Our First Day: Smith Rock State Park

For our first big adventure, we drove to Smith Rock State Park, about an hour from our campground and roughly 30 minutes north of downtown Bend.

Smith Rock is known for its dramatic rock formations and its history as one of the birthplaces of modern American sport climbing. Even if you aren’t a climber, it’s an incredible place to hike and watch people climbing the massive rock walls.

Parking was $12, which we paid at a kiosk when we arrived. Near the parking area, there’s a welcome yurt with information about the park’s geology, native plants and animals, and the history of sport climbing. We bought a paper map for $1 and a magnet for $7, but you can also scan a QR code for a free downloadable map.

For kids, they had free Junior Ranger books, badges, and stickers.

There are portable bathrooms as well as a regular restroom near the visitor area, picnic areas at the top, and another restroom and water refill station at the bottom of “The Chute” before crossing the river.

Hiking the River Trail

We chose the River Trail because we liked that we could make the hike as long or as short as we wanted.

The initial hike down into the canyon is steep, but once you reach the river, the trail is mostly flat. It’s completely dirt and sand with a few wooden bridges along the way.

We hiked about three miles total and spent roughly 2½ hours on the trail, although we stopped quite a bit.

The scenery was absolutely gorgeous because it felt like two completely different landscapes meeting in one place. On one side, we had the Crooked River surrounded by lush green grasses and clear water. We saw ducks, geese, and even a river otter. On the other side were these massive, steep desert cliffs with climbers scaling the rock walls.

There were areas with shade, but there was also plenty of sun exposure, and it was HOT.

The park recommends at least one liter of water per person, and they mean it. We brought three liters for our family, and it wasn’t enough. Bring more water than you think you’ll need, especially during the summer, and don’t forget water for your dog if you’re bringing one.

Sunscreen is also a must, and I’d recommend rash guards or sun shirts for kids.

I wore my Earth Runners again, but this was one hike where I wished I had worn my hiking boots instead. The trail was so sandy that boots or even regular tennis shoes/ water shoes would have been more comfortable.

There were a few places where you could access the river. We had read about water quality concerns before our visit, so we chose not to fully swim. Forest dipped in, but that was about it. (Difficult to keep a 4 year old from wanting to swim).

All three kids handled the hike really well. The climb back out of the canyon super steep and was brutal for me, but apparently Eli and the kids had energy to spare because they challenged eachother on a race- practically sprinting up the ascent and turned it into their “workout of the day”.

Cell service was great throughout our visit. The park was busy, but never uncomfortably crowded.

For accessibility, the Canyon Rim Trail near the visitor area appeared to be paved and more accessible. However, once you get toward the bridge and farther into the park, the terrain becomes sandy and much more difficult to navigate with wheels.

Would we go back? I’m really glad we visited, and I absolutely think Smith Rock is worth seeing while you’re in Central Oregon. But I also feel like we experienced what we came for in one day. I don’t think we’d need to return unless we came back when the kids were older and wanted to try rock climbing.

Exploring Bend

We didn’t spend a ton of time exploring Bend itself, but everything we did see left us with a really good impression of the city.

We spent most of our time around the Old Mill District, which was beautifully landscaped and had a really cool atmosphere. One Wednesday evening, we drove through and saw people sitting outside at bars and restaurants. There were people everywhere enjoying the evening, and the whole area felt lively without feeling chaotic.

One of the moms we met through jiu-jitsu told us about a big downtown music event happening that Thursday with live music and food trucks. She said events like that happen regularly throughout the area and are really family friendly, which really fit the impression we had of Bend—a community where people actually get outside and enjoy where they live.

Visiting the Last Blockbuster

Of course, we couldn’t visit Bend without stopping at the last Blockbuster.

This was probably more exciting for Eli and me than it was for the kids at first. We had to explain VHS tapes, video rental stores, and the fact that when we were growing up, going to pick out a movie for the weekend was an actual event.

The store felt like part museum, part working DVD rental store, and part merchandise shop.

We walked around looking at everything, took plenty of pictures, bought some merchandise, and had the best time showing the kids this tiny piece of our childhood.

It was such a simple stop, but definitely one of the most nostalgic and fun things we did in Bend. Highly recommend- its a wonderful lost article of American culture in the 80s, 90s and early 2000s.

Our Week in Sunriver

Because our campground was near Sunriver, we ended up spending a lot of our week in this area, and we really loved the atmosphere.

Sunriver has almost a resort or ski-town feel. It’s quiet, peaceful, and surrounded by outdoor recreation. Everywhere we went, we saw people walking and biking, and the entire community felt very relaxed.

We noticed that the population seemed to lean a little older, although there were definitely families around too. Overall, it just had this peaceful, well-kept resort-community atmosphere that we really enjoyed.

The girls also spent the week attending Vacation Bible School at Community Bible Church in Sunriver.

Our experience there was absolutely incredible. Everyone was so kind and welcoming, and the girls had the best time singing songs, making friends, and learning about Jesus. The program itself was free, and we were able to donate to the charity they were supporting during VBS, Meeting the Needy!

By the end of the week, the girls didn’t want to leave. They told us it was one of their favorite things we’ve done in a while, which says a lot considering how many different experiences they get while we’re traveling!

https://community-bible-church-at-sunriver-477625.churchcenter.com/home

Meeting Up With Our Full-Time Traveling Friends

One thing that made this week even better was getting to reconnect with friends we originally met while staying at Elk Country RV Resort during our trip through the Redwoods.

They’re also a full-time traveling family with two daughters and a son close in age to our three kids. The kids had gotten along really well when we first met, so we planned to have our paths crossed again in Oregon, which was super exciting for everyone!

The kids spent the week playing together, and it was one of those moments that reminded us of one of the unexpected parts of full-time travel. You meet people all over the country, say goodbye without really knowing when you’ll see each other again, and then sometimes your paths cross in another state months late- it was everything our hearts needed. Its so difficult leaving the close relationships we make on the road, its one of the hardest parts of fulltime traveling. We have made the BEST friends on the road so getting to catch up with friends was what we all needed.

Having friends with us also made our final Bend-Sunriver adventure possible.

Floating the Deschutes River

For our last full day, we wanted to do something that felt very Bend/ Sunriver, so we loaded up the paddleboards and floats and headed for the Deschutes River.

We put in near Big River Campground and floated all the way to Harper Bridge. Parking was free at both locations and we just had to pay for a non motorized boat permit which costs us $16 for both paddleboards (and was good for 1 week).

The entire float was about eight miles and took us approximately 4½ hours.

Our paddleboards worked perfectly, while our friends used regular floats and had just as much fun. The river moved pretty slowly, which made it feel manageable with kids, and we even brought our dog, Willie, along for the adventure.

The scenery was beautiful. We passed gorgeous homes along the river, wide stretches of flowing grasses, and peaceful sections where it felt like we could have stayed all day.

The water was COLD, but that didn’t stop the kids from jumping in. There were plenty of shallow areas where they could get out, play, and swim.

Because we had paddleboards, we were able to bring a small cooler with snacks and extra water, which was definitely helpful with the younger kids.

We did the float without an outfitter because we had two families and two vehicles. We were able to leave one vehicle at our takeout point and use the other for the put-in. If you only have one vehicle or don’t have your own paddleboards or floats, there are outfitters in the area that can help with rentals and transportation.

My biggest advice would be to either start earlier or choose a shorter section if you’re floating with younger kids.

We didn’t get on the river until around 3 p.m. and didn’t get out until about 7:30 p.m. By the end, the kids were definitely getting tired.

There are other public takeout points along the river, and in hindsight, choosing one of those for a shorter float probably would have been a better option for our family.

But even with everyone getting tired toward the end, we had a fabulous day. The weather was warm and sunny, the scenery was beautiful, and spending our final afternoon floating down the Deschutes with friends was a pretty perfect way to end our week.