Sisters is a perfect little city, in my humble opinion. And one of the best things to do is just to…read morestroll... through art galleries, then grabbing a cup of coffee at Sisters Coffee House or an ice cream cone from BJ's True Old Fashioned Batch Ice Cream, then kicking back in this park. When the days are hot, and that is often in Central Oregon, this is always a nice shady spot. It connects Cascade Avenue and Ash Street and has a few wood carved benches, a public restroom and a small water feature with a glorious sculpture. As a nod to one of Sisters' biggest tourist attractions, the annual Quilt Show, there is a large mural on one wall with a series of colorful quilts blowing in the wind. The park is tiny but still manages to pack a punch. It is the location of the Sisters Farmer's Market on Friday nights in the summer, which has a good selection of vendors and usually some musical entertainment on the lawn. But, it is just a great place to take a moment and enjoy the area any day of the week. Essentially in the middle of it all, just the perfect place to catch your breath. The full name of the park is Harold & Dorothy Barclay Park, who were early residents and mill owners. I can't think of a nicer way to be remembered by my community.

When exploring a new town or city, I always am on the lookout for parks. We came upon this park…read morewhile visiting the town of Sisters,Oregon. This park offers plenty of picnic tables, a beautiful covered bridge that is built over the creek and lovely, tall mature trees. The grass is so green but that's Oregon for you. It is an extremely clean park. We stopped and had a snack and just enjoyed the sounds of the creek. We walked along the gravel path just taking in the views but then it began to drizzle so we had to take cover. I would definitely recommend and I hope I get to return here someday.

It was a beautiful drive. It is run by a contractor so no park passes are accepted. I think $12 is…read moretoo much, something around $5 would be more acceptable. There is a 2 hour time limit, I think that is annoying (they mark the time on your receipt that goes on the dash of your vehicle). The parking area is tiny and the chalk lines are far too narrow, difficult to put a normal size car in the lines let alone a truck. There are a LOT of rules. Can't do this, can't do that... on and on. But oh, you don't have to wear clothes. It's just over controlled. There is a really gross toilet at the springs -some sort of belt driven system, yuck, a pit toilet would have been better. There were 26 people there when I got there and it felt crowded. I can't imagine the 50 people they allow, that would be ridiculous. The water was nice and warm. I wouldn't rush to go back.

This is a clothing optional Hotsprings, we learned this the hard way after driving 5 hours my…read moregrandson was not so pleasantly surprised lol. So we immediately left..our bad. Oops....But the host was so friendly gave us recommendations on when to come back without him. What the best times are and nearby campgrounds. $12 a person 12 and up. Short walk from the parking lot up to the springs. Pack it in pack it out, porta pots in the lot. We will be back.

The Deschutes National Forest is one of the twelve national forests in Oregon (Oregon is in a three…read moreway tie for second place with the most national forests in the US & Puerto Rico) and covers over a million and a half acres. They are all beautiful, but Deschutes is special. It spans the area between the McKenzie River area to the high desert in eastern Oregon. You start in the warm(er) area and by the time you hit the summit there's snow on the ground. And as you're reaching higher elevation, you find yourself passing through the lava beds. One of the volcanos in the forest was used by the Apollo astronauts in the 60s. It's a really peaceful drive, and a breathtaking one. Suttle Lake is near Sisters, and it's really beautiful. There are several pull-out areas along the highway to take in the view. Bend is the big town in the area, and Sisters is a popular tourist stop as well.

National Parks have always been at the top of my list of great things: America's Best Idea…read more National Monuments are not far behind. But National Forests really hadn't registered with me until lately - they've just been large undeveloped places with lots of trees that I drove through to get to a park. Not anymore. I love Deschutes National Forest. What with the Cascade Volcanoes, the river, the creeks, the lakes, the many hiking trails, the dirt roads for my 4WD, this forest is like a huge national park. And so close to Bend. You literally are in the forest as you drive out of town. It will take many years to explore even a small fraction of the forest, but I'm up for the challenge.

Beautiful little park tucked away near Obsidian and MA Lynch Elementary. There is beautiful new…read moreplayground equipment with a variety of fun and accessible activities for kids. Love the City of Redmond history themed items. There's also a large grassy area to play, a covered area with tables, and I believe a little charcoal bbq station. There is also a circuit of exercise activities around the perimeter of the park. Nice touch

Tumalo Falls was an amazing adventure and one of the highlights of our trip. We chose the loop…read moretrail so we could see all of the waterfalls, and it was absolutely worth it. One of the most exciting parts was crossing the river several times. In some places there were bridges, and at one point we had to carefully balance across a log, which made the hike even more fun and memorable. We visited in April, and there was still a little snow on the trail. The weather was beautiful, but I would recommend bringing traction spikes if conditions are slippery and hiking poles for extra stability. The waterfalls were spectacular, and the scenery along the trail was breathtaking. It was a perfect mix of adventure and natural beauty. I'm sure I'll return one day with my kids to experience it all again.

It's been awhile since my last stay here. We love the yurts here. Easy access, they have heat, a…read morecouple of tables and beds, and it's comfortable. The fire pits are nice to but they cemented the bottom of them. They need to have more holes for air flow. Still I'm grateful to have those. Love the river trail as well. So beautiful! It's been awhile since we've been here. No snow this time but that's ok. Still peaceful and beautiful and not far at all from Bend.

Great pickleball courts, got overbooked so we had to find a court not being used. My friend sucks…read moreat pickleball... but other than that it was great!

This is a cool playground we found at Sunriver. I'm surprised it wasn't listed on Yelp. My kids had…read morea blast and my husband and I even took our turns on the teeter totter and had an intense game of tetherball that took me back to the 6th grade. Good find! No public restroom, just two porta-potties. This is along one of the biking trails but there is also a parking lot.

August 26-29, 2025 - La Pine, OR…read more We've stayed at La Pine Campground a few times over the years, and each visit reminds us why we keep coming back. The campground is divided into three loops, each with its own character. The North Loop offers water and electric hookups, with sites that are more widely spaced than the others--something I really appreciate. That extra room makes it feel quieter and more private, and it's probably where we'll book our next stay. The Middle Loop has full hookups, while the South Loop is the busiest, featuring full hookups as well as some cabins. . There are many hiking/cycling trails (dog-friendly), and the Deschutes River runs through the campground. There is a short hike to a waterfall, and a large dog park. Unfortunately, we were a bit restricted in our outdoor activities because of the smoke from the two fires in the area. There was actually ash falling on one of the days. Also, there had been several sightings of a mountain lion in the area, so that added a bit of caution to our activities. Nevertheless, we will definitely come back.

We just stayed one night, right before the campgrounds closed for the year. The grounds were nicely…read moremaintained, and we enjoyed a very peaceful and quiet stay. Some sites are fairly tight, while others had some nice room. The trails here were very enjoyable. Serene surroundings around the river and through the trees. We saw lots of deer, birds, and other critters scrambling about. I'm sure it would've had a slightly different feel during peak season, but we very much enjoyed our night and day of off season.