Beer & Sunshine: Visiting Bend, Oregon in the Summer

How to Get to Bend

Bend is located in the high desert area of Central Oregon and is only a few hours away driving distance from some of Oregon’s other major cities that have airports.

• From Portland: 162 miles (approx. 3 hours 20 minutes)
• From Eugene: 140 miles (approx. 2 hours 30 minutes)
• From Redmond: 17 miles (approx. 25 – 30 minutes)

You can fly into any of the above cities and rent a car to drive to Bend! However, if you have the time, I definitely recommend flying to Portland first and spending a day or two there before heading to Bend via car.

If you aren’t up for driving, or simply don’t have much time, there are now direct flights from multiple West Coast cities to the Redmond Airport (such as San Francisco, Portland, Los Angeles, Seattle, etc.). Car rental agencies are available at the Redmond airport. I recommend and use Avis as they are one of the few agencies where you can add a spouse as an extra driver for no charge.

Where to Stay in Bend

Bend has a lot of great hotels that are conveniently located within walking distance next to all the action! Here are a few of my favorites.

Springhill Suites by Marriott

The Springhill Suites by Marriott in Bend is one of my favorite hotels to stay at when visiting the city! Most importantly, it has such a great location in between the Old Mill District and Downtown areas. This makes it very central (walking distance) to many restaurants and breweries, as well as the Deschutes River.

Another great feature of Springhill Suites is that the rooms are large and spacious, and you can get a comfy king-sized bed for your time in Bend!

Residence Inn by Marriott

Another great Marriott property in Bend is the Residence Inn, located near the Old Mill Shopping Mall. Restaurant options near this are a bit more chain-like, but you can easily walk to the Box Factory area from here as well (and even to one of my favorite breweries in Bend, Crux Fermentation!). Downtown is a bit more of a trek. While still walkable, it’s only a few minutes’ Uber ride to save your feet.

Some of my favorite features of this hotel are:

• Spacious rooms with king-sized beds are available
• Full kitchens so you can heat up leftovers or pack your fridge full of beers to take home with you!
• Convenient location – walking distance to many shops and restaurants
• Free breakfast (including eggs, biscuits and gravy, bagels, cereal, etc.)

Best Western Premiere Peppertree Inn

The Best Western Premiere Peppertree Inn is located on the southwestern side of Bend. We stayed at this hotel when we visited for a friends’ wedding, which was held not too far away at Tetherow Resort. It’s not the most central of locations, but it is great if you are planning on visiting Mt. Bachelor or Tetherow.

We still chose to walk to some breweries and restaurants from the Best Western because, as I mentioned above, Bend is extremely walkable! We even started our Bend Ale Trail journey close to our hotel at Cascade Lakes Brewpub.

Rooms are comfortable and spacious enough for a weekend getaway, and they even have a pizza restaurant onsite.

Holiday Motel

The Holiday Motel is a decent option if you are on a tight budget or perhaps only staying in Bend for one night on a road trip (speaking from experience!). This motel has more of a southeast location, and will get you closer to the eastside breweries and restaurants.

Vacation Rentals

Vacation rentals are a prime option when visiting Bend, especially when visiting in the summer! You can get a really cute place right on the river. While we’ve only stayed in hotels during our visits to Bend, here are a few rentals I’d personally consider when visiting again:

• Riverfront Retreat with hot tub!
• Drake Cottage across from Mirror Pond

Packing List for Bend

Summers in Bend are beautiful, but they do get some hot days during the peak of summer. Make sure you’re prepared to guard your skin against the sun! That being said, summer nights in Bend are cooler in temperature, which is a welcome reprieve if you’ve spent your days hiking, floating the river, or walking around the city.

• Comfortable sandals or shoes for walking all over town
• Appropriate covered shoes, hydro flask for water, hat, and backpack for moderate hikes (such as at Smith Rock State Park or Tumalo Falls)
• Jacket for cool summer nights (it can still get pretty chilly in the evenings in Bend during the summer)
• Light blanket or throw to keep you warm on cooler summer nights while you’re hanging out at breweries or food cart pods
• Sunglasses for all those sunny days

What to do in Bend

Bend is certainly a destination for lovers of the outdoors! It’s also a great destination for food and beer lovers, so you get the best of all worlds here.

Here are a few top activities you can do when visiting Bend in the summer:

• Hike around Smith Rock State Park
• Walk the Deschutes River Trail
• Saunter through Drake Park and picnic by Mirror Pond
• Surf (or watch surfers) at Whitewater Park
• Float the Deschutes River
• Drink up on the Bend Ale Trail (aka brewery hop – see a list below of my favorite Bend breweries)
• Visit Tumalo Falls
• Check out the last operating Blockbuster Video in the whole world!

Smith Rock State Park

Smith Rock State Park is an absolute gem for outdoor lovers, located in Terrebonne about 45 minutes north of Bend. You can plan to spend a few hours here, or all day exploring if you’re an avid hiker.

On your way back to Bend from the park, you can also hit up one of our favorite breweries in the area, Wild Ride in Redmond. Grab yourself an ice cold beer or beer float (yes, that’s a thing) after hiking around the park for a few hours!

Tips for Visiting Smith Rock State Park

• Day use parking can be limited during peak visiting hours – get there early!
• Day use permits are $5.00 per vehicle. Pay stations are located in the day-use parking areas off the main road, and you can place the permit on your dashboard while you explore the park.
• Pack lots of water! Even if you only plan on being at the park for a minimal amount of time, make sure you stay hydrated. Bring a hydro flask (or two)!
• Visit in the early morning hours to beat the heat (and avoid going on days where the temps are over 80 degrees if you’ll be visiting mid-day)

Deschutes River Trail

The Deschutes River Trail is a great easy walking trail to take while visiting Bend. We’ve only walked a small portion of it from The Old Mill up to Miller’s Landing Park. If you have more time, you can start your journey more south at Farewell Bend Park.

This trail is great for leisurely walkers (like myself) that want a beautiful view of the river while getting steps in.

Drake Park & Mirror Pond

Drake Park, home of Mirror Pond, is an absolutely beautiful riverside park worth taking a walk through, or for enjoying a leisurely afternoon picnic. We generally continue on to Drake Park after finishing our walk along the Deschutes River Trail (you’ll have to walk through some neighborhoods to connect with the park).

Consider walking all the way up to Bend Brewing Company, where you’ll be rewarded with ice cold beers in a lovely riverside setting!

Float Down the Deschutes

This is one summer activity in Bend that we haven’t gotten the chance to do yet, but definitely want to in the future! You can enter the river at many points, or you can start your journey at the main entry points of either Riverbend or McKay Park.

If you don’t have any floating devices that you personally own, you can rent them from the Tumalo Creek Rental Kiosk, which is open from mid-June through September. There’s also a shuttle that runs every 15 minutes between Riverbend Park and Drake Park, so you don’t have to worry about having to catch a ride back to your car! I would recommend making your reservations ahead of your visit to ensure you have everything needed.

For more info on floating routes, rules & regulations, please visit this site.

Watch the River Surfers

If you’re an avid surfer, you could of course attempt your hand at surfing the rapids at White Water Park, located along the Deschutes River Trail. Or, if you’re a spectator like me, you can enjoy the show while watching from the foot bridge that spans across this point in the river. Either way, you’re sure to be entertained!

Complete the Bend Ale Trail

The Bend Ale Trail is a fun activity geared towards beer lovers that encourages you to get out there to visit and support Bend’s local breweries.

All new as of 2021, the Bend Ale Trail is either now app-based or you can pick up a keepsake passport for $5 at the Visitor’s Center in Downtown. The new format is quite different than when we completed the Ale Trail with a good old paper passport to get stamped, but it’s always exciting when activities change and evolve.

Breweries are now divided into seven territories, and the app even has great suggestions for brewery diversions (i.e. not beer) and perfect pairings (activities you can do while on your Bend Ale Trail quest).

Tips for Completing the Ale Trail

• Download the Bend Ale Trail app
• Map out your route ahead of time to maximize your time
• Check in via the app when you are at each brewery to get your digital stamp and/or ask your beertender to stamp your keepsake passport
• Do not, and I repeat, DO NOT drink and drive! Bend is very walkable, and Uber/Lyft are plentiful (we’ve actually encountered some of the most friendly Uber drivers on our travels here).
• Eat food! You’re going to need something to soak up all that beer.
• Prizes are rewarded based on completed territories!

To read more on how the Bend Ale Trail works, visit: https://www.visitbend.com/bend-ale-trail/how-it-works/

The Last Blockbuster in the World

Never in my life would I have imagined a Blockbuster video store being a tourist attraction, but here we are! Blockbuster Video in Bend is the last operating Blockbuster in the whole world. Yes, you can still go in and rent movies just like the good old days! They also have movie memorabilia up around the store and you can purchase a few souvenirs as well.

I definitely recommend supporting this local business to keep the nostalgia alive!

Where to Eat in Bend

Eating out in Bend is such a fun experience! Most of our favorite places are super casual, with many of being them food trucks/carts. A handful of the local Bend breweries also host their own small food truck pods. You get delicious food and beer all in one spot!

El Sancho Taco

El Sancho Taco is a casual sit-down taco shop with two locations in Bend, in addition to a taco shack at Crux Fermentation Project. All of their delicious tacos are made with lightly fried tortillas, and you can even get some refreshing margaritas (or non-alcoholic limeade) to wash them down with!

Their Eastside location is the perfect spot to start your day with “brunch” at 11 a.m. before heading out to some of the nearby breweries like Bevel Craft Brewing!

What to Get:

• Oaxacan Cheese, Mushroom & Potato Tacos
• Bring the Heat: An assortment of spicy condiments and pickled veg for $1.00 extra
• Chips and Salsa: Their house-made chips are delicious!

Spork

Spork is an Asian-Latin American fusion restaurant located just west of the Mirror Pond area of the Deschutes River. I absolutely love fusion restaurants where chef’s come up with creative and tasty cross-cultural food pairings. The magical food here at Spork does not disappoint! It’s one of our favorite foodie spots in Bend.

Spork is a pretty popular spot, and I recommend getting there early so you can get a good seat inside.

What to Get at Spork:

• Chilaquiles tossed in garlic tomatillo sauce (add a fried egg or shredded pork for more richness)
• Spicy Pork Noodle bowl filled with rice noodles, fish sauce caramel pork patties, herbs and veggies
• Picadillo Pork Tacos with pork simmered in Mexican Coke and green olives
• Spicy Fried Chicken tossed in a spicy and sweet chili sauce
• Side of kimchi, cuz kimchi is life…

A lot of their menu items can be made vegetarian and vegan upon request.

Miyagi Ramen

Located in the Box Factory area (between the Old Mill District and Downtown), Miyagi Ramen is serving up a variety of ramen and Japanese-inspired dishes. It also happens to be across the street from the Springhill Suites hotel! Seating is limited, so just be patient if you don’t get a spot right away.

What to Get:

• Chicken Meatballs with soft boiled egg (lots of great ginger flavor in these)
• Tsukemen Ramen: A chilled ramen dish with yuzu broth served on the side for dipping. On hot summer days in Bend, this dish can satisfy your ramen craving without breaking a sweat!
• Chicken Katsu & Pork Belly Steamed Buns: Simple and flavorful, served with black sesame mayo, pickles, and sriracha and hoisin for dipping.

Bangers & Brews

Bangers & Brews made it to our list of places to visit as they were voted Yelp’s #1 Restaurant in 2019 (in the whole country)! This is a cozy family-owned shop with extremely friendly owners bringing gourmet sausages to the PNW. They even have vegetarian and vegan options for all you non-meat eaters!

What to Get:

• Any of their sausages with their delicious chimichurri sauce and caramelized onions will blow your mind

The bread they use for the buns is baked locally in Bend, and is quite possibly the best bun bread we’ve ever had!

Big Ski’s Pierogi

Big Ski’s Pierogi is a small food truck located in the Podskis food cart pod in the Box Factory neighborhood. If you’ve never had a pierogi, this is a great place to start! Pierogis are Polish dumplings stuffed with a variety of savory or sweet fillings – most commonly with potatoes and cheese.

Big Ski’s has so many different pierogi flavors to choose from, but thankfully they offer an option to order a sampler of six different pierogis. We found this to be a great way to taste a little bit of everything they have to offer and find our favorites.

What to Get:

• Cinder Cone-y: Chili, cheese, beef frank & serrano peppers (talk about a satisfying beer companion!)
• Hell’s O.G.: A spicy version of their O.G. with potato, farmer cheese, and serrano and habanero peppers
• B.C.B.: Bacon, Cheese, Beef!
• Side of sour cream and grilled onions (these elevate the pierogis with extra flavor)

The #9 and Pollo Del Fuego are also great contenders, but my heart is with the Cinder Cone-y and Hell’s O.G.

Wild Rose Northern Thai

Wild Rose was on my wish list for a while and we finally made it there to try out their delicious Thai food! This restaurant is extremely popular, and I recommend making a reservation ahead of time. Parking in this part of Bend can also be a little hectic, so Uber/Lyft (or walk) if you can!

What to Get:

• Moo Gratiem: Thinly sliced pork in a sweet and savory garlic sauce
• Khao Soi Curry: Yellow curry over noodles (this dish is definitely a bit on the sweet side but tasty)
• Thai Sukiyaki: A Thai take on the Japanese dish with glass noodles
• Pinyo: Spiced sausage with bold flavors of lemongrass and lime leaves

We’ll definitely need to come back to try more dishes!

Wild Ride Food Trucks

Wild Ride is a brewery located north of Bend in the town of Redmond, and is definitely worth a visit! Not only do they have great beer, they have four food trucks on site to choose from. We’ve only had the pleasure of eating at Shred Town, but I am sure we will try some of the others on a return visit.

What to Get:

• Pulled Pork Cubano from Shred Town
• Veggie Yakisoba Noodles from Shred Town
• The Spicy Jah from Red Road Pizza Co.

Strictly Organic Coffee

Strictly Organic Coffee is a great place to start your day in Bend. Order up a coffee or a chai, and get one of their delicious breakfast burritos to go! They also have a drive through, which makes being on the go extra easy.

I kid you not, they have one of the best tasting vegetarian breakfast burritos I’ve ever had!

Food Trucks at Bevel Brewing

Just like Wild Ride above, Bevel Brewing‘s patio has four food trucks to choose from! You can get anything from Hawaiian food, Southern po’boys and gumbo to Mexican taqueria favorites, sandwiches, salads, and wraps.

We got a delicious poke bowl from Aina Kauai (now closed), and can’t wait to come back with empty tummies to try all of the other trucks.

Bonta Gelato

Bonta Gelato gives gelato from Italy a run for it’s money. This is an especially refreshing and tasty treat when visiting Bend in the summer! They have rotating seasonal flavors as well, so you could try something new each time you visit.

We had the Berry Sorbetto and the Vanilla Passionfruit and they were both amazing. I wish we could have taken pints to go!

Pro Tip: Bonta has two locations in Bend. We visited the Eastside location and did not have to wait in any lines!

If you’ve been to Bend before and have some foodie favorites not on this list, please drop me a comment below! I’d love to hear your recommendations for something new.

Best Breweries in Bend

The “best” of anything is always highly subjective to the one writing the list. However, we’ve visited enough breweries in Bend at this point to have a list of our favorites!

Bend Brewing Co.

Bend Brewing Company is always a favorite stop for us because of their location right on the river! We like to walk the Deschutes River Trail up through to Drake Park and end with a cold pint of their Ching Ching sour ale while sitting out on the grass overlooking the river.

Wild Ride Brewing

Though Wild Ride Brewing is technically located in Redmond, about 20 minutes north of Bend, they are considered a “Bend” brewery worth visiting! And yes, they are even listed on the Ale Trail Passport.

Wild Ride brews some fantastic beer, and we especially love their sours! They even have beer floats, which are refreshing and perfect on a hot summer’s day.

*Wild Ride also hosts a small food cart pod on premise (see above Where to Eat in Bend for more info).

Silver Moon Brewing

Silver Moon Brewing, located in the Downtown area of Bend, was a discovery we made while completing the Bend Ale Trail. We absolutely fell in love with their beers! They also have a cool tap room and just recently added a food cart area known as The Office.

Our favorite beers from Silver Moon were the Bangarang Passion Fruit Sour and A Parrot’s Life for Me, which was a mezcal barrel aged margarita sour. These were special beers that you probably can’t get currently but I’m sure there are other interesting rotating seasonal beers.

Crux Fermentation Project

Crux Fermentation Project is one of the very first breweries that we visited in Bend years ago and one we could return to every time we visit. They’ve got a huge outdoor lawn space with firepits perfect for hanging out for hours. They also offer their own limited food menu Thursdays through Mondays, in addition to a regular food cart lineup.

Be sure to check their website for their daily sundowner hour where you can get beer specials and $2.00 off share items.

Bevel Craft Brewing

Bevel Craft Brewing describes themselves as a “hop-centric” brewery, which is perfect for my husband and I who really enjoy a good IPA! They also have a killer patio with tons of seating and four onsite food trucks.

Immersion Brewing

Immersion Brewing was another favorite when we completed the Bend Ale Trail a couple years back. They are located in the Box Factory next door to Avid Cider, with several restaurants and food carts nearby (including the Podski’s Food Cart area which is located on the opposite street behind the Box Factory). Immersion also serves a full menu too, though we haven’t gotten the chance to try their food yet.

They have a good variety of different beers on tap, but our favorite is the Symphony Sour – light enough to end the day with!

Other Breweries to Consider

Of course there’s also the famous Deschutes Brewery where we’ve taken a brewery tour, and McMenamin’s St. Francis (a former Catholic school) is always a cool stop for something unique. Sunriver Galveston also makes some decent beer (favorite being the Vicious Mosquito) and their location in Bend is great!

Brewery Wish List:

• Spider City Brewing Company
• Porter Brewing in Redmond
• Kobold Brewing in Redmond