Bend, OR

Nestled against the Deschutes River and among the many Ponderosa Pines lays the quiet spot of Tumalo State Park. The two part park has a day use area and across the road the campground, both are simultaneously close enough to town for a quick jaunt either into Bend for any kind of shopping or close enough to Tumalo for a nice dinner and libations but yet the park is far enough away to escape the bustling commotion. The riverside of the park has a very large and comfortable grass area for picnics and yes there are tables and grilling stations as well. The park is large enough to throw Frisbee, play tag, which my kids prefer, or maybe you want to setup a croquet game. Sometimes at one end of the park or another you may find a community volleyball or badminton game. The river can be easily rafted or swam in by young and old alike. My favorite spot is by the bridge as this allows a good ½ raft trip when we walk up river. The kids love to lay out of the boulders to suntan or play around the boulders catching crawdads. The bridge area also has great fishing for both Kokanee and trout and plenty of bait resides on the rocks for these edible items.

On either side of the river there are many hiking trails and legend from when I was a kid is that the bluff side of the river has several old coins thrown out by the landowner who owns the property above you. As kids we actually did find a few buffalo nickels and Indian pennies so this has the good potential for those who also endeavor in metal detecting.

In the evenings, when camping we watch deer forage for food just as the sun creeps below the rim of the canyon. Listen as coyotes perform their haunting call, announcing the sunset and the coming darkness. Smell the sweet fragrance of sage and juniper as the dew drips off its branches. Sit quietly in the evening and let the stars put on a show of their own.

In the winter there is very little snow here yet winter recreation of varying kinds isn’t more than a half an hour away, resting at Mt. bachelor or many other numerous spots along the way.

Tumalo Park can be found by taking OB Riley Rd off of N. Hwy 97 and following approximately 4 miles straight into the park. OB Riley road is the stoplight intersection directly across from Bend River Mall.