Explore Bend, Oregon

The city of Bend is the county seat of Deschutes County and is the largest city in Central Oregon, with a population of 99,178 as of the 2020 U.S. census. It is the principal city of the Bend Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its name comes from the designation "Farewell Bend," used by early pioneers to describe the place along the Deschutes River where the town grew. Native Americans fished and hunted in the area for centuries, with the first settlers arriving in the winter of 1824.

The city features plenty to do outdoors, including electric bike tours of Bend and the Deschutes River. You can also take a phone-guided walking tour downtown that includes scavenger hunting. Nearby, Tumalo Falls is a popular site just west of town, and Sparks Lake is close enough to make it a regular outdoor destination for locals.

Bend's High Desert Museum will keep you busy for half a day as you explore history through its displays of animals, artful exhibits, and engaging programs. The Old Mill District provides premier dining, entertainment, and shopping for visitors.

Treat yourself to good American cafe food at McKay Cottage Restaurant or the highly-rated Pisano's Woodfired Pizza. Joolz specializes in Lebanese and Mediterranean dishes, and Zydeco Kitchen and Cocktails serves other international food options. Hipster haunts downtown include Velvet, serving up unique cocktails and canned microbrews. If you want a cozy atmosphere, try Flights Wine Bar, which offers happy hour and dinner entrées with its Oregon and Washington wine selections.

Campgrounds Near Bend, Oregon

Sun Outdoors Bend (formerly Crown Villa RV Resort) is a popular facility in Bend with full RV hookups, 30- and 50-amp power options, cell reception, and Wi-Fi available to guests. The site offers river access and is pet-friendly. It rents spaces for nightly, weekly and extended-stay use and has easy entering and exiting for bigger RVs.

Scandia RV Park is another facility in Bend, and it features 74 back-in or pull-through sites available at monthly rates from $295. The extra-large spaces include full RV hookups, 30- and 50-amp power, on-site shower facilities, cell reception, and Wi-Fi. The dedicated long-term site was built in 2016 and is pet-friendly.

Bend/Sisters Garden RV Resort has 105 back-in or pull-through sites starting at $40 per night. This family-friendly resort has a playground, a hot tub, and a large pool. RV-specific amenities include full hookups, 30- and 50-amp power, and guests have access to cell reception and Wi-Fi.

State Parks Near Bend, Oregon

Tumalo State Park sits just 15 minutes north of Bend, west of the McKenzie-Bend Highway. Twenty-three of the park's 77 campsites are accessible for RVs, and each spot has a fire ring and picnic table. The central location within the state makes Tumalo popular, so reserve spots a month in advance. There are miles of trails you can bike and hike, or you can picnic outside your RV. Water activities include fishing, tubing, and swimming in the Deschutes River. Its proximity to Bend makes the town close enough for last-minute or forgotten necessities.

Traveling a half-hour southwest of Bend on U.S. Route 97 places you at LaPine State Park, which is open year-round. There are 82 RV campsites with full RV hookups and another 47 with electricity only. This park welcomes pets, providing an off-leash exercise area and pet-friendly cabins. Sixteen miles of trails are available for bikers and hikers, and anglers enjoy fly-fishing the Deschutes River. You can also float the river in a tube or watch for wildlife like eagles and red-tailed hawks.

Cove Palisades State Park is in Culver, approximately an hour north of Bend, off U.S. Route 97. The Crooked, Deschutes, and Metolius Rivers dam up here to create Lake Billy Chinook. Water-based activities draw the most visitors to the park, and the marina rents watercraft. Boating, fishing, and paddling opportunities abound, or you can enjoy exploring the trails that offer breathtaking views of the surrounding snow-covered Cascade Mountains.

National Sites Near Bend, Oregon

John Day Fossil Beds National Monument is two hours and 10 minutes northeast of Bend, near the town of Dayville. It showcases colorful rock formations that provide insight into the area's past climates and ecosystems. There are 14,000 acres within the monument, so you will want to start with the orientation film at the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center. You can hike the easy- and moderate-rated trails that also provide looks at colorful fauna, birds, and geologic features.

Fort Vancouver National Historic Site is in Vancouver, Washington, three hours and 15 minutes northwest of Bend. The reconstructed fur trading and military forts help immerse you in the past lives of the Native Americans, traders, soldiers, and settlers who lived and worked in the area. This location contains the reconstructed Fort Vancouver, the Vancouver Barracks, and the Pearson Air Museum. A gift shop at the fort sells gifts to commemorate your visit. The McLoughlin House is 25 miles south of here in Oregon City.

In California, two hours and 55 minutes south of Bend, is Tule Lake National Monument, a site dedicated to a dark point in American history. It highlights a maximum-security segregation center and internment camp for people of Japanese descent and German and Italian POWs during the Second World War. Ranger-guided tours are available between Memorial Day and Labor Day, making this period the best time to visit the monument. Without the rangers, you can only see the fairgrounds museum. The town of Tulelake offers visitors amenities like gas, food, and shopping nearby.

National Forests Near Bend, Oregon

Deschutes National Forest is 25 minutes southwest of Bend, with the city hosting the forest headquarters. The 1.6-million-acre forest is home to antelope, beavers, black bears, deer, elk, minks, and otters. Hundreds of hiking trails cross the forest, where guests enjoy terrain exploration, fossil collecting, geocaching, hunting, stargazing, water activities, and winter sports. You will find 80 campsites with varying amenities, including Tumalo State Park Campground, with 23 full RV hookup sites starting at $33 per night.

Willamette National Forest sits an hour and a half northwest of Bend, covering 1,675,407 acres in Central Oregon. You can stay up to 14 days within a two-month window in either developed campgrounds or dispersed camping. Several popular hiking trails meander through the forest, including the 4.9-mile, easy-rated Clear Lake Trail. Grab your binoculars to enjoy the birding with chances to glimpse Pacific wren, pileated woodpeckers, sooty grouse, thrush, and the endangered northern spotted owl. You can also stay busy with fishing opportunities, geocaching, hiking, rafting, and skiing.

Ochoco National Forest is two hours and 15 minutes northeast of Bend, near the geographic center of Oregon. It contains 845,498 acres of land and water activities like biking, camping, canoeing, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, hunting, rafting, stargazing, and wildlife viewing. Some trails, like the 9.3-mile Round Mountain Through Hike, can be challenging, but there is plenty to do in the forest, no matter your physical abilities or interests. Some activities are free, but you will find fees at some day-use sites, camping areas, or permits for activities like tree cutting.