Central Oregon (Summer)

Central Oregon's landscape is partly high desert, partly forest, and is punctuated with the high peaks of the Cascade Range. These mountains, which have spewed enough basaltic lava to cover much of the region, are destinations for skiers (Mt. Bachelor), mountain climbers (in good weather, South Sister is quite manageable by novice mountaineers), and hikers. The Deschutes River is well known to anglers for its unique redside trout and to rafters for its exciting rapids. (Local anglers also swear by the Crooked River.) Campsites are abundant along the rivers and up on the Cascade Lakes Highway, which starts outside Bend and passes incredible ...

Central Oregon's landscape is partly high desert, partly forest, and is punctuated with the high peaks of the Cascade Range. These mountains, which have spewed enough basaltic lava to cover much of the region, are destinations for skiers (Mt. Bachelor), mountain climbers (in good weather, South Sister is quite manageable by novice mountaineers), and hikers. The Deschutes River is well known to anglers for its unique redside trout and to rafters for its exciting rapids. (Local anglers also swear by the Crooked River.) Campsites are abundant along the rivers and up on the Cascade Lakes Highway, which starts outside Bend and passes incredible mountain vistas, trailheads into wilderness areas, and, of course, lots of lakes. Bend, the region's urban hub, makes a good base for exploring central Oregon, and it has a wide range of accommodations and restaurants, from the humble to the extravagant

About the Expert

Judy Jewell and W.C. McRae are frequent collaborators: together they have written Moon Handbooks to Montana, Utah, and Zion-Bryce and updated the Moon Handbooks to Oregon and Coastal Oregon. Judy wrote the Compass American Guide to Oregon.