parks. The lakes beyond are gated. The road is plowed open in May, well before the lakes thaw.
It closes and opens on the same days as the Cascade Lakes Highway.
In winter you ski or snowshoe in from Skyliner Sno-Park, about five miles round trip.
It opens to bikes before cars each spring, which is one of the great rides in Oregon.
It is closed to cars only. Walk or bike it any day.
Dogs must be on a leash on the upper Deschutes River Trail from May 15 to September 15. In town, leashes are the rule in every park unless a sign says it is an off-leash area.
No dogs on the north side of the Cascade Lakes Highway in winter. That covers Meissner, Swampy Lakes, Vista Butte and Dutchman. Wanoga and Edison, on the south side, welcome them.
Wildfire smoke is most likely from late July through September. It comes and goes by the day. Check the air quality in the morning and keep one indoor plan ready.
Bend sits at 3,600 feet and the trailheads go up from there. Drink more water than usual, wear sunscreen in every season, and expect one beer to feel like two.
A 40-degree swing between afternoon and night is normal here. It can be 85 at the river at 4 pm and 45 at the amphitheater by the encore.
The Deschutes comes off snowmelt and stays cold all summer. Wear the life jacket. Kids 12 and under are required to, and so is everyone on a paddleboard or kayak.
Go deeper
41 guides, sorted the way people look for them.
Quick answers
Float the Deschutes River in summer, climb Pilot Butte at sunset, see Tumalo Falls, spend a morning at Smith Rock State Park, drive the Cascade Lakes Highway, ski Mt. Bachelor in winter, visit the High Desert Museum, and end the day at a food truck lot. Which one is best depends on the month, so this guide marks what is in season right now.
This guide lists 18 free things. The best are walking Drake Park and Mirror Pond, the river trail loop through the Old Mill, watching surfers at the Bend Whitewater Park, hiking Pilot Butte, Shevlin Park, Riley Ranch Nature Reserve, the First Friday Art Walk, and free Munch & Music concerts in July.
September is the locals’ favorite: warm days, cool nights, thinner crowds and open trails. July and August are best for river floating and the high lakes, but they bring crowds and sometimes wildfire smoke. February is the peak of ski season. October has fall color, and November and April are the quiet shoulder months.
Ski or snowboard Mt. Bachelor, Nordic ski at Virginia Meissner Sno-Park, snowshoe to a warming shelter, sled at Wanoga, and ice skate at The Pavilion. In town, the river trail, Pilot Butte, breweries, heated food truck lots and saunas all run through the winter. The Cascade Lakes Highway past Mt. Bachelor, Tumalo Falls Road and Newberry Caldera are closed to cars from November to May.
Go to the High Desert Museum, walk Lava River Cave in season, climb at Bend Rock Gym, soak at McMenamins Old St. Francis School, book an escape room or a sauna, or work through a few stops on the Bend Ale Trail. On smoky days, pick fully indoor plans and check the air quality before driving anywhere.
Float the river or swim at Tumalo State Park in summer, walk through Lava River Cave, ride the shuttle up Lava Butte, see the otters at the High Desert Museum, sled at Wanoga Sno-Park in winter, ice skate at The Pavilion, and bike the flat paved paths in Sunriver. Food truck lots are the easiest family dinner in town.
Three days is the sweet spot. Spend one in town on the river and downtown, one on a big outdoor day such as the Cascade Lakes, Smith Rock or Mt. Bachelor, and keep one flexible for weather, a second adventure or a day trip to Sisters or Newberry.
Not for downtown, the Old Mill, the river trail and the float, which are all walkable or bikeable. You do need a car, a tour or a shuttle for Mt. Bachelor, Tumalo Falls, Smith Rock, the Cascade Lakes and Newberry.
Most national forest trailheads need a $5 recreation day pass. From June 15 to October 15, day hikes from 19 popular trailheads, including Green Lakes, Broken Top and Tam McArthur Rim, also need a Central Cascades Wilderness Permit booked on Recreation.gov. Trails in town, Pilot Butte and Shevlin Park are free. Smith Rock charges $10 a vehicle for parking.
The float season runs roughly from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The Ride the River shuttle and the free Park & Float lot run from mid-June through Labor Day. The classic float from Riverbend Park to Drake Park takes about two hours door to door.
The gate past Mt. Bachelor usually closes in mid-November and reopens in May once the road is plowed, though the lakes stay snowy into June. Paulina Lake Road into Newberry Caldera opens and closes on the same schedule. McKenzie Pass opens later, usually in mid-June.
Very. Most trails, patios and food truck lots welcome dogs. The main rules: leashes in city parks unless posted off-leash, leashes on the upper Deschutes River Trail from May 15 to September 15, no dogs at Riley Ranch Nature Reserve, and no dogs at the sno-parks on the north side of the Cascade Lakes Highway in winter.
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Explore guideSeasons, permits and road closures last checked October 10, 2026. Spot something out of date? Tell us.
