The Perfect Weekend in Bend, Oregon for Outdoorsy Craft Beer Lovers
Visit Bendsays it best, "Back in the day, Bend was a logging town. Today, we’re a lager town."
If you're a craft beer lover, and you enjoy getting active in the great outdoors, then it's time to add a trip to Bend to your bucket list.
Not only is this adorable mountain town home to 30 different breweries, but it also offers a wild variety of hikes, unique places to stay, and fantastic food.
Here's where you should stay, hike, drink, and more to have the perfect weekend in Bend, OR.
WHERE TO STAY
The beauty of visiting Bend is that so many of the downtown breweries are within walking distance of one another. That's one of the main reasons we loved our stay at McMenamin's Old St. Francis School. Beyond the convenient location, this quirky hotel is unlike any other we've stayed in.
This Washington/Oregon hotel chain transformed an old Catholic schoolhouse into a hotel that includes a pub, brewery, movie theater, and even a soaking pool.
Outside of the historical uniqueness of the buildings, they also built secret hallways, secret rooms, and even a secret broom closet bar. It was truly a wild experience — we loved exploring each building, and we can't recommend this spot enough for your next trip to Bend.
WHERE TO DRINK
When in Bend, grab a Bend Ale Trail passport! There are seven territories you can hit while on the Bend Ale Trail, and we've broken them down below. While you probably won't knock out all 30 locations in one weekend, we recommend hitting a different territory each day.
* = A brewery we made a personal stop at while visiting
The Old Block
Right in the middle of downtown Bend, you can knock out all six of these breweries in a day if you REALLY wanted to...
The Western Front
Make sure you go for a lovely little walk in Drake Park (pre or post-beer).
The Riverlands
Beautiful landscapes surround these breweries, making it a great to territory catch a sunset at!
The Badlands
The only territory we officially completed while in Bend, we adored the Badlands! While the breweries are a bit more spread out, each one has a unique location that is worth stopping by.
The Brewer's District
Locals' tip from Visit Bend: Bring your appetite - the brewpubs of The Brewer’s District sport some of the best grub in town.
The Far North
You're adventuring in Redmond, now! Known for its mountain bike trails, hiking, and even caving, we recommend finding a way to work for your beer before hitting these breweries!
The Outer Rim
Locals' tip from Visit Bend: Take the road less traveled! Explore the backroads of Central Oregon by bike, ATV, or SUV as you traverse the Outer Rim.
WHERE TO HIKE
Our ideal travel weekend includes kicking off each day with a scenic hike. We are called "Work For Your Beer" after all! Getting outdoors in Bend is a no-brainer. Below are the two hikes we did while in town, plus a third that we were hoping to complete (but, unfortunately, it downpoured our last day in town ).
Pilot Butte
This steep 2-mile hike was a great way to kick off the trip with! This is an out-and-back trail, and the first quarter is sure to get your heart pumping (it is straight uphill). The views at the top are worth it, though! You can see all of Bend and Redmond from the top of the butte.
View the trail on AllTrails here.
Tumalo Falls via Tumalo Creek Trail
Okay, if there's one hike you need to do in Bend, this is the one. We clocked in almost 8 miles on this out-and-back trail that offers stunning mountain views before you hit the falls. We went a bit off of the beaten path and wandered down a side trail that led us directly next to Tumalo Falls, and it was so worth the detour.
About 75% of this trail was still snow-covered in April, so make sure you wear sturdy hiking shoes! (Our Merrell's held up just fine.)
View the trail on AllTrails here.
Misery Ridge and River Trail
A local assured us that "misery" was a bit overdramatic for this trail. This 3.5-mile loop trail is in Smith Rock State Park and promises some stunning river views! We wish we could have hiked this one ourselves, but we will just have to come back and check it out next time we are in Bend.
Cheers to exploring Bend, OR!
We are so grateful to have had the opportunity to explore this outdoorsy, craft beer-infused town. HUGE thank you to Visit Bend for coordinating.
We're forever planning our upcoming adventures — always to somewhere with an awesome craft beer scene!
Any suggestions for our next trip? Shoot us a message at cheers@workforyourbeer.com if you have any ideas, and be sure to tag us at @workforyourbeer if you swing by any of these spots during your next visit to Bend.