-Don lives in Bend and Stephanie lives in Sisters (about 25 minutes door to door)                
-Based on your access to a vehicle when in town and/or if you want to be close to Bend to explore town or closer to Stephanie for easy access to the weekend events.
-Sisters, OR is approximately a 25 minute drive from Bend OR. Ubers can bring you to Sisters but are difficult to get from Sisters to Bend
-Lodging in Sisters, OR is limited - it is recommended you book as soon as possible!
-We can accommodate some backyard tent camping, please reach out to Stephanie or Don for details.

AIRPORTS:
-Local Airport: Redmond Municipal Airport (RDM) (closest option, 20 minutes to Bend and 30 minutes to Sisters). Primary airlines: United & Alaska
-Portland Airport (PDX) - 3 hour drive to Sisters, OR (lowest price fares, but a significant drive - it is a pretty drive; there is also public transportation options from PDX to Sisters/Bend.

LODGING: we highly recommend making reservations asap as summer fills up quickly in this small town. Bend options will be available longer but will then be a 30 minute drive to some of the events. Most places should offer a good cancellation policy.
Left Coast Lodge - downtown Sisters. 2 mile drive to Saturday festivities.
Bunkhouse 4 room Hotel & other great local vacation rentals
Best Western
Grand Stay
Black Butte Ranch - community with a lot of vacation rentals. Includes access to community pool, etc.
Five Pines Lodge - a higher end spot, with spa and fitness facility
Ski Inn - downtown Sisters, rooms located above a restaurant/tap room.
Sisters Inn & Suites (an okay spot, but recommend the other options first)
-There are a number of great AirBnB and VRBO options in and around town.
-We can accommodate some backyard tent camping and/or van/RV parking - please reach out to Stephanie or Don for details.

CAMPING:
-Dispersed (FREE) camping is permitted in the area. Read more here (there is a lot of open space around Sisters)
-Just down the road (2.4 miles) from Stephanie's house: Cold Springs Campground
-A spot between Bend and Sisters in Tumalo Tumalo State Park Campground
-Camping & RV spot right in Sisters Creekside Campground
-Tent and RV camping close to the Metolius Camp Sherman (4-5 miles from Stephanie)
-If you are looking for a premium outdoor experience, these cabins may be worth a look. House on Metolius
-We can accommodate a few vans at Don and/or Stephanie's house. We can also have a few tent campers in Steph's backyard.

Here are some of our favorite things to do and experience in the area.

HIKES:
Sahalie $ Koosah Falls (40 min drive from Sisters; 1:10 from Bend) - 1.5 mile out and back to link the two waterfalls. Trail can be a little rocky and rooty in sections so wear proper shoes. Well covered so shady and cool. Parking can be limited, there are two lots a half mile apart with Koosah Falls lot not as busy as Sahalie parking lot. This can also be a 2-3 mile loop on both sides of the Mackenzie River. The trail on the opposite side of the parking lots is the infamous Mackenzie River mountain bike trail. Not sure which way to recommend the loop, but you may want to walk the mtn bike trail going uphill, so the loop would be clockwise.
>> Here are pictures and a link from when we recently did this hike: https://www.strava.com/activities/9066144269
>> pre or post lake front stop for lunch rec: Suttle Lodge

Metolius River (Sisters) - (30 min drive from Sisters; 1:00 from Bend) Great walk along the Metolius River. Sections can be steep and rocky in sections, wear proper shoes and watch footing. Most of walk is shaded and along river. As outlined in link you can do an out and back or can turn it into a 5.4 mile loop. The Wizard Falls Fish Hatchery is a good place to park and visit with kids. Also park at Canyon Creek Campground and hike north/downstream towards the Hatchery. This section of the river is fast-moving and beautiful turquoise/blue crystal clear water.
>> Local food options: Camp Sherman General Store or HOLA! mexican food

Whychus Creek (Sisters) - (10 min drive from Sisters, 40 min drive from Bend) - a few access points. Can out and back to make route as long as you like. Some areas along creek will be used as swimming holes. Dog friendly.
>> Here is the route we just did with Calvin and Hadley (mostly carried in a backpack): https://www.strava.com/activities/9370094218

Whychus Creek Overlook (Sisters): (10 min drive from Sisters, 40 min drive from Bend) mellow, ADA accessible 1-mile loop to scenic outlook. Kid and pet friendly. Low technical.
>>example route: https://www.strava.com/activities/7734656541

Peterson Ridge Trails (Sisters) - trail head is just 0.5 mile from town, hike, bike and dog friendly. The lower network is very mellow and non-technical, the farther south you head on the network the more technical and rocky the trails get. Can also drive to the upper trail head and start from there.

Smith Rock (Terrabonne) - (30 min drive from Bend or Sisters). GO EARLY, it gets HOT out here!!! Please note the foot bridge may be closed during this weekend, so access to the climbing may not be possible. There are a couple of out and back trails without having to cross the river that will give you some great photos.
>> example route and pics https://www.strava.com/activities/8956900536
>> post hike checkout General Duffy's Watering Hole (food trucks, beer, wine) in Redmond.

Tumalo Falls - Very pretty falls and hiking trail about 15 miles west of Bend, about 10 miles west of Phil's Trailhead. This can be a popular spot so going early is best. When driving in there is a point where you can park for free and hike about 2.5 miles to the base of the falls. Hike up to the top of the falls and continue upstream for a couple of more falls.

WALK/SHOP
Deschutes Riverwalk (Bend) - walk, dine, shop, picnic along the Deschutes.
Sisters downtown

LAKES
Three Creeks Lake (Sisters) - (3o minute drive from Sisters, 1 hour from Bend) Last stretch of drive is on dirt fire service roads, will be dusty and bumpy. Lake is small and pretty. Cold! There is a nice shallow beach area, great for dogs and kids. A general store sells snacks and beer too. Camping area has public restroom access. Parking is limited, so go early or plan to get creative. Limited shade, bring a tent or umbrella if you have access. Great for kayaking - believe there are rentals available from the general store.

Elk Lake (Bend) - One of the lakes off the Cascade Lakes drive loop about 45 minute drive from Bend. Great family spot with sandy beach and shady areas. There are several other lakes nearby, i.e. Hosmer, Lava, Little Lava. Most of these do not allow motorized boats so very nice for kayaking and SUP'ng.



BIKE
Peterson Ridge Trails (Sisters) - trail head is just 0.5 mile from town, hike, bike and dog friendly. The lower network is very mellow and non-technical, the farther south you head on the network the more technical and rocky the trails get. Here is our go to loop that takes you up to a picnic table at the scenic overlook. https://www.strava.com/activities/9389195280

Phils Trails (Bend) - trail head is 20 minutes from Pepe. Fun fact: Phil lives directly behind Pepe! The Phils trail network is big and offers many loop options of varying lengths. Here is one we just did as a family. https://www.strava.com/activities/9420550219

Gravel (Sisters) - there are quite a few gravel loops you can find throughout the area. We are most familiar with the riding from Sisters. Here are a few of our go to options.
>> https://www.strava.com/activities/9316141688 (Up and around Trout Creek Butte, great views, good climbing and a LONG gravel descent)
>> https://www.strava.com/activities/9377533662 (Fun loop around Suttle Lake with some single track)
>> https://www.strava.com/activities/9346896074 (Greenridge Loop - great, scenic ride if you are looking for a longer option)

Maston (Tumalo) - great network of mellow mtb trails. Stop in Tumalo at The Bite for lunch afterwards! Here is our go to family loop: https://www.strava.com/activities/8736934566

SCENIC DRIVES (coming soon)
Lake Billy Chinook - Big lake created by damming the Metolius, Crooked and Deschutes Rivers located about 1-1/4 hours north of Bend. Out and back drive on Jordan Road crosses two small bridges across two of the 3 rivers. As a geologist, the columnar basalt outcrops and other features are very easy to access and see from the road. Not many trees, so will probably be hot.

Smith Rock State Park - This is a premiere rock climbing area on cliffs of basalt and tuffs about 30-45 minutes north of Bend. They are replacing a main bridge that connects the parking area to some of the trails and may not be open during our weekend. However, there are still great photo opportunities from the parking lot and the trails before the bridge. When you leave go north on Hwy 97 for a couple of miles and stop at the Peter Skene Ogden rest area on the left. Park and walk out to the Metolius River canyon and check out the old and new hwy bridges and the railroad trestle. Continue north on Hwy 97 to go to Lake Billy Chinook.

20/126/242 Loop - Beautiful drive out of Sisters. If you're going to Sahalie/Koosah Falls, this would be a great loop drive. Out and back up Hwy 242 to Dee Wright Observatory is a shorter option.

Cascades Lakes Loop - This can be a long loop from Bend around the Cascade Lakes to Sunriver and back up Hwy 97 to Bend. Also an out and back on Century Drive to Mt. Bachelor and beyond to several lakes, Hosmer, Elk, Lava Lakes.

DISC GOLF
Hyzer (Sisters) - located near the high school in Sisters. VERY close to Stephanie's house.
Pine Nursery (Bend) - about 1-mile walk from Pepe's house
Rock Ridge (Bend) - putting course, about 1/4 mile walk from Pepe's house

WATERING HOLES
10 Barrel (2 locations in Bend)
Worthy (2 locations in Bend - westside spot is small)
Crux

EAT - BEND:
Mid-Town Yacht Club - Food Carts and no sign of water anywhere around!!
Wild Rose Thai - Make reservations or show up early!
Bevel - Food carts and they sell their own golf discs and have a small disc putting area onsite.
On Tap Beer Garden - Food carts near medical center complex with live outdoor music.
Worthy Brewing - Restaurant that has furniture from the Oregon Mental Hospital in Salem where One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was filmed. They purchased a lot of the timber from the demolition and repurposed it as tables and chairs. Look for the cuckoo head medallions embedded in the tables. Some cool Kesey/Prankster memorabilia in the restrooms.


EAT - TUMALO:
The Bite - Food Trucks
Rogue Chef - Breakfast burritos next to Tumalo Food Stand just past the Bite.  Yummy!

EAT - SISTERS:
Sisters Coffee
The Barn - food trucks
Angelines Bakery (lots of vegan and gluten free options)
Euro Sport - food trucks
Spoons - good for breakfast