Central Oregon & the Oregon Cascades - Washington, Oregon and the Pacific Northwest - page 558

of a Native American camp, a hard rock mine and an old Western town. The region's nat-
ural history is also explored; kids love the live snake, tortoise and trout exhibits, and
watching the birds of prey and otters is always fun.

Deschutes Historical Museum MUSEUM
( 541-389-1813; www.deschuteshistory.org ; 129 NW Idaho Ave; adult/child 13-17yr $5/2;
10am-4:30pm Tue-Sat) Located in an old grade school, this museum houses Native Amer-
ican and pioneer artifacts. There's also historical information on the area's logging, rail-
road and fur-trapping industries.

Mountain Biking
Bend is a mountain-biking paradise, with hundreds of miles of awesome trails to explore.
For a good bike trails map, get the Bend, Central Oregon Mountain Biking and XC Ski-
ing map ($12; www.adventuremaps.net ), available at the Visit Bend tourist office ( Click
here ) and elsewhere.
The king of Bend's mountain-biking trails is the Phil's Trail ( www.ormtb.com ) network,
which offers a variety of excellent fast single-track forest trails just minutes from town. If
you want to catch air, don't miss the Whoops Trail.
The 8.5-mile (one way) Upper Deschutes River Trail runs from Meadow Day-Use
Area (6 miles west of Bend, off Hwy 46; $5 day-use fee from May to September), past
Lava Island Falls and Dillon Falls to Benham Falls. It's a lovely riverside route that's
good for beginners and experts alike.
Rent mountain bikes at Pine Mountain Sports ( 541-385-8080;
www.pinemountainsports.com ; 255 SW Century Dr) or Hutch's Bicycles ( 541-382-9253;
www.hutchsbicycles.com ; 725 NW Columbia St) . Both offer free or inexpensive community
rides. For mountain-bike tours and shuttles, Cog Wild ( www.cogwild.com ; 255 SW Century
Dr) can't be beat.

Water Sports
One of Bend's many charms is the pretty Deschutes River, which runs right through town
and offers many opportunities for watery fun.
Rent kayaks, canoes, floats and stand-up paddleboards (SUPs) from Tumalo Creek
Kayak & Canoe ( 541-317-9407; www.tumalocreek.com ; 805 Industrial Way) ; classes, tours
and shuttles are also available. Sun Country Tours ( 800-408-8251;
www.suncountrytours.com ; 531 SW 13th St) is another popular company that does SUP, float-
ing and rafting. Or experience white water with Ouzel Outfitters ( 800-788-7238;

www.oregonrafting.com ) ; it also rents rafts and inflatable kayaks.