Pretty cool and secluded spot for an easy hike along the scenic McKenzie Pass…read more We decided to pull off and check out the short hike to Hand Lake last weekend. There's a wide shoulder on which to park, big enough for 5 or so cars, right across from the trailhead. The trailhead sign provides info, as well as the free self-issue Wilderness permits for access. (Short and easy form) The trail is short and well-maintained, easy for most anyone. After trekking a bit through the gorgeous trees it opens up to the lake at the small cabin shelter. Right now it's more of a palm only, as the water pool is small this time of year, but you can still see the dry fingers. Nice views of the Three Sisters from the middle. It's a short trail, definitely more of just a leg-stretcher only as you travel along the McKenzie, but a cool setting and I'm sure much more of a scene when the waters up.

After visiting Smith Rock State Park. we stumbled upon this wayside/overlook where you can enjoy…read morevertical basalt cliffs and secenic river canyon over the Crooked River in Oregon. This spot is on the boarder of the Deschutes and Jefferson counties. This stop is located just 9 miles North of Redmond or 26 miles from Bend on the US Route 97 where this a rest area and viewpoint with tons of parking. Facilities include restrooms, picnic tables and dramatic viewing of the Crooked River Canyon from the pathways or the bridge. For photographers this is an amazing place to get a shot of the Crooked River Canyon and surrounding areas. You can also walk across the historic Crooked River High Bridge just north of the park. Three historic bridges connect both sides of the canyon, unfortunately only one can be crossed today by pedestrians. Two of Oregon's tallest mountains- Mt Hood and Mt Jefferson are visible from the viewpoint on a clear day. Fun facts: the park was named in honor of Peter Skene Ogden who led the trapping parties of the Bay Company back in 1925. Worth a stop to take in the views and enjoy part of history!

First of all, the restrooms here a the best rest stop restrooms I've been to, clean and like 10…read moreindividual stalls! Why don't other places do this? Anyways onto the real reason we stopped, we went here at the end of August. Made our way here after Smith Rock which was only about 10-15 minute drive, it was a beautiful sunny day, the view was breathtaking both ways. They had bungee jumping on the bridge when we went so that kinda blocked a bit of the view but was really cool to watch.

We took the loop trail that crosses in and out of the preserve and Deschutes National Forest…read more Apparently this rim trail is the only portion of the preserve that you can venture onto without permission. We parked in the turn-around at the end of Deer Ridge Road; not really marked as a trailhead when you arrive, but you can discern the trail. From here you enter a Deschutes section for a while, and when you enter in and out of the preserve you'll know as the signage is good and info provided. It was a really fun loop with...on this clear day...crazy mountain views, and on any day, nice views from the rim of the preserve valley and Whychus Creek below. We didn't meet anyone on the loop last Saturday morning. Just incredibly peaceful and beautiful start to finish.

Canyon Creek Meadows is a spectacular trail on the eastern slopes of Three Fingered Jack in the Mt…read moreJefferson Wilderness area. While hiking, you'll get great views of Three Fingered Jack, Mt Jefferson, Black Butte and even the Three Sisters. And that's just the volcanoes. The trailhead is accessed via a somewhat winding road coming off Hwy 14, which comes off Hwy 20, the main route through Sisters. Check your map for precise directions. Most any vehicle can get to the trailhead, although those with street suspensions will have to take it easy in places. There is a large parking area, which is good because this trail is popular. When we left on a summer weekday, there were several cars parked along the road, having not found spots in the parking area. Canyon Creek Meadows trail proper is a loop trail that has a couple of offshoots - one to the north which eventually takes you to the Pacific Crest Trail, and one that takes you further up towards Three Fingered Jack (the glacier trail, which might be a mile and half). Doing the loop trail only is about 5.6 miles. If you don't have it, I recommend loading the AllTrails app on your phone. The trail is fairly easy in terms of exertion and trail condition. You'll pass through quite a bit of fire-deforested areas (meaning: lots of sun) as well as thickly forested areas. Much of the trail follows Canyon Creek and you'll pass through the meadows, which is quite nice. Overall, there is a lot of scenery and terrain variation on the trail. Near the trailhead is Jack Lake, a small body of water that has no boat ramp or anything like that (this is wilderness, after all). I wouldn't mind putting a kayak in the lake, though. Summer can render the trail hot and dusty. If you have a dog, think about booties. Bring plenty of water. Speaking of dogs, there is a prominently posted regulation that requires leashes on all dogs to avoid disturbing the mountain sheep. From what we saw, almost no one leashes their dog, which is a shame. Highly recommended. We are lucky to have so many great trails in the Bend/Sisters area.

This is a beautiful area with a sweet 9 mile long hiking trail that goes out & loops back around…read more There is an address 2 mile long leg that leads to the base of Three Finger Jack Mtn. Incredible views all along the hike and appx half runs parallel to Canyon Creek. Jack Lake is directly off of the trailhead and has several campsites along the front. The trail provides varying views of forests, meadows,, lake & a creek. There are great views of Mt Jefferson & Three Finger Jack. I suggest driving a truck or similar vehicle to the trailhead because the gravel road is extremely rough for appx 6 miles. I'll definitely be going back to backpack & camp out near Three Finger Jack.

Here is my review of clear lake for row boat use!…read more We got here at 930 am. Found the pay box at the entrance $9, no cash. There is an option to pay at the bottom which we should have done because they take the national park passes there (see picture). We were able to find parking in the main lot and there were a few people there. We weren't sure how the process of renting the boats or availability of life jackets. There is a shop that sells food, snacks, drinks, ice cream , and desserts. They also have a selection of fishing items, shirts, jackets. We paid for the boat - $60 for the large boat all day. The life jackets were plentiful and available. My husband rowed most of the time because I am not a good rower. We made it from the dock to the start of the river that you can't go past which is good since you could hear the rapids. The way to the left was a lot calmer and clear. We had a blast out on the lake. You could see down near the shallows but not in the middle of the lake. Make sure to bring sunscreen because there isn't much shade. The facilities are great!! Two bathrooms in the shop. Large tables to sit and enjoy a hot cooked meal or ice cream. I am so glad we were able to make a morning on the lake super easy and stress free! Next time I'm thinking of renting a kayak or a stand up paddle board. That would be fun! If you are in the area make sure to stop by early. As we were leaving, the parking lot was filled up so make sure to get there early! I hope my review and pictures help you plan for a successful visit to Clear Lake!

A beautiful setting for the perfect romantic getaway or family weekend escape. The cabins are…read morecozy with gas stoves and heaters and the boat rentals are very affordable is you want to connect with the water. We enjoyed a wonderful hike around the lake which took us through forests, lava fields, and springs with wooden bridges. The views were amazing!

Super cool place to visit. We decided to hike the West Metolius River Trail, starting at the…read moreCanyon Creek trailhead up to the fish hatchery. We really weren't sure what to expect but it was worth the trek. It's a huge place with tons of ponds full of different sizes of trout. We went around looking at everything, feeding the fish, and relaxing prior to our hike back. Definitely a neat place to see.

We were visiting Sisters and decided to hang out in the area before heading back to Bend. This…read moreplace is quiet and open, plus great for kids. They had a lot of fish to see and the pond where you can feed them food from little candy dispensers. Make sure to bring a small cup or container so you don't have to hold them cause they are small. They have a coin machine to get quarters for the food. The parking lot is big and there are restrooms.

The owners are so kind and the welfare of the horses are their first priority. It's a welcoming,…read moreand inclusive barn.

They can't be bothered to return phone calls or emails. I get it if you're busy, but this is no way…read moreto run a business. Don't waste your time with this place.

One summer weekend, in 2018, the forecast called for west south west winds which blew the forest…read morefire smoke away from Sisters, so I decided to do a hike at Three Finger Jack. It's about a 13 to 14 mile round trip. The first three miles the dirt in several spots is very soft, like sand. For me that was the bummer part of this hike. Especially if your pack is 30 lbs, plus your body weight. Your striding along all of a sudden the soft dirt breaks your stride. :-| I was hoping to pick fresh wild berries. Unfortunately, other hikers beat me to them. I was lucky to find two berries; which I took a photo of before I picked them. This berry is part of the blueberry family (see photo). I took a break and found a great spot with a fantastic view. This area would be an awesome future camping spot. I setup my hammock and had a late lunch. A mild wind kept this area cool, and I felt so comfortable I took a short nap. When I awoke the view hadn't changed. As one of my friends would say, "it's a million dollar view!" I continued on the trail and finally came to view Three Finger Jack. I sat down looking at the details of Three Finger Jack. My objective was to view Three Finger Jack and plan another time to camp and conquer Jack. I'm hoping to find a hiking buddy to join me. Jack's a brittle kind of a guy. One false move, you'll have a quick way down. :-0 While hiking back down, I again came across the view of Black Butte. To the left, wild fire smoke was returning (see the before and after photos). As I arrive back to the trail head I saw a cool scene of a deer looking for dinner.

See that craggy, busted, pinnacle of friable rock on your right as you're driving into Bend from…read morePortland? The one just north of that nipple-looking one*? That's Three Fingered Jack. If you happen to live in Oregon and also happen to want to do some *alpine* rock climbing in Oregon, this is one of your only choices. (that nipple I describe above is your other) The rock quality on both is horrendous. If this rock were in Washington or California, no one would climb it. It breaks, it sheds, it's hard to protect. It reminds me of the Chugach up here in Alaska. At least the approach is short. Take the PCT north for about 3-4 miles. Eventually, you'll see TFJ (if you want to be seen as kewl by other peak baggers, this is how you should represent this mountain in text). You really, truly, cannot miss it. Once you see it, pick the least horrible way to hoof it up the loose dirt/gravel/scree/choss and up onto the higher parts of the peak. Eventually, you'll come to an awkward traverse. This is "The Crawl**". Some folks protect TC, some folks don't. I climbed it protected because I was new to all things alpine and someone else rigged up all the ropes for me. I didn't find it to be that bad. Would I climb it unprotected? Maybe. Should you? I don't know dude, risk management is a personal thing. Maybe you should think about it for a while. After negotiating TC, you'll reach the summit block. This pillar of petrified poo is rated at 5.0-5.2 depending on which crusty, old-timey mountaineer you ask. The climbing is easy, but it doesn't protect all that well. People usually plug some small cams. I'm very comfortable taking a fall on small cams when compared to my peer-group. I don't think the placements here are very good. Remember rule 000001 of climbing: don't fall. If you're just a hiker, I would NOT recommend YOLO-ing up this fucker in your Keens! This is easy rock climbing, but it is absolutely rock climbing. This ain't no scramble, go back to Chow if you're looking for one of those! There's usually a whole mess of tat on the summit, so you can rappel back down the small face of portable-chickenhead-hand-holds. Despite the abysmal rock quality, TFJ is still worth tagging. Once. Why? The approach is short and the views of Mt Jefferson are stunning. (FYI cool kid: if you want to sound hip when talking about Mt Jefferson, call it "Jeffy". Also: talk constantly about how the only route worth doing is Jeff Park Glacier. But *never* call it that, just shorten it to "Jeff Park") If you're feeling really freaky, you can also easily attempt TFJ in the winter. The road is plowed. The summit block? It's often coated in beautiful-but-impossible-to-protect rhyme ice. Good luck, friend. *The nipple is Mt Washington. **When I lived in Oregon, I found that TC was a good benchmark for gauging the mental toughness of prospective climbing partners. If you want to do this too, it could go like this: "Hey, you ever climb TFJ?" "Yeah bro." "So...whudja think of 'The Crawl'?" "Fawk brah, that shit was easy! I could've sprinted through it in my Crocs!" That guy could be someone you want to climb with. He could be a confident, sure-footed climber and a natural leader. Or he could just be a loose-cannon with a deathwish. Use your own judgment. Pay attention to body language.