 Boots and 7 on the trail to Bennham Falls by Odanuki | Reviews and photos of Bend attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Bend sightseeing. Bend Map |
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This is the middle of three great northwards flowing river systems in Oregon - all are tributaries of the Columbia River. The Deschutes is a lifeline for the arid fileds and communities of central Oregon. An oasis among the juniper and lava fields. In Bend, the river is front and center forming the Mirror Pond along Drake Park. North from the city, the river carves its way through basaltic hills to the valley of Tumalo below. Here, at Tumalo State Park, you can enjoy the river and its meadows in stark contrast to the arid landscape beyond. Trout abound awaiting that special fly. Leave a Comment
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About 15 miles west of Bend is the dramatic 97 foot high Tumalo Falls. Tumalo Creek drops in churning fashion over basaltic lava cliffs. There is a picnic area and viewpoint below and at the crest of the falls. Purple pentstemon glow out of the lava cliffs, brightening the picture and slowing the photographing hiker's progress.
See my Travelogue for pictures of some of the pentstemon at Tumalo Falls. Leave a Comment Directions: -West from town on Galveston Avenue 9.8 miles, turning right on Forest Road 4601 - gravel. Cross Tumalo Creek and turn left on Forest Road 4603 - 3.4 miles to the Falls picnic area. $5 day parking pass or have a yearly NW ForestPass for parking.Website: www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon/recinfo/dayuse/tumalofalls.html
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For scenic beauty, hiking, deep river canyons and rock climbing this state park is a must see. When I went to visit this park, I was blown away at the beauty of this place that I had never even heard of before! Leave a Comment
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A classic 8.8 mile round trip will take you from the Green Lakes Trailhead on the Cascade Lakes Highway - 4.4 miles past Mt Bachelor - to the beautiful alpine basin of Green Lakes. The trail follows along the west and then the east side of Fall Creek whihc emanates out of the main Green Lake. You pass several waterfalls in the first sections of the trail and then a huge flow of lava towers along the west banks of the creek for the last couple of miles. The areas around the lakes are gorgeous with South Sister rising high on the west; Broken Top on the east. Leave a Comment
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Hiking above the upper viewpoint of Tumalo Falls will take you to several other waterfalls on Tumalo Creek. At 0.8 miles, you come to two 20 foot drops - Double Falls; at 1.7 miles, 50 foot Upper Falls. In the next 1.5 miles, you come on several more smaller falls before reaching the Spring Creek trail junction. As you walk, the sound of rushing waters is never far. Leave a Comment Directions: -West from town on Galveston Avenue 9.8 miles, turning right on Forest Road 4601 - gravel. Cross Tumalo Creek and turn left on Forest Road 4603 - 3.4 miles to the Falls picnic area. $5 day parking pass or have a yearly NW ForestPass for parking.Website: http://www.waterfallswest.com/or_middletumalo.html
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Mt Bachelor shares some similarities with Mammoth Mountain in the eastern Sierra of California. Both are located on federal Forest Service land. Both are volcanoes and both are ringed with ski lifts providing all levels of skiing terrain. Unlike Mammoth, Bachelor is not close ot any town nor is there on-the-hill accomodations. The mountian is ensconsed in Forest Service land is adjacent to some of the most pristine wilderness area in Oregon. Bend is a fairly short 20 mile drive away to the northeast. The aproach road is an easy enough road, though people tend to drive to fast lulled by the simpliciity of the fairly straight road and they discover the icy patches a bit to late. The fact that there is no on-sit rooms for visitors has meant the huge growth seen in both Bend and its resort neighbor, Sunriver to its south.
On Bachelor, you can ski most of the mountain, shutlled about by high-speed lifts enabling you to clock some quite serious vertical. From the summit, you can see a large part of central Oregon and Cascade peaks from the rim of Crater Lake to the south, alll the way to Mt Adams in Washington state in the north. Immediately in front of you to the northwest is the breathtaking view of the Three Sisters - three separate glacially-bedecked volcanoes of over 10000 feet - and Broken Top - a remnant of an extinct volcano - are incredible. Also, from the top, grand skiing adventures await - whether it is the freefall drops down the inside of the extinct crater walls on the northside or the backcountry skiing on the south or west.
Weather permitting, the summit chair runs throughout the summ giving the non-climber or non-skier a chance to experience what all of the hoopla is about. Leave a Comment
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Smack dab in the middle of Bend lies the Deschutes River backed up by a small irrigation dam just north of the downtown. The lake formed is called the Mirror Pond and it is home to many ducks, geese and swans. Houses occupy the west banks, but along the east bank a beautiful park - named for the City Founder - serves as the inner city living room. Walk along the paths and watch the families and the birds play. In the distance, snowy volcanic peaks loom. Leave a Comment
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20 miles north of Bend, along the Crooked River, Smith Rocks is one of the premier rock climbing areas within the US. 3 miles of cliffs over 300 feet high tower above the calm waters below. You don't have to be a rockjock (jockette) to enjoy the scenery here. Trails skirt along the riverbank giving you a firsthand look at the action above you. Stairways give access to Misery Ridge for even the hiker and you can get a grand glimpse in to the 'mouth' of the Monkey Face - a huge rock tower on the west side of the Park. Leave a Comment Directions: -From Terrebonne on US 97 - 20 miles north of bend - turn east following signs for 'Smith Rocks State Park' - 3.3 miles to the parking area. $3 day use parking fee applies.Website: www.oregonstateparks.org/park_51.php
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A stiff hike - 11 miles roundtrip and 4900 feet of elevation gain will take you the the top of Oregon's third highest mountain - South Sister, 10358 feet high. From Devils Lake Trailhead on the Cascade Lakes HIghway - 6.5 miles past Mt Bachelor - you push up a forested gully for the first 1.5 miles before emerging onto a large sandy plain. South Sister looms ahead and Moraine Lake is to your right. Crossing the plain is great as South Sister gets bigger with each step. Then a mile of uphill grind to a dusty saddle lying between Lewis and Clark Glaciers. Another sandy mile up and you reach the vast crater rim. Follow the rim on the east edge to the summit. From up here you can see from Mt McLoughlin, south of Crater Lake, to Mt Rainier, far to the north.
See my travellogue for a virtual climb. Leave a Comment
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Broken Top pushes itself barely into the 'climb' category from the 'hiking' side. Most of it is just a hard hike, but there are a couple of spots where very sure feet and your hands might come in handy. From the main Green Lake, you climb on bootpaths to Broken Top's long western ridge. Atop this ridge, you simply wander upwards, slowed mainly by the everexpanding views. One small 10 foot section of rock needs to be overcome en route and a narrow airy traverse of the summit block before easy scrambles take you to the summit. The cliffs to the east drop vertically down to the Crook Glacier far below. To the west, the Three Sisters are glorious. Mt Bachelor is in the immediate southeast. Coming back you can retrace your steps or - with good gaiters, balance, boots and trekking poles - you can ski the vast scree slopes. Cowabunga!! Leave a Comment
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on July 3, 2004
on April 18, 2004
