Close to the woodsy excessive desert city of Bend, Oregon, winter brings an abundance of sunshine, dry snow to the slopes of the Jap Cascades, capping the mountain peaks with piles of the powdery stuff that ski desires are product of.
For locals and guests, Bend and its environs provide an irresistible mixture of Pacific Northwest snow enjoyable: snowboarding and snowboarding on mighty Mount Bachelor, Nordic snowboarding on the area’s in depth cross nation path system, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, snowtubing, ice skating and even canine sledding.
Final winter I flew to central Oregon on a direct flight from California, touchdown within the charmingly low-key Redmond Municipal Airport (RDM) — a half hour’s drive north of Bend and 45 minutes drive from my in a single day lodging on the cozy Lodge at Sunriver, the favored resort nestled in a pine forest close to the Deschutes River.
The following morning, I met a naturalist snowshoe information, Jose Olalde, a local Oregonian and a lead information for Wanderlust Excursions, for a half-day, three-mile-long snowshoe tour within the standard Meissner sno-park, simply west of the city of Bend within the Deschutes Nationwide Forest. Nordic skiers and snowshoers come right here in droves to discover the park’s path system throughout a rolling terrain thick with lodgepole pine and fir, some lined with brilliant inexperienced lichen.
Our group had restricted snowshoeing expertise, however we quickly mastered the snowshoe strolling approach. Broad and awkward trying, snowshoes are remarkably efficient units for strolling on in any other case inaccessible winter terrain. They supply not solely an excellent exercise but in addition a wonderful method to immerse oneself in nature and the distinctive ambiance of the winter woods.
Following the sno-park’s winding trails, we noticed delicate pine marten and fox tracks within the deep snow main into the woods. A brilliant solar forged sharp shadows in timber and every thing was hushed, as if the forest was having fun with a protracted winter slumber. Right here and there our information would deliver us into untracked snow off-piste, finally reaching our lunch cease: the secluded Meissner hut, a easy log shelter with a wooden range and benches inside.
Jose stoked the iron range with firewood gathered from a big pile outdoors the hut, heating up the burritos and cocoa he carried in his pack. Deep within the wintery woods within the heat of the hut, it was quiet and exquisite and it felt like an actual retreat into nature. I felt grateful for my clunky snowshoes for offering this unforgettable, soul-pleasing snow journey. Particulars: wanderlusttours.com
Mt. Bachelor Resort’s stellar snowboarding and snowboarding
Bend’s well-known ski “hill”, Mount Bachelor, is definitely a 9,068-foot dormant volcano. It rises Mount Fuji-like above the central Oregon panorama about 22 miles west of Bend. The no-frills Mt. Bachelor Ski Resort, constructed on the slopes of an outdated protect volcano, is the seventh largest ski resort in North America and affords 4,323 acres of terrain with 12 lifts accessing 101 runs for snowboarding and snowboarding throughout a season that may final six months. Bachelor’s runs provide 3,365 ft of vertical drop, sufficient to place large smiles on any snow sports activities fanatic’s face.
Increase
Rated the highest resort for intermediate terrain within the Northwest, it was the proper mountain for an intermediate skier and snowboarder like me. I picked up some demo skis on the Mountain Gateway base village and spent a protracted day exploring the decrease mountain on cruiser runs like Bluebird and Cliffhanger. The higher mountain was socked in with thick clouds and closed the day I visited, however when open, the higher mountain affords dazzling black and double black diamond-rated descents, together with the famed Cirque Bowl, a must-do for superior skiers and riders. For Nordic skiers, Bachelor additionally affords 56 kilometers of groomed cross nation trails. Particulars: mtbachelor.com
Paw-powered snow adventures
Close by, we launched into a canine sledding journey with Oregon Path of Goals, owned and operated by Rachael Scdoris (alongside together with her husband Nick and her father, Jerry Scdoris), a world-renowned athlete who completed her first Iditarod in 2006. Driving with Rachael and their athletic group of canines was a novel, chilly 26-mile journey with majestic views of snow-covered Damaged Prime, the Three Sisters and Mount Bachelor on the best way to distant Elk Lake Lodge, the place we loved a pleasant lunch. Particulars: mtbachelor.com
Holidays on ice
There’s no higher method to take pleasure in winter than gliding throughout the glistening floor of an ice rink, crisp air in your cheeks and the blades of your skates whisking throughout the floor. It’s pure Snoopy-like pleasure.
Ice skating in Bend is a perfect family-friendly exercise, and whether or not you’re a seasoned professional or a wobbly newbie, you’ll discover ice rinks in Bend which are good for all ability ranges. Rinks are present in downtown Bend, at Sunriver resort and in Redmond. Lace up these skates and embark on a journey of frozen enjoyable. Particulars: visitbend.com
Cultural diversions
There are ample off-the-snow, après-ski issues to do and see within the Bend space: outlets, eating places, brewpubs, bookstores, artwork galleries and wine-tasting venues.
One must-see cultural spot is the Excessive Desert Museum. Positioned simply south of Bend on 135 acres with greater than 100,000 sq. ft of exhibit house, the museum affords every thing from excessive desert animals like foxes, snakes, raptors and owls, to residing historical past actors re-creating the pioneer days of central Oregon. A current exhibit (working although Jan. 12) is “Sensing Sasquatch”, which explores Sasquatch’s (aka Bigfoot’s) previous, current and future within the Excessive Desert area by means of the eyes and legends of the Indigenous individuals of the Northwest. Up subsequent (Feb. 1-Sept. 7) is Japanese immigrant and photographer Frank S. Matsura’s visually arresting and nuanced “Portraits from the Borderland” which incorporates photos of Indigenous individuals initially of the twentieth century. Particulars: highdesertmuseum.org
The place to Keep
The Lodge at Sunriver
This standard lodge south of Bend affords luxurious rooms with fireplaces and decks, two glorious eating places and the favored Owl’s Nest pub, the place I loved a really enjoyable Tuesday evening trivia and taco evening. A round-trip shuttle service to Mt. Bachelor Ski Resort is obtainable to resort company. Particulars: sunriverresort.com
WinterFest
The Bend WinterFest in mid-February is a well-liked annual celebration that includes stay music, ice sculptures, a winter carnival, and amusement rides (trip a Ferris wheel within the snow!) Particulars: oregonwinterfest.com
Discover extra Central Oregon journey inspiration right here.
