![]() It is a female Kingfisher because she wears a reddish-brown belt (which the male doesn’t have). The other wall has one of my favorite birds – a Kingfisher with a fish. It’s a wonderfully scenic stroll, with plenty of room for passing joggers, dog-walkers, folks in wheelchairs, baby carriages, & bird-watcher/photographers like us! Public restrooms are nearby – adjacent to “Sisters Coffee” shop, and just down from Karen Eland’s most delightful “Greetings from Bend Oregon” mural which is immensely popular for selfie photos to send to family & friends! Nearby street parking is free – either off SW Reed Market Road, or in the shopping area.ĭon’t miss the “Colorado Bridge Tunnel Mural” by Sandy Klein, with cheerfully painted birds on both sides! One side includes an osprey, with real osprey nest high on a pole just beyond. When it warms up, there is outside dining at many restaurants bordering the walkway. The meandering walkway further charms with eye-catching art murals, bewitching tunnels, decorative bridges draped with fluttering flags, & historic interpretive signs along the way. In just an hour’s leisurely stroll around the waterfront, we also saw Ring-necked Ducks, Scaups, Coots, Goldeneyes, Canada Geese, and even a Golden-crowned Sparrow almost at our feet. Who would think there would be such a variety of birds to see, just steps from Bend’s “Mill District” shopping area! We ventured out with friends on a blustery day in February. I’d also caution against using a headlamp as while it might illuminate your path you’ll miss the flexibility of seeing the ceiling and wall and also it shines directly into the eyes of those coming the other way!īundle up & bring your binoculars! The Deschutes River Trail offers wide, paved walkways right along the river, with great viewing for all sorts of birds – from green-headed Mallards & punk-crested Mergansers swimming nearshore, to dazzling blue Scrub Jays posing fearlessly in trees right along the pathway. We shone our lanterns on the ceiling for several people on the way back who only had dim lights and got 'gasps' as they saw what they were missing with their poor illumination devices. I can definitely recommend hiring their lanterns for $5 as they are very powerful and our experience of seeing the cave walls, ceiling and way to walk was a lot better that that of those people using their own torches/flashlights or even phone for illumination. Do be sure to not wear anything that you've ever worn in a cave before in the USA as they are working hard not to transmit white-nose syndrome which kills bats and can transmit decades later from spores on clothing. We were told it was 42F/5C in the cave so wore sweatshirts, down jackets, hats, gloves and scarves but actually it didn't feel that cold and much of the warmer clothes were discarded as we were walking the whole time and it didn't feel that cold at all. The path finishes after 1.1 miles although the cave doesn't! It was quite surreal to think you were 1.1 miles into the ground. There are also useful info boards along the way to tell you about the features and geology of the cave. The floor is mostly level and sandy but there are boulders to watch out for and occasional changes of height - both floor and ceiling. We're both in our 60s but had no trouble with the terrain although we did wear our hiking shoes. When you turned the lanterns off it was VERY VERY dark! The cave was a lot bigger - width and height - than I'd expected and it was quite an easy walk. ![]() We were also very fortunate as we were the first to enter the cave so the whole 1.1 mile walk to the end we were alone which was an amazing experience. ![]() ![]() I think the booking is so they can mange the parking lot not being too full as well as not too many at a time in the lava tube. It was only $2 (£1.60) so a real bargain. Despite it being August 27th there were still quite a few tickets available which was lucky. We only learned of the cave as we drove north from Crater Lake to our next destination so booked a ticket that evening for 9am the next morning. This was a real highlight of our 16 day road trip in Washington and Oregon. ![]()
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