The Lava lands visitor center has a small gift shop, staff out front with times for a guided tour,…read morethey have souvineer penny smasher and a small museum about the volcano and fossils. It also had the trail heads for the trail of the Molten lands, the trail of the whispering pines, the roadway up to lava butte, as well as information on the lava river tunnels, and other things in this portion of the park.

Lava Lands is part of small cinder cones on the northwest side of Newberry Volcano, a massive…read moreshield volcano rises to the southeast. This region is characterized by extensive lava flows, including the 7,000-year-old flow from Lava Butte, a prominent cinder cone. How I like to see as much as possible is by mountain bike. From Lava Lands parking lot pick up the 4 mile fast flow furious fun single track for 4 miles curving through Ponderosa Pines following lava fields. Ride through the lava rock featuring panoramic views of snow capped mountains. At the end of Black Rock single track connect with the Deschutes River and ride along at least a mile to Benham Falls - so magnificent! Continue riding 5-10-XX more miles filling up your passion bucket in the natural wonders following and flowing with the Deschutes River. I fulled up my bucket for 20 miles - at time rivers flows with power and times as still as a lake. Let's go! Wherever the powerful river flows! Wherever the peaceful river goes! Many feel the pace only the river knows - as I did flow along by mountain bike!

On my first visit to Bend, I saw a little bit about the Bend Ale Trail but realized it was too much…read moreto work on that trip. I had a visited a bunch of breweries, but not all in any one region. For my most recent trip, I purposely tried to complete what I could. The Bend Ale Trail is a sponsored by the Bend tourism authority where you get stamps for each brewery visited either digitally or in a free passport book. I read there were prizes and artwork associated with each, so it made sense all of this was done out of the Visit Bend Oregon visitors center right downtown. It's easy to find, just a few blocks away from the river. They have mostly daily hours, making it convenient to drop in. If you're a first timer to the area, I recommend coming here on your first days, as they have a ton of free literature about the area including maps, activities, coupons, etc. They also have areas to sit, have pictures taken, plus advice and planning from the people who work here. I had mixed interactions with the people working here, but none were negative. Back to the Ale Trail - it's free to do, and worth your time if you're already visiting all the excellent breweries in the area. As you complete each of the seven regions, you bring in your passport and show it to receive a tasting glass and matching sticker with the key art. Once you complete all seven glasses, you get a matching wooden flight paddle! Even better, if you have a designated driver they can complete it too; but they'll earn a free branded Hydro Flask, another famous company headquartered in Bend. If you're visiting, it's worth stopping here to help plan your trip!

We came, we saw, we conquered the Bend Ale Trail. 16 breweries in three days sounds like a lot but…read moremy pretty designated driver and myself were up to the challenge. You can either grab a map at any of the participating breweries or download their app. I recommend you do both. The map as a souvenir and use the app to redeem for your rewards. The app is also very helpful in navigating the area and figuring out a course of action as you move from brewery to brewery. We of course started with the best beer in Bend at Boneyard. The Deschutes tour is another must. Crux makes some damn fine beer as well. I noticed for the most part, all the breweries in Bend are also restaurants as well. I prefer to keep my restaurants and taprooms separate so there's several breweries that I would have skipped if it weren't for the quest to visit all of them before we left town. The only negative to the whole thing was that 2 of the 16 breweries are about 20 miles away so you'll have to do some driving whether you want to or not. Since they're not in Bend, I'm not sure why they're included on the trail. Bridge 99 would have been a better choice to be included on the trail. The bottle opener and Silipint that you get from the Bend visitor's center for completing your passport are actually pretty neat and not throw away trinkets. The memories will certainly last a lifetime but it's always nice to get a little bit of schwag as well.

Lava Butte sits above the trail of the molten lands. It is home to one of the first fire watch…read moretowers in the area and has a rim trail that circles the edge of the crater. It is a steep hike up to the fire watch tower and has an information center under neath the tower with information and history. There is a nice pathway. We were unable to do the rim trail as there was a huge lightning storm coming in. From the top you can see lava rock for miles from the eruption thousands of years ago.

This short 15-minute loop trail is located on the summit of Lava Butte. The 360-degree view of the…read moresurrounding countryside side was grand. It was worth the $3 shutter price to get to the summit. The active fire lookout station was closed to visitors.

What a beautiful national park!…read more Came here on a day where the weather changed between partly cloudy/sunny and snowy/rainy. The snowy surroundings created a nice contrast against the very deep blue color of the lake. In the early morning, it was very peaceful. There were not many people around, likely because of weather. The Steel Visitor Center's film was excellent to get a sense of the geology and history of the park. The lodge also offered an excellent meal with a partial view of the lake. Because of the snow, we were not able to go on the Rim Drive or hike the trails. I would imagine all the views would have been beautiful. The Cleetwood Cove trail down to the lake is closed for 3 summers, through 2028. If weather is of any question, the NPS website has up-to-date information about the weather, including webcams of several spots in the park.

Wow had now expectations for this "giant lake" but it absolutely blew me away, this Volcanic crater…read moreluck is simply stunning! Could win a "Miss National Parks" pageant title IMO! Surprisingly not busy for memorial day weekend although we started early on a sunday morning and a lot of the park was still closed for the season, there was snow! My 3 year old was very pleased. We purchased the annual national park pass at the front gate, sad to hear that the national park staff keeps being reduced and scary to know that there's only *one* emergency ranger on staff currently so please follow the rules folks! Lot's of cute shops for goodies and campgrounds along the way. We stayed an hour away but the drive felt fast and scenic. A nice breath of fresh air. The large parking lot seemed to fill up fast to see the lake, but super close so very accessible. A few hikes were open but honestly just sitting and admiring the lake does the trick. Would love to come back and visit when more of the park is open!

One of my favorite short hikes that my family and I have enjoyed for decades. Stunning views, safe…read moretrails, lots of hikers and cyclists, I feel safe here. One can make this a long hike, but I limit my hikes to an hour round trip--Benham Falls is the perfect weekend hike.

Beautiful falls and area to hike and bike. Porta potties at parking sight. Was not very busy. Road…read moreis bumpy and dusty. Trail to falls was nice, clean and easy to walk. Map of area located in the parking area. Had picnic tables on area and wonderful sound of the falls in the background. Recommend SUV or 4x4 due to pot holes. Would love to return.

Came here for part of a day and really enjoyed it. At the surprise urging of my kids, we ended up…read morehiking up the Misery trail to the other side of the mountain and then around the entire thing - took a couple hours and I was shocked they wanted to do so much. There's lots to see and the views are spectacular. We brought some food and ate at a picnic table before leaving. Would definitely come back.

Fantastic views. Easy hike, paved road. Parking is available. Clean restroom. Cute complimentary…read morerock climbing for kids.

Gorgeous views when it is clear and great hiking when it's not windy or snowing. Even with the snow…read morethey had marked off the trail and had boundary ropes up to keep you away from cornices that could collapse into the lake on you and ruin your day. Definitely plan to be there several hours to get in the hike and views you will likely stare at for hours. Bring water and snacks or hit the visitor center which has a cafe and gift shop.

Visited in mid November after a dusting of snow that left about 1-2 inches in the ground. The north…read moreroads were all closed and very few trails were available for exploring. The Discovery Point trail was open and I hiked it for about 2 miles in from Rim village. The views of Wizard Island got closer as I went along. Perfectly sunny day. Spectacular! Highly recommended! There were some wary folks along the way, but if you stay on the trail you'll be safe.

So worth the hour us drive from Redmond! I highly recommend experiencing the beauty of the area!read more

Great views, but would only recommend it if you're in the area, not as a destination. Takes a…read morecouple of hours max to view.

What a great experience. The 7.5 mile loop hiking around this pristine lake is like no other! We…read morewent counter clockwise starting at the parking lot across the visitor center. No elevation change for the first 45-60 minutes. Then some elevation changes across the way near the "hot springs" to get over high grounds and cliff like walls near the lake. But what amazed us was the beautiful scenery 360 degrees around the lake, and the vast changes of the topography. We walk or hiked over grass, mulch, soft pathways, sand, soft beach like sands, small gravel, small rocks, hard and awkward pathways full of sharp little rocks buried in the way which could be a little trip hazards if you didn't pay attention, clay like dirt, and so on and so forth. We loved everything. We did explore the hot springs and it was busy, see the pictures, but was not so inviting for is really to take long break. Just dipped our feet and hands in them to get a feel for it. The drive up to the lake from Route 97 was 14 miles of easy black top paved path with moderate elevation. To top off our great hike around the lake, we drove our car up the decent gravel narrow windy road to an elevation of 7984 ft Paulina Peak an explored the beautiful views o both lakes - Paulina and East Lame. And in the distance you could also see Mt Bachelor, and the Sisters towering the western horizon. Highly recommend this place and plan to cone back to visit and climb up the crater hiking route!!!!

We visited loop 55 and it was absolutely breathtaking!!! In Mid august it's beautiful skies but a…read morebit windy which makes it chilly but over all love it and would love to come back in a RV and hike and not here. Plenty of campgrounds and very clean area.

Terry Rife helped me plan the trip of a lifetime. As someone who hasn't traveled alone (outside of…read morework) since becoming a mom, it was a little daunting to sit down and plan a personal retreat to Greece. Terry took the time to understand my goals for the trip, suggested experiences that would help me achieve these goals, and helped me navigate challenges and bumps that came up along the way. She was so invested in me having a truly transformational vacation and I will be forever grateful. For me, travel isn't just about being a tourist - it's about finding yourself while exploring new communities and having new experiences. Terry understood this and was an incredible partner and ally in crafting a phenomenal, life-changing trip. I am definitely going to come back to her to plan future trips for me and my family.

From the owner: Born and raised in Oregon, I now call the high desert of Central Oregon home, where I live with my…read morehusband, just steps from the beautiful Sunriver resort famous for its skiing, trails, and summer fun. My travel career began in 1985, and I’ve been hooked on exploring the world ever since. I’m a curious traveler at heart drawn to places I’ve never been and always looking for those unscheduled gems that turn a great trip into something unforgettable. When I’m not planning travel for others, I’m loving an active life as an empty nester, soaking up precious time with my two grandkids, and grateful for all the connections made along the way. I specialize in helping you travel your way whether it’s a river cruise, small group tour, or solo adventure, I’ll handle the details so you can simply enjoy the journey.