Discover Bend, Oregon–as featured on visitbend.com

Few mountain towns have had as much praise heaped on them in recent years as Bend has, a testament to the former mill town turned adventure playground that has defined itself as the mountain town that’s got it all.

But rather than tell you what we think makes Bend unique and special among mountain destinations, we have compiled the following selection of excerpts from recent editorial features that have appeared in some of the country’s top media outlets.

	“If you’re happiest pedaling, casting or swinging your clubs, consider Bend your primary destination on the West Coast, if not North America. How active is this town? As I spent an hour fishing just 10 minutes from town at Meadow Flats, a mild turn in the often cantankerous Deschutes River, at least a dozen mountain bikers, five runners and several hikers passed between me and the four people rapelling off the rock face 80 feet away...I quickly learn that, unlike most of us, Bendites don’t live for the weekend because they incorporate weekend activities (fishing, cycling, etc.) into their daily lives.” -Journey, September/October 2008
	“Whoever visits Bend, moves to Bend, people warned me. So frequently, in fact, that I took it to be the official motto of this always sunny central Oregon playground – a blessedly bipolar high-desert home base, where you can trail run along the rushing Deschutes River in the morning and hit the snowy slopes of Mt. Bachelor in the afternoon. My kind of town…Bend remains a decidedly unpretentious community, where folks prefer moonlight snowshoes over movies, and unfussy hotel rooms run about $100 a night.” - Sunset Magazine, February 2008
	“With a proliferation of fine-dining restaurants, day spas, art galleries, and boutiques, the former mill town has attained a stellar reputation as one of the West’s vacation hot spots – a four-season, multisport haven where local diehards like to brag about being able to ski 25,000 vertical feet on Mount Bachelor before lunch and then go golfing or mountain biking in the afternoon. Outdoor retailer REI anchors the Old Mill District, a cosmopolitan mixed-use development with restaurants, shops, galleries, and the 96-room AmeriTel Inn, whose stone-and timbered lobby feels like the great room of a grand mountain lodge.” - VIA Magazine, January/February 2007

What to Do While in Bend

Tucked neatly between the snow covered peaks of the Cascade Mountains and the inspiring high-desert plateaus of Central Oregon, Bend has evolved from a sleepy lumber town to an international mecca for outdoor enthusiasts and people in search of active and healthy vacation experiences.

Whether you’re seeking the world renown rock climbing at Smith Rock, the hiking, biking and skiing in the Cascade Mountains, the blue-ribbon fly fishing on the myriad of area trout streams, the trail-running on Bend’s cutting-edge Urban Trail System, or simply enjoying the vibrant energy of a hip, cosmopolitan mountain town, people from around the world visit Bend to get outside and to be inspired by the Bend lifestyle.

Click any of the following links to find out more about the unique Bend experience, and what's happening in and around the area: