I love the Pacific Northwest. It has mountains, hiking, hot springs, and people who live for the outdoors. It also has some amazing skiing, or if you are like me, snowboarding.
One, maybe less talked about Mountain is Mount Bachelor in Oregon. But this post isn’t about the mountain. It’s about a town. Bend.
A town, located in Central Oregon that is not only the perfect jumping off point for tons of outdoor activities, its also a pretty great place to hang out.
What you need to know before you go
Getting To Bend
If you are coming from outside the state, you can fly into Eugene or Portland. From Portland, you can rent a car and drive to Bend.
I would recommend going through the Turo app and getting a vehicle that can handle snow if you are visiting in the winter. The pass by Mount Hood can get hairy in the winter and you need good tires. A small car from a car rental company is just not going to cut it.
The drive itself is going to take around 3- 31/2 hours, longer depending on the weather. But it is a fantastic drive along route 26 as you pass through a thick evergreen forest, that suddenly turns into a high desert habitat.
From Eugene, there is a bus available, if you didn’t want to drive. If that is your plan, I would recommend staying right in Bend, close to where the shuttle takes you to Mount Bachelor. However, I would still recommend a car, so you can get out and enjoy all the things around Bend, from its great restaurants and breweries to the amazing nature that surrounds it.
Where to Stay
Depending on what you are going for and when there are lots of options in town. If you are going in the winter and hope to check out Mount Bachelor, the closest hotel to the mountain is WorldMark Bend Seventh Mountain Resort.
We stayed here and it has everything you could possibly want with outdoor hot tubs and heated pools, a skating rink, a bar that hosts local bands, and rooms that are like small condos with private balconies overlooking a beautiful forest. Just be aware that they will make you sit through a “time share” like talk, but you can say no and you often get some freebies out of it, like $25 at a brewery in town and sometimes a free week at any of their owned places.
Top Things to do In Bend
Brewery Tour
Bend has quickly become known as having some of the best craft breweries in the west. There are so many to choose from it is hard to hit them all. But here are my top recommendations for best breweries in Bend.
You can also get a Bend Ale Trail passport, collecting stamps along the way, visiting as many breweries as you can during your stay.
Find the Broom Closet
Multiple people suggested McMenamins. They can be found in several places in Oregon and Washington State. The owners buy up these historical buildings and create a restaurant or theater or hotel or whatever that is completely unique.
In Bend that’s the McMenamins Old St. Francis School. Not only is this a restaurant and hotel but within this complex of buildings is a secret. A prohibition bar called the Broom Closet. It’s not easy to find either but a fun adventure to have after a good meal at the McMenamins restaurant.
Soak in a hot Grecian style bath
Also, a part of McMenamins is an indoor area where you can go for a soak in a hot tub in a Grecian style bathhouse. After a hard day on the mountain this might just be the perfect spot to have a soak and then maybe a drink at the Broom Closet.
These pools are for hotel guests but with so many unique things to do, why wouldn’t you want to stay here? Did I mention it’s also a great location if you want to be right in downtown Bend.
Visit a Café
Bend is becoming well known for two things, beer and coffee. Oregon coffee is something special and Bend is full of unique coffee shops.
Thump Coffee
Address: 25 NW Minnesota Ave
This is a good starting point because the coffee is great the atmosphere is what I would consider typical coffee bar. There are a couple of these dotted around Bend, but the one I list here is right in the middle of the downtown area and the perfect stopping point.
Looney Bean of Bend
Address: 961 NW Brooks St, Bend, OR 97703
This place looks cool, being a converted cottage and it’s situated right along Mirror Pond next to Drake Park (see the next recommendation). All their beans are roasted on site so you truly cannot get a fresher cup of coffee.
Walk around the River
Cutting through Bend is the Deschutes River and close to the main downtown area is Mirror Pond with Drake Park. Drake Park is a pretty little walk with views of ducks and a place to take the dogs. It’s a nice green space amidst a town with houses seemingly on top of each other.
But for a quieter, out of town and into nature walk, head into Deschutes National Forest and walk along the miles of trails through the woods and along the Deschutes River trail. In the winter months, the hiking trails are covered in a blanket of snow and the perfect place to go snowshoeing that is free of charge. In the summer months, it’s a great place to go mountain biking (Bend is a hotspot for mountain bikers in the summer) and horseback riding.
Explore the City of Bend
If it is your first visit to Bend, one of the best ways to really get a feel for the area is to check out the different neighborhoods. Wandering around downtown Bend is a great thing to do on its own. There are lots of shops, restaurants and breweries and lots of different areas to explore. From Old Bend, which is the main downtown area to the Old Mill District with some of the best restaurants in Miyagi Ramen and one of the best places to get ramen in the town (just be aware that the parking lot here fills up really fast on a nice day).
Go cross country skiing or snowshoeing at one of the Sno-parks
Depending on the time of year, of course, this is one of the best things to do in the area. The Virginia Meissner sno-park definitely worth visiting if you are trying to decide which sno-park to check out. All can be found within wilderness areas, so the surrounding area is thick and peaceful forest. The Virginia Meissner sno-park is a popular spot, so make sure to get there early or maybe check it out on a weekday to avoid some of the crowds.
You can get a day pass for the sno-parks for $6 and certain locations in town, including Powder House.
Go to Mount Bachelor
One of my favorite things to do and probably one of the most popular things to do when people come to Bend is to visit Mount Bachelor for a day of skiing or snowboarding. The best time to visit, of course, is in the winter but in the summer months, it’s also one of the best places to go mountain biking.
For more information on Mount Bachelor, check out my post to help you plan your trip.
Concluding Thoughts
Bend has a ton of fun things to do, and it has seen a lot of growth in the past couple years with a serious influx of outdoors lovers and some of the most chill people you can find.
It also has the least amount of rainfall of any place in Oregon each year and the highest number of sunny days. With great outdoor activities, good beer, and a chill vibe who wouldn’t want to move here?
Looking for another good reason to visit Oregon? Check out these Top 7 Adventures on the Columbia River
