RV trip from Orange County, CA to Seattle, WA
Hello folks, Looking for some advice. We will be taking a three week trip from So Cal to Seattle, WA leaving around June 17. We will stop in Bend, OR. We have never been in No CA, Oregon, or WA....
Forum Discussion
MikeInOregon wrote:
Here's some suggestions when you stop in Bend.
Drive the Cascade Lakes Highway. Start from Bend and drive the entire route to the Sunriver area or turn around and come back to Bend. There are great views of the Cascade Mountains and several lakes along the route. There are canoe and paddleboard rentals at Elk Lake.
Visit Sunriver Resort. They also have canoe rentals. You can canoe down the Deschutes River and the canoe rental folks will pick you up at a marked location and return you to the starting point.
The Mt. Bachelor ski area offers summer lift rides to the mid-mountain lodge. You can have lunch and enjoy excellent views of the Cascade Mountains. I think the summer lift rides start in early July.
Visit Smith Rock State Park in Terrebonne north of Bend. Rock climbers come from around the world to climb the vertical cliffs. Just watching the rock climbers is very interesting. At the bottom of the cliffs you can hike along the Crooked River or take the Misery Ridge trail to the top of the cliffs. Misery Ridge is somewhat steep and not for people who are afraid of heights. It is best to visit Smith Rock in the morning, it can get warm later in the day.
Just a couple miles north of Smith Rock on highway 97 is the Peter Ogden Scenic Overlook. This looks like a highway rest area but it has access to the great views of a canyon with the Crooked River at the bottom. A bridge that is no longer used for cars is now a pedestrian walkway to look down into the canyon. It's like a miniature Grand Canyon.
The Bend Tour Company offers tours of the downtown Bend area on Segways. They give Segway riding lessons and the tour guide is very entertaining.
On the east side of Bend, drive up Pilot Butte for great views of Bend and the Cascade Mountains.
Visit the High Desert Museum just south of Bend. It is an indoor/outdoor museum with educational talks about wildlife that are kept at the museum.
Visit the Old Mill in Bend. This was once a lumber mill that is now a nice area of shops and restaurants.
The downtown Bend area is very active. Take a walk through downtown. There are nice views of the Deschutes River from the downtown area.
Thanks. We are looking up all these things now.
