Bike or Hike The Deschutes River Trail

Bend, Oregon

Save

View all 7 photos

All 7 photos

Save Review Directions Add Photo

Details

Distance

22 miles

Elevation Gain

1280 ft

Route Type

Out-and-Back

Description

Added by Scott Sichler

A scenic trail along the Deschutes River.

The Deschutes River Trail is a must do mountain bike ride or hike in between Sunriver and Bend, Oregon. The river varies from calm water to waterfalls. The trail follows along the river and goes through pine forests, meadows, and lava flows. Most of the single track is smooth with a few more technical rocky sections.

This trail can be accessed from Meadow Day Use Area, as well as the following day use areas along Forest Road 41-Lava Island, Big Eddy, Aspen, Dillon Falls, Slough, Benham Falls West, and Benham Falls East. A map is available on Bendtrails.org. Avoid riding on busy summer weekends as this popular trail can get crowded.

For a shorter, 3-mile loop, check out this adventure.

Download the Outbound mobile app

Find adventures and camping on the go, share photos, use GPX tracks, and download maps for offline use.

Get the app

Features

Photography

Mountain Biking

Hiking

Forest

River

Scenic

Waterfall

Reviews

Have you done this adventure? Be the first to leave a review!

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

Nearby

Deschutes River Trail: Benham Falls to Slough Meadow

Mountain Bike Lava Lands Blackrock Trail to Benham Falls

Blackrock Trail starts at the Lava Lands Visitor Center, which is about a 5-mile drive south of Bend on Highway 97. You can park at the Lava Lands Visitor Center and then take the trail marked Sun-Lava Trail. This will take you to Blackrock Trail, which you will see as a turn-off to the right about 0.3 miles in.Blackrock Trail is a 4.2 mile long singletrack trail. It is relatively flat dirt wit...

Explore the Lava River Cave

Located just 12 miles South of Bend and 5 miles Northeast of Sunriver in the Deschutes National Forest, the Lava River Cave is a unique experience the whole family can enjoy. To get there from Bend, drive South on Highway 97 for about 10 miles until you see a large sign for the Lava Lands Visitor Center. You can stop at the visitor's center, or take the fork to the left, following the signs for...

Deschutes River Trail: Lava Island Trailhead to Benham Falls

Deschutes River Trail: Meadow Day Use Area

Hike Bessie Butte

Just a mere 15 minutes outside of Bend, Oregon the Bessie Butte Trail is a wonderfully scenic hike to overlook Bend on one side and the Deschutes National Forest on the other. The butte provides an excellent view of the surrounding mountains of which there are many: Mount Bachelor, The South Sister, The Middle Sister, The North Sister, Mount Hood, and in the distance, Mount Adams. Be aware that...