Winter in Bend, OR: Top 10 Kid-Friendly Activities
When I thought of Bend, Oregon, I thought of summer fun. I thought about floating the Deschutes River and drinking craft beer. No thoughts of winter, no thoughts of kid-friendly fun. Well, we found ourselves in Bend for a month in February with two kids and had THE best time! It turns out there are a plethora of kid friendly activities during wintertime in Bend. Here are some of our favorites!
Ski Mt. Bachelor
We had our sights set on skiing Mt. Bachelor before arriving in Bend. Thanks to our Ikon Ski Passes, we had five days to ski here. Mt. Bachelor is the sixth-largest mountain in North America, offering 4,323 acres of skiable terrain, and the only 360° summit experience in the Northwest. And it’s only 22 minutes from Bend!
Mt. Bachelor has a great beginner’s area. We spent the majority of our time skiing the First Rays and Lava Tube magic carpets, and the Early Riser and Alpenglow lifts accessible from Sunrise Lodge. This base area is pretty small, and no matter where you end up parking on this side, you’re not too far from the lifts. There were a few days where we waited until the afternoon to hit the mountain and were able to park right up front, extremely close to the beginner’s area!
While we have taken it upon ourselves to teach the kids to ski, Mt. Bachelor does offer a variety of ski/snowboard school options. Choose from private or group lessons and half or whole days. If you want to get a little adult ski time in, lessons for the kids are an excellent way for you to break away and see the rest of the mountain! Since we travel with our home, and everything we own, we had our ski equipment with us, but if you’re flying in, or don’t have equipment, rental gear is available at Mt. Bachelor as well.
Go Sledding
With commercial hills, Sno-Parks, and hills around town, there is no shortage of places to sled in Bend. Sledding is the family-friendly answer when skiing is too much, but the kids still want to play in the snow!
For free sledding in Bend, Drake Park downtown is a great option. Located on the east end of the park, adjacent to the Mirror Pond parking area off of Franklin Ave, this modest hill turns into the city's most centrally located sledding spot once the snow starts flying.
If you and the kids want to get out in a more natural setting, sledding at one of the Sno-Parks in Bend might be the right answer. The Wanoga Snow Play Area Sno-Park, located in the Deschutes National Forest, is a great place for sledding, and only 15 minutes from Bend. A parking pass is required to park at any Sno-Park in the state. Day passes are $4, or 3-day passes are $9. Passes can be purchased at a number of stores throughout Bend.
If you don’t have a sled of your own, or don’t feel like hiking uphill, tubing at Snowblast Tubing Park at Mt. Bachelor is a fun option! Mt. Bachelor's Snowblast Tubing Park is Central Oregon's biggest snow tubing experience. It's fun for the whole family with an 800-foot ride full of rollers and up to six lanes of action. Again, no hiking uphill is required! Just sit comfortably in your tube on the way up with specially-designed tows.
Visit the High Desert Museum
Being ASTC members, we always look for reciprocal museums while traveling. We were so happy to find this incredible, kid-friendly museum while in Bend! The High Desert Museum sits on 135 acres and offers more than 100,000 square feet of exhibit space. The museum has indoor and outdoor exhibits about the history, culture, climate, landscape, and wildlife of the high desert. There are many live exhibits with native rescue animals such as birds of prey, river otters, and porcupines.
The High Desert Museum is located just five minutes from Bend off Hwy 97. This is a great activity during the winter in Bend as the majority of the museum is indoors. While our tickets were free of charge thanks to our membership, tickets only cost $17 for adults and $10 for kids. The museum offers a number of educational programs if you wish to go above and beyond the exhibits. Enroll the kiddos in camp, borrow loaner STEM kits, or check out their online resources.
Explore Lava Lands National Monument
I had no idea there was so much volcanic activity in the Bend area until we drove past what I could only describe as a lava field along the highway. It was rolling hills of black rock for as far as I could see. It looked like the moon! After a quick look at Google Maps, I realized we had passed Lava Lands and Lava Butte, part of the Newberry National Volcanic Monument.
There is a lot to do and see at Lava Lands. Some attractions are closed during the winter months, such as the shuttle up to the top of Lava Butte, but you’re still able to hike the Butte. When we visited in February, we walked the 1 mile Trail of the Molten Land. This paved trail goes within the Lava Lands, offering a truly unique experience. There are interpretive signs along the path providing information on how this landscape came to be. A great learning experience for little scientists! The 5.5 mile Sun-Lava Trail is also accessible here. This paved trail running alongside Newberry National Volcanic Monument into Sun River is a great place for a stroll or bike ride.
Hike at Smith Rock State Park
One of the most beautiful places we visited, in perhaps the entire state of Oregon, happens to be just 35 minutes north of Bend. Smith Rock State Park is home to a stunning, deep river canyon surrounded by sheer rock cliffs. Smith Rock is world renown for its rock climbing and offers great hiking, mountain biking, fishing, wildlife viewing, and camping. When we visited Smith Rock State Park during the winter, it felt like the perfect time to go. The weather was cool enough for us to have hats and light jackets while down in the canyon, but warm enough to strip down layers as we hiked up into the rocks.
We started our time at Smith Rock with a picnic at the playground. With kids in tow, you can't go wrong with food and a playground. The views just from here were amazing! We then spent the afternoon hiking the 4 mile Misery Loop Trail. We started out just planning on doing the mellow River Trail, but wanted to explore more, so we kept on going. Avoid the crowds and take the trail in reverse as we did. Take the scenic River Trail as it winds along the water, to the Monkey Face spire, and then up to the rim for great views before coming down the traditional route back to the bridge. There is a 600 foot elevation gain, but our little hikers did fantastically, and the views from the top are well worth it!
Play at a Playground
Finding local parks to explore has been a highlight of our travels. Bend has no shortage of playgrounds right in town and fun no matter the time of year!
Columbia Park
Our absolute favorite playground in Bend was at Columbia Park. This park sits on the western banks of the Deschutes River, offering beautiful views to take in while the kids play. The playground structure is shaped like a pirate ship and includes fun features such as a lookout telescope, and a plank. The main attraction is a tunnel slide built atop the hillside going down towards the river. The kids easily did the slide and hiked the stairs up 20 plus times! After the playground, we took the footbridge across the river and walked down to the whitewater park to watch the kayakers. Even in the cooler temps, there are plenty of rafters to watch!
Harmon Park
While walking around downtown Bend one day, we stumbled upon this wonderful little playground. Harmon Park is located right on the river, just across from Drake Park. The kids loved this, once again, boat themed playground with plenty of green space for running around. We loved the proximity to sightseeing and dining.
Orchard Park
Slightly off the beaten path, we found another fun place to play at Orchard Park in the Orchard District on the east side of town. This neighborhood park offers a large play structure and soccer field. We spent a fun afternoon here before hitting some nearby food carts for dinner!
Check out Blockbuster
Being a child of the 80s and 90s, Blockbuster Video was a staple in my childhood. Every Friday night, my family would go pick up some movies and candy to indulge in over the weekend. When I heard the dream of the 90s was alive in Bend, with the very last Blockbuster on earth, you better believe we stopped by for a visit!
The kids didn’t understand the nostalgia but they still thought it was neat. They looked at the rows and rows of children's movies while I took in the sights, sounds, and even smells of my youth. If you have a DVD player, you can rent a flick or purchase some Blockbuster memorabilia. Or, just leave with photos and memories as we did!
Indulge in Yummy Food
Bend is all about the food truck scene. There are multiple pods set up around town that offer a variety of delicious food from a handful of food trucks all set up in one location. The best part? Many of these pods have a beer taproom onsite! Even better? These food trucks and beer collections usually have a large outdoor dining area that can double as a kid-friendly place to play! It’s a win, win, win!
The Lot Food Trucks & Taproom
Established in 2013, The Lot is Bend’s original food truck pod. The Lot is located on the west side of town and the ideal spot to grab lunch after playing at Columbia Park. I had terrific tacos from Fricken Faco, and the kids had hot dogs and tots from Burgrz n Dogz. It was midday on a Tuesday, but had it been beer o’clock, there is a taproom onsite. It was a sunny, mild day, so we sat outside, but there is also a heated indoor dining area.
Midtown Yacht Club
It seems playgrounds and food carts go hand in hand in Bend because this next spot was also enjoyed after hitting the park. We had dinner at Midtown Yacht Club after Orchard Park. This spacious food cart pod offers a wide variety of family friendly food options, a ton of seating, fire pits for staying toasty, and beer! Mom and dad had plant based burritos from Lively Up Yourself, and the little ones had chicken nuggets and fries from Alley Dogz.
Goody's Chocolates & Ice Cream
Dessert is a big deal in our family. Especially ice cream. Even in the dead of winter! We found some delicious ice cream and custom candy all in one spot at Goody’s Chocolates & Ice Cream. Goody’s began in Sunriver in 1984 and came to downtown Bend in the late 90s. Their homemade ice creams, chocolates, and candies are well worth the wait in line!
We had a blast getting to know Bend with our kids while winter RVing. Visiting in the winter is such a fun time because you have snow for skiing and sledding, but you also have milder temperatures and dry ground for hiking and sightseeing. I recommend you grab an Oregon RV rental and head there yourself. We can't wait to eat, drink, and play our way through Bend again soon!