Pets allowed
Allowed
Elevation Gain
100.00 ft (30.48 m)
Trail type
Loop
Distance
3.20 mi (5.15 km)
Please respect the outdoors by practicing Leave No Trace. Learn more about how to apply the principles of Leave No Trace on your next outdoor adventure here.

Whether you are visiting Bend for the first time or you are a long-time local, this roughly 1.5-mile trail runs along one of the town's most enjoyable and easily accessible stretches of river.

The South Canyon Reach is part of the Deschutes River Trail System and begins at either Riverbend Park or Farewell Bend Park just upriver of the Old Mill District.  Both parks are perfect for letting the kids run around, tossing the frisbee around, or simply heading out for a picnic.  Farewell Bend Park is also a popular put-in for floating the Deschutes, and it has a kid-friendly swimming hole and beach for hot summer days.

Once you are on the trail south of Reed Market Road you will quickly enter a wild and scenic canyon shaded by giant ponderosa pines and lined with tall sagebrush, snowbrush and gray rabbitbrush.  After 1.6 miles you will reach a footbridge that makes for an ideal turn-around spot.  If you wish to continue, there is an extension trail along the Central Oregon Irrigation District's property that leads all the way to a little residential pocket park called River Canyon Park.

Note:  The majority of the trail on the west side of the Deschutes is on private property with access granted by Mount Bachelor Village. However, bicycles are not permitted along this section of the trail.

Logistics + Planning

Preferable season(s)

Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall

Congestion

High

Parking Pass

Not Required

Pros

Hike in the middle of Bend. Wild and scenic river landscape. Swimming hole.

Cons

Very heavily used. Not all portions of trail are on public land.

Trailhead Elevation

3,700.00 ft (1,127.76 m)

Features

Fishing

Suitable for

Biking

Location

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