3-Day Itinerary: Bend, OR
If 2020 has been good for something, it’s been the opportunity to spend more time out West! I was able to cross off Montana, Wyoming, Utah, and now Oregon! My boyfriend, Mike, has incredible friends from college who live there and welcomed us with open arms for a visit! Here’s what we hit while in Bend!
3 - DAY ITINERARY
DAY ONE - Downtown Bend + Devil’s Lake
We started the day off roaming through Downtown Bend (NW Wall St)! Our first stop was the Commons Cafe + Taproom which is located right on Drake Park. It was the perfect morning to grab a coffee, walk in some shops, and take a stroll through Drake Park! Highly recommend Pizza Mondo in Downtown Bend. They have a great lunch special that’s perfect to keep you full for a day’s adventure!
In the afternoon, we set off to Devil’s Lake. It was one of the most beautiful lakes I’ve ever seen! It was all different shades of greens + blues I couldn’t believe it was real! Although it was eye-catching, it was the coldest water temperature I’ve ever felt, almost as if it was winter without it being frozen!
After Devil’s Lake, we drove to Deschutes Beach in Deschutes National Forest for a dip! There was never a bad view driving to any destination - Mt. Bachelor below! For dinner, we ate at cute pub called J DUBS - yes how ironic is that! And if you know me, I can never pass up dessert so we hit Bontà Natural Artisan for some gelato.
DAY TWO - Hiking Proxy Falls
Let the adventures really begin! We took the scenic route through Sisters, OR and took Mckenzie Pass to get to our final destination which was Proxy Falls. What was cool about Mckenzie Pass is that it’s only open 3 months of the year so I was pretty amped we got to see it - lots of lava rock.
Right before arriving to Proxy Falls, we stopped at Dee Wright Observatory in Willamette National Forest. It was a nice pit stop during our drive and was filled with 360 mountain views + tons of lava rock.
Once we got to Proxy Falls, it was about 1.5 miles to the waterfall. The waterfall was incredible! Everyone took a seat on a rock, branch, tree, etc., cracked a cold beer or brought out a snack, and just felt the mist gently brush your face. It also had places to climb to get all different views of the constant falling water.
We then set off to hit our second waterfall of the day, Tumalo Falls. What was unique about Tumalo Falls is that you can drive pretty much right up to it. Tumalo was a massive waterfall with constant water gushing from it. If you got pretty close, you’d be drenched immediately!
After a long day of getting soaked, we cleaned up and hit the town for some dinner + drinks! We had dinner at a Food Truck park near The Podski. It was really cool to have various dinner options while sitting outside enjoying the views. After eating, we hit Spoken for some drinks. Spoken is a really neat biker cafe + taproom with tons of outdoor seating + live music. There’s tons of patios + breweries around Bend because that’s what it is known for!
DAY THREE - Smith Rock State Park
The saying is usually, ‘last day, best day’ but in my case, it was, ‘last day, hardest day’. I should have known it was going to be hard when the trail was called “Misery Ridge Trail”! Smith Rock State Park was a challenge, but had pretty incredible views from the top!
To get to the top, you can take Misery Ridge Trail or Misery Ridge Reverse Trail (it’s essentially a giant loop). What’s different about this loop is that half the circle goes straight up while the other half goes straight down. It was by far the hardest hike I’ve ever done - mainly because of the constant incline. Overall, it was about a 9 mile day, yet the hottest day weighing in at 90+ degrees. Recommend LOTS of water, a damp bandana to wrap around your neck, a great support system to push you along, and an ice bath when it’s all finished!
Before heading to 10 Barrel Brewing for the last supper, we went tubing down the Deschutes River. It was ice cold, but the perfect balance from an extremely hot day. Tubing/rafting down the river is a very popular activity! It can last an hour to a full-day activity if you’re up for it. They even have a couple waterfalls/canyons you get to tube down as well.
Wondering what to pack or bring along for this mountain/hiking trip? Check out my Travel Essentials Guide as a great reference!
Bend, OR was never on my radar of places to visit, but after visiting, I definitely want to go back! It’s the most quaint town with tons to do, beer to drink, and music to listen to! Have any other questions about Bend, OR? Comment below↓