Deschutes River Trail

We can't speak too highly of the Deschutes River Trail in Bend. Two sections easily accessible sections show some of the many moods of the river.

If you find yourself downtown with a bit of time, try the view from Drake Park. Here, the Deschutes is at its most placid-- artificially widened into Mirror Pond. Geese congregate on rolling green lawns, with juniper and ponderosa providing plenty of shade for those hot, sunny days. Many urban and suburban birds perch out here, including house sparrows, crows, mourning doves, Brewer's blackbirds, red-winged blackbirds and robins. This is mallard heaven as well. But look for a few surprises, like mute swan, bufflehead and a Eurasian widgeon among the American variety.
A nice paver pathway invites a stroll on the river bank and plenty of benches give you a place to sit and ponder. Public parking is available off NW Riverside Blvd.

For a bit more wild experience, try the section of trail south from Farewell Bend Park. While you can take a nice stroll through this park as well, we recommend heading for the dirt trail from the south part of the park that takes you upstream to a footbridge, where you can cross and return on the other side for a nice three mile loop. The trail slips through mainly ponderosa forest, but interpretive signs help with some of the other vegetation. Some of our wildlife sightings included common mergansers, Townsend's solitares, robins, bushtits (including a nest), ravens, a black phoebe and American dippers. We can also provide two eyewitness accounts to verify that there are fish in the river. First, we watched an osprey dive from its tree perch with a splash into the water, arising with a small fish in its talon. Then, as we were standing on the footbridge, we watched a river otter haul its catch out onto a rock and munch away.

Access Farewell Bend Park from Reed Market Rd at the south end of Bend. Click here to download a map of the urban trail.


Outside of the city, another 8.7 mile stretch passes three falls and several rapids on USFS land. To get there, drive west on Century Drive (Cascade Lakes Hwy) out of Bend to a brown sign pointing left to the Meadows Picnic Area, just before Widgi Creek golf course. Turn left on the gravel road 1.3 miles. If you are not up for the full mileage, take Road 41 just past the Inn at Seventh Mountain for several other access points to the trail.

Deception Pass State Park, Washington

You will soon learn why this the most visited state park in Washington. To get to the northernmost section of the park, drive Highway 20 west from I-5 toward Anacortes. Head 6.8 miles on Hwy 20 (not the spur that goes into Anacortes) from the intersection at Reservation Road toward Deception Pass State Park. At a low brown sign for the park, turn right on Rosario Road, then an immediate left on Bowman Bay Rd. Drive .5 mile to the first parking lot, on the left.

Ahead of you is Bowman Bay, with tall forest surrounding the water. The lush vegetation is broken only by rolling lawns, perfect for picnicking. Across the lawn from the parking lot is the CCC interpretative center, with exhibits and memorabilia commemorating the Corps--well worth a few moments of time.

Strolling the beach or walking the long fishing dock are options, but for a bit more activity and interesting views, try one of the three hikes from the parking lot. Our favorite was the Lighthouse Point trail. To reach this trail, walk toward the fishing dock to find the trail at the edge of the tall grass. At low tide it is possible to walk along the beach around the rocky cliff and over the saddle between Bowman and Lottie Bays. If the tide is in, stick to the trail as it climbs over the rocky point. At a signpost, turn right down hill toward the beach. Walk the beach for about 50 feet then take the trail that veers through the thicket. As you start climbing up away from the bays, ignore right forks, including the one with the fire-scarred tree (that is your return route).

The trail continues through the forest, with views of the passes and bridge, Deception Island and the Strait of Rosario. The “lighthouse” is on a point separated from the trail by a channel and consists of a metal stand with a light on it. The state park brochure states:”hiking to the lighthouse is dangerous and prohibited.” Some side trails detour out for better views of the water. Along the way, you may see bald eagles, pigeon guillemots, blue heron and, depending on the season, many other water birds. From the west viewpoints, on a clear day, the snow capped Olympic Mountains rise above the water in the distance.

The trail makes a loop to pass by the fire-scarred tree you saw on your way out. After rejoining the outbound portion, turn left and return the way you came–depending on the tide! If you crossed the beach coming out, look for a trail that climbs up hill to your right as you make your way back to the rocky cliff near the head of Lottie Bay. At a T intersection, a signpost points you back the CCC Interpretive Center near the parking lot.

Paulina Creek, Central Oregon

We sat on a log ten yards from Paulina Creek, munching on an apple, about 2 1/2 miles from the trailhead. Warm sunlight filtered through the ponderosa pine branches. The rippling creek provided the background music for our dining pleasure.

Ahead of us, we would soon find out, the creek changed from its placid flow to twist and foam through its rock-strewn bed and just a bit farther, drop in a fifteen foot waterfall. Day and night, the water pounds over the rocks, rushing downward from Paulina Lake to the Little Deschutes River, then to the Deschutes, then to the Columbia and finally, to the ocean.

Along side the creek, in addition to the ponderosa are mixed lodgepole pine, bitterbrush and manzanita. We spotted golden mantled squirrels (which look like chipmunks but lack the facial striping) skittering across the dusty path.

Bird life is also interesting here because of the oasis-like quality of the creek. Our favorites were the red crossbills, but we also spotted mountain chickadees, kinglets, red-breasted nuthatch, juncos, robins, varied thrush and one red tail hawk soaring overhead.

To reach the trailhead, drive south from Bend on Highway 97. Near milepost 161, look for a sign directing you to Newberry Caldera. After turning left, drive 2.8 miles to another left turn onto a gravel road for the Odgen Group Camp. Follow the road to the right at a "trailhead" sign to a large gravel parking area signed for the Peter Skene Ogden trailhead. The trail follows the creek upstream with around 500 foot elevation gain in the first three miles. If you have plenty of energy and time (we didn't) you can walk this trail all the way to Paulina Lake!