Quick adventures around Bend - Bend, Oregon

Sunset, August, 1996 by Bonnie Henderson

Six sweet but short summer outings in central Oregon

While downtown bend has its charms, with its restaurants, coffeehouses, and shops, you can tell from a glance at all the canoes, mountain bikes, and camping gear on cartop carriers that most visitors don't come here to sit around and sip lattes. Instead, they use Bend as a strategic base of operations for serious fun.

If you can afford the time, spend a few days rafting the rapids of the Deschutes River or go backpacking peak-to-peak through the Three Sisters Wilderness. But if your stay is limited, try one of these shorter adventures, none of which is more than 45 minutes from the center of town. For information about lodging, dining, and other area attractions, call the Central Oregon Visitors Association at (800) 800-8334.

1. WORLD-CLASS CLIMBING

At Smith Rock State Park, along the Crooked River about 25 miles northeast of Bend, you can watch some of the world's top climbers take on Monkey Face or Just Do It. Or sign up for a day-long climbing lesson on Rope-de-Dope rock, an ideal pitch for beginners. Climbing schools offer private lessons and can tailor instruction for any level of experience. For information, call First Ascent Climbing Services (800/325-5462) or Vertical Ventures (541/389-7937). Helmets, shoes, ropes, hardware, and lots of encouragement are provided.

2. SPIRITED RAFTING

The Big Eddy run on the Deschutes River offers bona fide class 4 rapids. Outfitters that run raft trips down this 3-mile stretch include Inn of the Seventh Mountain (382-8711, ext. 600) and Sun Country Tours (382-6277). You'll help paddle the raft - plan to get wet. Figure on a three-hour outing, from pickup in Bend or Sunriver to your return. (For raft trips from Inn of the Seventh Mountain, drive to the resort.) Trips cost $27 to $34, $22 to $28 for ages 6 through 12.

3. EASY CANOEING

Although better known for its whitewater, the Deschutes also offers opportunities for placid floating on its upper stretches. The simplest way to get on the river is to rent a canoe and put in at the marina at Sunriver Resort (the staff picks you and the canoe up at the takeout 6 miles below the resort). No experience is necessary to make the approximately two-hour trip down this stretch of class 1 water. Rental canoes cost $34 ($24 for guests at Sunriver Resort) and hold four people. For information, call 593-1221.

4. RIVERSIDE BIKING

The Deschutes River Trail accommodates hikers, bikers, and equestrians. The rolling trail varies between a dirt road and a single track, with lots of inviting spots for dips in the river or picnics beside it. The stretch from Lava Island Falls to Dillon Falls is 6 miles round trip; pick up a route map from any of several Bend-area bike shops, which rent bikes, helmets, and locks (about $15 a day), as well as car racks. To reach the trailhead from Bend, take Cascade Lakes Highway (State 372) west about 7 miles, turn left (south) on Forest Road 41, and follow the signs about 1 mile to Lava Island Falls.

5. SCENIC HIKING

A 2-mile ascent through a forest of weather-tormented firs and a scattering of alpine wildflowers to the top of 7,775-foot-tall Tumalo Mountain rewards you with views of assorted landmarks in this volcanic terrain: Broken Top, South Sister, and Mount Bachelor. The trailhead is about 25 miles west of Bend, just before the turnoff to Mount Bachelor on Cascade Lakes Highway.

For a less taxing but no less scenic ascent, you can ride a chair lift to the top of Mount Bachelor (round-trip tickets cost $9.50, $4.75 for ages 7 through 12), then ride or hike back down. The lift operates 10 to 4 daily, weather permitting. For information, call (800) 829-2442.

6. SERENE FLY-FISHING

Hosmer Lake is known for its hard-fighting brook trout and its population of landlocked Atlantic salmon. You'll need a canoe or boat (there's a 10-mph limit on outboard motors). Take a pocketful of woolly buggers or caddis flies. Get there a couple of hours before dark, and even if you get skunked, you'll still enjoy a peaceful evening in one of the most scenic spots in the Oregon Cascades.