Bend, Oregon surprised me in the best ways. I expected great hiking and a strong brewery scene. What I didn’t expect was a town that felt well designed and walkable, while still feeling so close to nature. As an architect, I love a town that values art and design. And as an avid walker and dog owner, the laid back Pacific Northwest lifestyle, river trails, and brewery scene made this town a special place I needed to return to.
I first visited Bend on a short road trip stop last fall and returned this spring for a full week with my dog, Pepper. Bend clearly has invested in urban planning, public art, and a trail system that is integrated into the downtown. Despite being located in central Oregon, a largely car‑dependent region, the downtown and surrounding neighborhoods are remarkably walkable.
Much of that has to do with the way the city is planned around the Deschutes River. Rather than dividing Bend, the river acts as a connection, with pedestrian bridges and a continuous river trail linking neighborhoods, parks, breweries, and cultural spaces. Downtown streets feature alleys with murals and art, and streets beyond are designed with roundabouts that keep traffic moving while doubling as sites for public art.
This guide features a map with my recommended locations to see downtown, as well as the Deschutes River trail, a brewery walking tour, and other dog friendly trails and hikes just beyond Bend. If you value design and outdoor adventures, you need to visit Bend.
Related Post: How to Pack for a Road Trip with a Dog
Hiking Bend and Beyond
Downtown Bend Highlights
The map highlights a few of my favorites places in Downtown Bend that I went to. Many were recommended by my friend that lives in Bend. My favorites from walking Bend include having a beer on the lawn at Bend Brewing along the Deschutes River, checking out the art in Tin Pan Alley as well as murals throughout town, and McMenamins.
The first time I visited Bend, I joined my friend’s book club for a soak in the soaking pool at McMenamins. You can get a drink at the bar and bring it into the soaking tub with you. I love an adaptive reuse hotel, and this location used to be an old Catholic School. It is worth it to visit just to walk around and check out the many bars, restaurants, patios, and even movie theater they have here. Dogs are allowed in the outdoor patios.
Deschutes River Trail Walk
The Deschutes River trail south of Bend is about 6 miles and a great way to see Bend. I walked this path with my dog Pepper in an afternoon and loved it.
One of the highlights include the Old Mill District, which is a shopping area built at the location of historic sawmills. Some of the buildings are actually adaptive reuse. The Old Mill District has a blog that describes the historic buildings in the shopping center, like the REI Building in an old powerhouse and fuel building with giant smokestacks.
Across the river you will also see the Hayden Amphitheater that features outdoor summer concerts.
As you continue south, the path changes from a paved path to a natural dirt path and feels like you are on a hike far from a city. Cross the river on a pedestrian bridge once you reach the end and return along the other side of the river. The path follows the Deschutes River and passes a few parks along the way.
On your return, watch the surfers at Bend Whitewater Park.
I loved noticing some of the art and details along the hike. There is Kayak Artwork in Riverbend Park, and you can see the Centennial Logger statue in one of the Round Abouts as you pass Farewell Bend Park. There are even details like a fence that looks like wood, but is actually concrete, and some of the underpasses have murals. Just a few of the small design details throughout Bend that make it so special.
Bend Brewery Walking Route
The brewery walk is not an official walk, just a route that I created and walked with my dog to get a feel for some neighborhoods like Old Bend, River West, check out some of the round about art, and walk through Drake Park past Mirror Pond back to Downtown Bend. Of course it stops at breweries along the way, and they are all dog-friendly.
Pepper and I spent an afternoon strolling this path (and a little more). I also sampled all the breweries on the list, just not on the same day. It was nice to have a 15-25 minute walk between some of the breweries to get my steps in and get a sense of walking Bend.
Some of the highlights include a large outdoor lawn at Good Life Brewing, the outdoor patio at 10 Barrel Brewing (and brewery food), and the lawn overlooking the Deschutes at Bend Brewing. If you only stop at three breweries, check out these three.
My favorite beer I tried was a dill pickle sour beer at Deschutes Brewery. Most of the breweries also have non-alcoholic options if many breweries in an afternoon feels intimidating.
Hiking Trails Just Outside of Bend
It is no secret that the areas surrounding Bend have incredible hiking trails. There are also many areas with trails that allow off-leash dogs and even have river access within about a 10-minute drive from Downtown Bend.
I wandered around the Rim Trail, and Big Eddy with friend and both of our dogs on some of the mornings I spent in Bend. It seems like an incredible lifestyle to have this option at your doorstep. My friend also recommended Shelvin Park for an off-leash dog area with water access close to Downtown. I plan on checking that out when I am back.
One afternoon, we took a drive about 30 minutes west to check out the hike at Tumalo Falls. We were lucky that the gate was already open for the season. There was fresh snow on the path so we had an incredible hike checking out waterfalls and having fresh snow with it dripping off the trees all around us. Even if you can’t hike far, once the gate is open, you can drive up right to the base of the largest waterfall. If you want to hike further, the trail continues up along the river and passes a few other waterfalls. We hiked about 6 miles and found it to be an easy half day trip from Bend.
Why Bend Feels Different – Design and Architecture
On both of my visits to Bend, I could tell the town felt cool, but I took me a bit to realize why. Bend has a unique combination of laid-back Pacific Northwest outdoorsy culture, paired with being inland that gives it more extreme seasons like sunny summers and snowy winters. It is surrounded by pine trees and only 30 minutes to Mount Bachelor for skiing, giving it a mountain town vibe. Add thoughtful urban planning and public art, and you have Bend, Oregon.
Urban Planning and Public Art
One thing I found that sets Bend apart from other mountain towns, is the urban planning and public art. One of the unique things about Bend is that it is designed with roundabouts to keep traffic moving. And even more importantly, Bend has treated these round abouts as places for public art. They even have pamphlets at the visitor center outlining a Round About Art Route.
Since we are talking about the Visitor’s center, stop in if you want to pick up an official Bend Ale Trail Passport. The graphic design of the passports themselves is impressive. They also have a Bend Gallery Guide highlighting the many art galleries downtown.
Throughout town, there are murals, and even on underpasses along the Deschutes River Trail. Tin Pan Alley also features several pieces of art to activate the alley and make it a pedestrian friendly experience. There are also several bridges across the Deschutes and pathways along the river designed just for pedestrians, some which look like works of art themselves.
Residential Architecture
Walking through neighborhoods in Bend, I noticed there is definitely a vibe to the architecture here. The region is surrounded by pine trees and close to Mount Bachelor for skiing, giving it a mountain town vibe. The architecture is clearly influenced by that.
Architecture features local materials, or influences of them, such as lava rock and natural wood siding. Many homes have a craftsman influence, with newer homes leaning towards a more modern mountain cabin aesthetic. I included a few photos of some of the homes I passed that I passed on my walks.
Combination of Design and Outdoorsy Vibes
I loved spending a week in Bend. The combination of PNW vibes, mountain town feel, appreciation for art and design, and brewery culture along a picturesque river surrounded by pine trees make Bend an amazing destination. Bend strikes a unique feeling of a walkable downtown connected to trails with a remote small town that values art. Not to mention, if you are travelling with a dog, Bend is basically heaven.
Related Post: Solo Female Travel with a Dog
I will definitely be back to visit Bend again. It feels mandatory to return in summer and float the Deschutes River. If you have any favorite things to do in Bend, let me know in the comments below.
Leave a Reply