Brunch: McKay Cottage. Great food, nice vibe.

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Oui, mais pas de femme toute de suite (yes, but I am not ready for a woman straight away) -Stephen Roche's reply when asked whether he was okay after collapsing at the finish in the La Plagne stage of the 1987 Tour

Bend is not a good place to visit, I recommend Portland!

April will still have snow in the higher elevations. Bachelor should still be open. Stuff like the Deschutes river trail will be open. MTB will be open at lower elevations near town.

The town has been all but ruined by the Californian retiree influx, manage expectations accordingly.

Get to the River Trail for hikes, look to get to Benham Falls. Record amounts of snow here this season, so no guarantees on roads to get you there. Backporch, Bellatazza and Thump are good for coffee. McKay Cottage and Victorian Cafe are great brunch spots. Too many options to narrow down dinner, just depends on your preferences. No shortage of great spots though.

Welcome, you'll love your stay in Bend despite the boo-hoo from some who think the town has been ruined by the Great California Migration! Bend still rocks and you'll love it here. Nice people and unlimited outdoors at your feet.

Coffee, Back Porch Coffee Roasters has a couple of locations and they make an awesome coffee. Plus an Ocean Roll from Sparrow Bakery is a MUST.

Another poster mentioned McKay Cottage and it's excellent for breakfast/brunch. Another great choice is Chow. You cannot miss with those two places.

You'll also want to try a few of the breweries which can double as dining. My favorites are Immersion, 10 Barrel and Craft. Other dining choices could be Joolz, Kebaba and a must is Wild Rose Thai.

Other posters mentioned the Deschutes River Trail toward Benham Falls which is great but if that's still snowed in (who knows at this point there's still so much snow here) you should try and get out to Smith Rock State Park outside of Redmond.

Have a great trip!

If original poster is going to be in the Bend area on April 9, check out the Peterson Ridge Rumble, 40-mile and 20-mile trail run (http://www.petersonridgerumble.com/). I've never done the race but am signed up for this year.

Just go to the downtown for many places for eat, drink, coffee.


Bend is great for runners and cyclists. Just there this weekend with tons of snow. Enjoy

Looney Bean in downtown is a nice coffee stop and has a nice little backyard for sitting and relaxing on the river.

Most anytime I've eaten in Bend has been shortly after the Cascade Stage Race and any food tasted amazing. Not a ton of help there.

Agreed. Except I'd go further: nothing to see here in Oregon, move along.

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My latest book: "Out of the Melting Pot, Into the Fire" is on sale on Amazon and at other online and local booksellers

Thank you - this was just the information I as looking for. Too hard to narrow down all the information I was getting from google searches!

I'd agree with you (on Bend), but then we'd both be wrong. Some of the most beautiful sunsets can be found in Bend. I just hiked South Sister in August. I would retire here, and I live in Florida.

Coffee: Sparrow for coffee and "ocean rolls". Backporch Coffee (cardamon latte).
Lunch/Dinner: Pizza Mondo. Spork. Jackson's Corner.
Hiking: Deschutes River Loop (4-miles), Tumalo Falls, Lava River Cave/Tube
Beer: Crux
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Straightenin' the curves; Flattenin' the hills
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Coached by Mike Plumb @ TriPower MultiSports
https://www.strava.com/athletes/1149072 - https://www.instagram.com/thoswoods/

Plenty of good thoughts - lemme see (I'm a local)
I am going to try to not repeat previous suggestions - stuff like the river trail are fun (just back from it, actually)- but already covered.

Chow or Victorian for breakfast - McKay's cottage is 3rd on my list, but I know some people who love it.
The breakfast sandwiches or pastries from Sparrow are GREAT - it's worth going to their bakery location - but its small, get there at a reasonable hour. It might even be warm enough to sit in their patio (mornings here are likely to still be chilly)

Spork has interesting options for lunch and dinner - the green curry is very good.
7 Fusion is a good spot in downtown - not cheap, but for what you get, it is reasonable for vacation eating-out. While they are a sushi/asian place, my wife swears they have the best steak in town, ask them for the risotto instead of the kale underneath - thank me later. I like the veggie sushi rolls.
Jackson's Corner (west side) is super cute.
Broken Top Bottle Shop - good beer selection, the food is also good.

Admittedly, our dining scene is really about things that vacationers tend to eat with beer - so pizza/burgers/etc are 85% of what you'll find around here.
Bend Burger Company is the best of the burger options,
Deschutes Brewery does a "local's night" on Monday w/ 1/2 price burgers and beer - but you have to ask for it.... #themoreyouknow

Best coffee - Lone Pine Coffee - you have to look for it, it's in an alley (yes, promise) - but, best coffee/chai/hot cocoa in town - it's all made from scratch in house, and the difference shows up.

Day hikes - the stuff higher up will still be super snowed-in.
Go Rent Snowshoes! and then to all the awesome hikes anyway. (Gearfix will hook you up for cheap)
Look at the options on the way up to Bachelor, a normal car will get you there.
***Beware - many of the other hikes will be on forest service roads with poor/nonexistant clearing and access, make sure you know what you are getting into before you go.

Depending on the day, joining a snowshoe run with the group from FootZone is super fun.
Actually, you should give Footzone a call anyway - they'll be able to tell you what trails are in what condition and recommendations for flavour of the day.

Hiking up Pilot Butte is in the middle of town, and the dirt trail is a great view of the area - it'll take less than an hour.
If it's not too snowy (and we've been setting snow records so far this winter), Bessie Butte is another short hike, a bit longer, about 8 miles out of town, but great views and you aren't likely to see anyone else out there.
Tumalo Falls, it's nice and reasonable accessible.

Rent mtbs - a bit spendier, but the lower trails should be okay? Check w/ the Bend MTB facebook groups, or just PM me for current conditions.
uhhhh - fatbiking will still be in full swing hifher up the mountain? it's fun.


feel free to shoot me questions via PM, I'm around and tend to do quite a few of the Bend-sorts-of-activities.


Oh, and ignore all the haters. Bend is still itself - everywhere changes, some people aren't able to cope with it.

^^^ how cool local stuff gets ruined!

We randomly stumbled upon spork on our vacation last year. Unassuming location but what a fucking gem. Outstanding food. Just great flavor.

So hit the turnaround of our family RV trip here in Seattle, and thinking about Bend tomorrow. Any pools/masters swims I could drop in on evenings or mornings?? Gonna look for that good coffee everyone keeps touting too...

Was just there last month and these three we must recommend:

-Back porch coffee +1
-Spork +1
-Sunriver Brewing Company has a great location and backs up to mirror pond with nice tables and Adirondack chairs. Good mellow vibe for a brew(s) in the warm afternoon. And their pretzel with beer/cheese sauce is a must.

Enjoy.

Try juniper fitness?
Dunno, haven’t swum in years, but I know Jesse Anthony swims there, their website no doubt has details.

+1 for Sunriver Brewing Company!