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Tumalo Falls is rightfully considered one of the must-see attractions in Bend, Oregon. The grandest waterfall on Tumalo Creek makes a nearly 100-foot drop from a cliff in Deschutes National Forest west of Bend. Admire the broad single-drop waterfall from a downstream viewpoint that is fifty yards from Tumalo Falls Day Use Area. Then take a half a mile round trip hike to an overlook at the brink of the falls for a close-up look at the first-class gusher. ...Read more.

Tumalo Falls is the tallest and most beautiful waterfall on Tumalo Creek near Bend, Oregon, but it isn't the creek's only waterfall. If you like seeing water tumble, go beyond the half-mile round trip hike to Tumalo Falls and explore a grander 7.4 miles loop that visits half dozen other named waterfalls and perhaps a dozen more unnamed smaller waterfalls and cascades. ...Read more.

Strolling down Deschutes River Trail toward Benham Falls, you might be skeptical that this calm river will hasten into rapids and cascades. The wall of volcanic rock on the far side of the river does offer an early clue that something dramatic could happen. The Deschutes River was rerouted by Lava Butte Lava Flow, causing it to tumble over a few waterfalls on its path north toward Bend. ...Read more.

You'll be grateful to find pavement and not melting hot lava on Trail of the Molten Land. This impressive trail is built atop a barren landscape of dark volcanic rock, the Lava Butte Lava Flow in Newberry National Volcanic Monument, which is part of Deschutes National Forest. Panels along the trail provide information about how the lava flow began at Lava Butte, a cinder cone above the trail. ...Read more.

Trail of the Whispering Pines is an interpretive botanical trail highlighting high desert plants in Newberry National Volcanic Monument. This short and level paved path covers just a quarter mile. Trail of the Whispering Pines can easily be explored as a 0.4-mile walk beginning and ending at Lava Lands Visitor Center. This short hike can be connected to Trail of the Molten Land, which is even more impressive, for a 1. ...Read more.

Lava Butte is a 500-foot tall cinder cone along the Northwest Rift of Newberry Volcano in Central Oregon. It rises prominently over Route 97 between Bend and Sunriver. A fire lookout tower sits atop Lava Butte and is joined by a rim trail that offers panoramic views over a dark volcanic landscape. Lava Butte also provides majestic views of the Cascade Mountains to the west. ...Read more.

Lava River Cave is the longest lava tube in Oregon and is fascinating to explore. Put fresh batteries in your flashlights and head to Newberry National Volcanic Monument, which is in Deschutes National Forest just a dozen miles south of Bend. Walking through Lava River Cave, you will see wild features left behind by volcanic eruptions 100,000 years ago. ...Read more.

Shevlin Loop Trail explores pine forests along Tumalo Creek in Shevlin Park, which is just four miles west of downtown Bend. This pleasant woodland trail is mostly easy with a few rolling sections along the bluffs that border the creek. The loop is 4.75 miles long and explores much of Shevlin Park's 647 acres. The hike has 240 feet of elevation change and crosses lovely Tumalo Creek at two points. ...Read more.

Archie Briggs Natural Area presents views over a dramatic stretch of the Deschutes River north of Bend. The river makes a sweeping curve beneath tall cliffs of volcanic rock and is backed by grand mountains like Black Butte and Mount Jefferson. Gaze down the canyon from atop cliffs on the south side of the curve in the river by an intersection of Deschutes River Trail and Archie Briggs Canyon Trail. ...Read more.

Pilot Butte is the biggest landmark in the city of Bend. This extinct cinder volcano is visible from almost everywhere in the city and its summit surpasses expectations with knock-out views of over Bend toward high desert landscapes and snowcapped Cascade Mountains. An extraordinary collection of mountains that includes Mount Hood, Mount Jefferson, Three Fingered Jack, the Three Sisters and Mount Bachelor are visible on clear days. ...Read more.