Eastern Oregon

The area is divided into three parts:

Northeast click here
Boardman, Pendleton, Hell’s Canyon & Wallowa Lake, .

Central
Sisters, Metolius River, Camp Sherman, Bend, Summer Lake.

Southeast click here
Crater Lake, Klamath Falls, Steens Mountains

Central

www.visitcentraloregon.com

Camp Sherman
Since the early 1900s, vacationers have been flocking to this tiny town on the Metolius River near Sisters. Most of those visitors were wheat farmers from Sherman County, Oregon, hence the name. Camp Sherman Store is still a hub for fishing gear, groceries, community news, deli sandwiches, fresh baked goodies and the all-important mosquito repellant.

Sisters & Vicinity
Sisters is all gussied up frontier style with replicated facades of authentic historic buildings. Shops, galleries and cafes offer diversion, but the true allure is the setting and 300 days of sunshine. Desert sagebrush landscapes transition to Ponderosa pine of the Deschutes National Forest where countless lakes and trails are set amid a cluster of snow-capped volcanoes — Three Sisters, Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Washington, Three-Fingered Jack. Don’t miss the sparkling, sometimes teal and turquoise Metolious River as it gurgles out of the ground from springs, even though now partially obscured by vegetation. Still, how many rivers can you see being born?
Black Butte Ranch has golf and drop-dead views, and lunch on the docks at Suttle Lake Resort is summer perfect.

It’s so dark in Sisters under a new moon that you cannot ride a bicycle along back roads without the help of a young niece, whose night eyes are better than yours. But the niece does not have a sense of direction, and you do. It is a happy combination that gets you both from dinner at Jen’s Garden after visiting with the chef and owner and a couple of strangers over dessert and wine on the outdoor candle lit patio until nearly midnight back to Five Pine Lodge on the outskirts of town without mishap.

Whatever you do, don’t miss that stupendous night sky — not so great for bicycling, but splendid for stargazing.

Five Pine Lodge The dramatic rock fireplace is the first thing you encounter in the lobby of this classic new lodging. Custom Craftsman-style furniture is elegant and perfectly suited to the surroundings with charming details such as hand-painted fireplace tiles and chess board side tables and hand-carved chess pieces. Watch out for the tubs! Water falls from overhead. All cottage and lodge rooms include a complimentary natural energy breakfast, hosted wine reception and access to the on-campus Sister Athletic Club. The surprisingly serene Shibui Spa is on site. Bikes available for tooling around town.

Bend
www.visitbend.com Once rugged cowboy and timber country, Bend has become a premiere leisure destination and recreation paradise with tons of golf courses, Mt. Bachelor and plenty of rivers and lakes nearby. The recent influx of newcomers has transformed the sleepy lumber town into a tiny cosmopolitan city full of interesting shops, galleries, restaurants, breweries, coffee spots — basically anything an upscale heart desires. With the meteoric growth, things are a bit wobbly at the moment — land & housing speculators caught in the crunch. Evolution or devolution? Still, all that sun!

Summer Lake & Vicinity
This favorite remote lake in south central Oregon is high desert glorious. On Oregon’s “Outback” National Scenic Byway (Hwy. 31). From central lodging at the lake, you can explore ancient petroglyphs and geologic wonders, hike, fish, bike and explore. Hot springs too and those star-filled nights. Nearby Paisley, home of the mosquito festival, is Summer Lake’s home post office.

[ARCHIVES: A Summer, Summer Lake and Another Summer, Summer Lake]

EAT

Warm Springs
The Chinook Room, Juniper Room high desert views & outdoor summertime salmon bakes at Kah Nee Ta High Desert Resort & Casino www.kahneeta.com.

Sisters Vicinity
The Boathouse Restaurant at the Lodge at Suttle Lake www.thelodgeatsuttlelake.com NW cuisine, beer, wine (summertime outdoor on the lake dock) 541.595.BOAT (2628). Kokanee Café in Camp Sherman very fine dining indeed in a rustic location, bar and excellent wines 541.595.6420. Lake Creek Lodge Restaurant July & August, NW cuisine, wines, share outdoor tables friendly family style. Camp Sherman Store www.campshermanstore.com, great little deli, baked goods and all the fishing, camping, hiking gear you need. The Restaurant at the Lodge at Black Butte Ranch www.BlackButteRanch.com 541.595.1260, NW cuisine, open vistas to meadow, lake and mountains & Aspen Lounge for cocktails, lighter fare. Sisters Bakery 251 E. Cascade Ave., Jen's Garden www.intimatecottagecuisine 541.549.2699, downtown Sisters. Not to be missed! French inspired NW cuisine (outdoor summer patio). Now serving breakfast. Yes, of course, excellent desserts, wines & beer.

Bend
Pine Tavern www.pinetavern.com all-natural Oregon Country beef, famous sourdough scones. Bend Brewing Company www.bendbrewingco.com overlooks the Deschutes River at Mirror Pond, outdoor decks. Jackalope Grill www.jackalopegrill.com NW cuisine, excellent wine list. McMenamins Old St. Francis School www.mcmenamins.com pub and good food. Crossings dining and lounge at Riverhouse Hotel www.riverhouse.com breakfast, lunch & dinner award-winning steakhouse & wine list. Weather permitting river view patio. Meadows, Owl’s Nest Pub, Merchant Trader Café, Zeppa’s at Sun River Resort www.sunriver-resort.com and other Village eateries www.sunvillage.com

Silver Lake
Cowboy Dinner Tree http://cowboydinnertree.homestead.com steakhouse, pre-fixe meals cowboy style. Fair Warning: Reservations only 541.576.2426. Silver Lake Café & Bar www.silverlakecafeandbar.com, burgers, BLTs, shakes!

Summer Lake
The Lodge at Summer Lake www.thelodgeatsummerlake.com home cookin’ breakfast, lunch & dinner.

STAY

Kah Nee Ta High Desert Resort & Casino www.kahneeta.com on Warm Springs Indian Reservation. Hot springs spa and resort with lodge balcony view rooms, Village suites, teepees, RV park. Golf, hiking, horseback riding, spa, natural hot springs pools. Perfect destination for cold, rainy west-of-the-Cascades days. Dining on site.

Sisters and Vicinity
Lake Creek Lodge www.lakecreeklodge.com at Camp Sherman. If you yearn for a true vintage summer cabin-in-the-woods vacation, this is it. Nestled among ponderosa pine with wide lawns and a creek running through the property, cabins are close enough for friendly visits, yet apart for privacy. Take the whole family including grandma and grandpa, aunts, uncles and cousins like some have done for decades and call the place home for a week or two. Pool, tennis court, restaurant on site.

Five Pine Lodge www.fivepinelodge.com Classic new lodging in Sisters. Choose suites in the lodge or cottages sprinkled amongst pine trees along a rock-lined creek. Fair Warning: No elevator to two-story lodge suites. Bikes, healthy continental breakfast and evening wine social included. Shibui Spa & Sisters Athletic Club on site.

Black Butte Ranch www.BlackButteRanch.com, spectacular green pastures, lake and mountain views. Closed community of privately owned houses & condos tucked in pine woods with asphalt biking & hiking paths meandering to and around pools, ponds, golf course. Great for families & groups. Fair Warning: Many disappointing 1970-80s suburban style dwellings.

The Lodge at Suttle Lake www.thelodgeatsuttlelake.com. Luxury and historic cabins with full kitchens. A thriving resort in the 1920s–1940s, recently revived with new Cascadian Style lodge & cabins near water’s edge. General store/marina for summer bikes and watercraft rentals. Floating Boathouse Restaurant & bar on site.

House on the Metolius www.metolius.com. An away-from-it-all retreat with four fully equipped cottages amid towering pine and lawns, two perched above Metolious River gorge eye-to-eye with osprey & eagles. Lovely meadow, river, mountain views.

Metolius River Resort www.metoliusriverresort.com. Privately owned cabins on the banks of the Metolius River in Camp Sherman.
Bend

Old St. Francis School www.mcmenamins.com another whimsical art & history filled historic re-do, this time a 1936 Catholic schoolhouse in the center of downtown Bend.

Lara House Lodge www.larahouse.com. Luxurious B&B in 1910 craftsman two blocks from downtown Bend shops and restaurants. Fair Warning: Untested, highly recommended by friends.

The Riverhouse Hotel & Convention Center www.riverhouse.com. Sprawling lodging along the Deschutes River. Some units with decks, river views. Pool, golf course & steakhouse on site. Breakfast included.

Sun River Resort www.sunriver-resort.com Premiere summer vacation and ski resort with lodges, condo-style rooms & suites, cabins, privately owned vacation home rentals, golf course, restaurants, spa, village. Some river, meadow and mountain views.

Summer Lake
Summer Lake Hot Springs Resort www.summerlakehotsprings.com Wonderfully rustic & remote with houses and newer tiny thermal heated cabins, RV and campsites. Alas, the fine collection of Air Stream trailers for rent blew away years ago in a storm. A 1927 shed houses the hot springs pool, showers and changing rooms.

Summer Lake Inn www.summerlakeinn.com. Exceptional high desert oasis featuring the 1902 homestead lodge and cluster of custom cabins overlooking a wide expanse of lake and sky, rugged mountains looming in the distance. Kitchens, decks, handsome antique and contemporary furnishings, accented with Native American art. Canoe on the inn’s small pond or bird watch from your deck. [ARCHIVES: A Summer, Summer Lake + Another Summer, Summer Lake]

The Lodge at Summer Lake www.thelodgeatsummerlake.com. 1940s “lodge” (former remodeled barracks) with Western Façade. Motel and simple cabins (on three-acre bass pond), RV, tent sites and showers. Good food on site at the only restaurant in Summer Lake.

PLAY

www.visitcentraloregon.com. Fly-fishing, white-water rafting, skiing, hiking, biking. Cascade Birding Trail www.oregonbirdingtrails.org, Suttle Lake (boating, biking, hiking) and Wizard Falls Fish Hatchery (toss pellets in the pond to lure monster trout into a feeding frenzy – take plenty of quarters for the pellet machines and walk back to the bridge to ogle Metolius River turquoise here. www.metoliusriver.com; golf at Black Butte Ranch, winter skiing at Hoodoo www.hoodoo.com. Famous rock climbing at Smith Rock.

Two gems: The Museum at Warm Springs www.warmsprings.biz. Small, but very special at the base of the hill US Hwy. 26, Warm Springs — beautiful weavings, basketry, beadwork, art, crafts, songs and languages of the Confederated Tribes of The Warm Springs Reservation. High Desert Museum www.highdesertmuseum.org near Bend. Splendid art, artifacts, culture, natural history, homestead. Not to be missed.

Summer Lake Wildlife Area & Vicinity: www.oregonsoutback.com hot springs, fishing, hunting, birdwatching, pictographs at Picture Pass; weird Lost Forest ponderosa pines in desert sand dunes; geologic wonders of Crack-in-the-Ground and Hole-in-the-Ground; 10,000 year old sandals, artifacts and homestead buildings at Fort Rock State Natural Area www.oregonstateparks.org; dinosaur bones at Fossil Lake; hike and ride (horseback mountain bike) all day rarely seeing anyone else except possibly mountain lions, elk and mule deer in Fremont-Winema National Forest www.fs.fed.us; watch for mountain goats on Winter Ridge. Fair Warning: Big country; lots of driving from site to site. But great stuff.

[ARCHIVES: A Summer, Summer Lake + Another Summer, Summer Lake]