Downtown Bend

Bend, Oregon is an exciting place because it is the jumping off point for visiting the natural splendor of Central Oregon - hiking, skiing, river rafting, lake boating, camping, cycling, fishing - and much more. But the city itself has some interesting things to see and do as well. This short 1.4 mile walk will introduce you to the historic core of the community.

Downtown Bend is located to the west of Highway 97, along the east side of the Deschutes River. The old dreary route along State Route 97 north and south through town, or the new quick trip on the expressway that replaced it, do not show off the highlights of this great little city. From the expressway, follow the directional signs for downtown Bend to get to the start of this walk.




This walk starts at a juxtaposition of old and new. One on side of Wall Street is the Deschutes County Public Library, opened in 1998 as Bend was transforming from a small resource-industry community into the city we see today. A large "monumental" library building, especially one as attractive as this one is, shows a strong civic-mindedness regarding important cultural institutions. Take a walk around the library interior, especially the open and light-filled second floor.


In front of the library you'll find this playful sculpture illustrating one of the "natural resources" that is abundant in Central Oregon.

Across the street from the new public library on Wall Street are buildings from "Old Bend," the community that mushroomed from a tiny hamlet to a prosperous town with several large lumber mills. This occurred after the Great Northern and Union Pacific Railroads reached Bend in 1911, following the famous Deschutes River Railroad War. The building on the right is the Bend Amateur Athletic Club Building, completed in 1919, and operated by the Bend School District starting in 1923. While the indoor pool and bowling alley are gone, the building was otherwise renovated in 1998 and is operated by the Boys and Girls Club of Bend. The building on the left is the side of the original Bend High School, which you will see fully at the end of the walk.

Continue to the south on Wall Street, and as the road bends to the left you will see Bend's Trinity Episcopal Church straight ahead. This building is on the National Register of Historic Places, and was constructed in 1929. Note the door - all Episcopal Churches in the U.S. have traditionally welcomed parishioners and visitors with a front door painted red. In 2013 the building suffered an arson attack, which fortunately did not damage the front, but the structure is currently (April 2014) being reconstructed in the back, and parishioners are holding services in the St. Helens Parish Hall located right to the west of this building.

 Turn to the right as you face the church onto Idaho Avenue, and proceed west to Broadway, where the road turns into a pedestrian stairway down a short hill into the Drake Park historic neighborhood. Note the volcanic rock used to make the stairway - there's a lot of that particular building material lying around in the Bend area!

 The house to the left of the stairway pictured above is a beautiful 1 1/2 story brick bungalow craftsman structure, built in 1912.

At the bottom of the stairway, Idaho Avenue resumes. Turn right at Congress Street, but before you do so take a look at one of the largest of the houses in this historic neighborhood, the Georgian revival-style McCann home, constructed in 1916. The house is located to the left on Congress Street. As of Spring 2014 the home looks to be in need of some maintenance, including a good paint job.

Continue north on Congress Street. The next two blocks contain a number of beautiful historic homes, most built during Bend's first boom during the 1910's. This home, at 640 NW Congress St., is just one of them, a 2-story craftsman bungalow built in 1910. 

At the intersection of Congress and Louisiana, continue across Louisiana and then Riverside Drive, and you will be into Drake Park, which runs along the Deschutes River. This major waterway originates south of Bend and eventually empties into the Columbia over 100 miles to the north. After you cross the street walk over to the pathway that winds through the park, passing by a large antique log loader.

Continue to the right along the park pathway. After a few hundred feet you will see a parallel path right along the Deschutes River. Cross the grassy area to this pathway.

This part of the Deschutes has a small impoundment behind an old power dam to the north. The result is Mirror Pond, a signature view for Bend - especially on a clear day with a snowcapped North Sister in the background. The lake also gives its name to one of the better offerings from the local Deschutes Brewery, Mirror Pond Pale Ale. But the old power dam holding the water back is decrepit, and sediment has been building up behind the dam. So Mirror Pond may not be with us forever - enjoy the view while you can!

Continue up a stairway next to the river, and then continue up the pathway. Where it forks, go to the right, and you will be entering the downtown Bend commercial district.

To the right along Brooks Street, as seen here, is the Bend Brewing Company restaurant and brewpub. This smaller brewer produces a nice variety of beers, and the restaurant has an outdoor patio overlooking the Deschutes River.

Continue straight ahead through a narrow arcade, and you will find yourself back on Wall Street, one of downtown Bend's two major commercial thoroughfares. There are lots of restaurants and stores along here to explore, amongst the old "main street" style buildings. Turn left after leaving the arcade and go two blocks to Greenwood Avenue, where you will turn right. Proceed one block to Bond Street, Bend's other major commercial thoroughfare, and turn right. On the left side of the street is the Deschutes Brewery Public House, serving the beers of Bend's largest local brewer.

Continue down Bond Street, and notice that the older historic commercial buildings have quite a few new "neighbor" buildings housing retail establishments, offices, hotel rooms, and residences. Downtown Bend is a thriving place because people want to be there in an attractive locale with interesting things to do and see. It's an inspiration for other cities with old downtowns waiting to be revived and made the center of things again. Walk for three blocks on Bond Street and you will come to the McMenamin's Old St. Francis School on the left. This 1936 Catholic schoolhouse has been given the McMenamin's treatment, and now has restaurants, taverns, and a hotel. It's another great, lively place to be in downtown Bend.


After passing the St. Francis School, turn right on Lousiana Street. On the left side of the street is the monumental original Bend High School. This building, now on the National Register of Historic Places, was constructed in 1925 and served as a high school and then junior high school until 1979. It now houses the school district's administrative offices. Continue back one block on Louisiana Street to your starting point at the Bend Public Library.


Now that you've seen the urban side of Bend, go out and enjoy some of the great outdoor experiences of Central Oregon, including forest and mountain hikes.

Eastmoreland, Crystal Springs, and Reed College - SE Portland

Eastmoreland, Crystal Springs, and Reed College - SE Portland

This shorter walk explores one of Portland's nicest areas, home to a great college, a great public garden, and a great residential neighborhood. The walk itself is a little more than two miles long, but you can lengthen it with a side journey into the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden.




Start at the Eastmoreland Golf Course parking lot, on SE Bybee Blvd. on the east side of Highway 99E/McLoughlin Blvd. There are parking lots on both sides of Bybee, neither of which is restricted to just golfers. It's a very good course to play, by the way, but save a trip to the links for another day. Bybee is a street with heavy traffic, but with sidewalks on both sides.

Begin walking east on Bybee, which curves leftward to become Tolman St. and then 28th Ave. Try to ignore the noise of the heavy traffic and enjoy the views of the golf course to the left.

On the other side of the street from the golf course are the first of the homes in the beautiful Eastmoreland neighborhood. Built in the period between the two world wars, these stately residences, such as this one, represent almost all of the residential architectural styles popular during this era.

At Woodstock Blvd. the main flow of traffic turns to the east Continue on 28th, and soon on your left is the entrance to the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden. Although the garden is at its finest during April and May, it's beautiful any time of year. Admission is $4, and is worth it. A walk past the smaller lake pictured to the left leads to Crystal Springs Lake, with the gardens on one side and the edge of the golf course on the other.



Right across the street from the Rhododendron Gardens is this entrance to Reed College. Cross the street and head into the campus. Reed is an elite school with 1,400 undergraduates, well known for its excellent academics and its idiosyncratic student milieu. An interesting movie to watch about life at Reed is Blue Like Jazz, from 2012. On the darker side, Reed is dealing with a heroin use problem among its students, resulting in overdose deaths in 2008 and 2010.

Continue up a slight grade through the campus, until you get to a broad central green area called the Great Lawn. If it's sunny and school is in session you'll see clumps of students "studying" on the broad lawns. You'll pass by this imposing looking building, the Old Dorm Block, which looks like a great place for student life. Apparently some of the dorm rooms even have fireplaces. The Old Dorm Block was constructed in 1912, and has some interesting architectural details.


After passing the Old Dorm Block, continue along the north edge of the Great Lawn, passing Eliot Hall, until you get to the Cooley Library Building, at the corner of the open area. Turn right and follow the roadway to the main Reed College entrance. Continue across Woodstock Avenue, and you will be among the beautiful residences of the Eastmoreland neighborhood along Reed College Place, with its huge tree-filled center divider.



Continue along Reed College Place and enjoy looking at the beautiful homes, representing diverse period architectural styles. This is one of Portland's premier neighborhoods, with home prices generally in the upper six figures. After three long blocks, turn right on Bybee Blvd. and continue west until you get back to the intersection of Bybee and Tolman. You are now within a few hundred feet of your starting point at the golf course, a short walk along Bybee.

Salem - from Oregon's Capitol to Oregon's Hospital

SALEM: FROM OREGON'S CAPITOL TO OREGON'S HOSPITAL

Everyone should visit Oregon's State Capital City, Salem, at least once! And here is a walk to go on once you get there, taking in Oregon's Capitol and its Mall, a beautiful district of historic houses, and Oregon's historic State Hospital and its grounds. The walk is 3.6 miles and is entirely flat.

Start at Oregon's State Capitol, seat of government for the state, on the Court Street side of the building. The building was completed in 1938, and looks much different from the classic statehouse capitol dome seen in many other state capitals. Oregon used to have a classic capitol dome, but the building burned to the ground in 1935, leading to this structure. The "golden pioneer" stands atop the "dome," and at least until recently you could go on a special capitol tour which included steps up to the top. I don't know if you still can, because in 2013 some knuckleheaded protesters went on the tour and then rappeled down from the top, unfurling a protest banner. If you're interested in trying to take a tour, call the visitor's center to see if any are scheduled before or after the walk.

Continue east on Court Street, then cross 12th Street and the busy Southern Pacific Railroad tracks. Stay on the left side of the street, because Court is a one-way couplet that curves to the right to meet State Street at 13th Street, and a pedestrian crossing on the right side of the street is difficult. Continue onto what is now a very quiet Court Street, and you will be in the midst of Salem's Court-Chemeketa Streets Historic District, full of beautiful old homes. At 1467 Court Street, on the left side of the street, is the Griffith House, built in 1895.


At 1517 Court Street, on the left side of the street, is the beautiful Ashby-Durbin house, constructed in 1892, and as far as I can figure out the oldest residence in the district that is located on its original building site. There are some older homes on the street, but they were moved to their current sites at a later date. If you are interested in any of the other houses you will be passing by, this webpage contains all the information you will need.


Continue on Court Street across busy 17th Street - the street ends at 18th Street. But this pedestrian bridge on the left side of the street will allow you to cross Mill Creek, and continue on Court Street to 20th Street, where you turn left. Continue on 20th Street past McRae Park, and turn right on Breyman Street. Follow the street to its end on 24th Street, cross the street, head left for a couple hundred feet, and enter the Oregon State Hospital grounds to the right.

The main 1883 building is still off to the east, but before you get there you will walk through the leafy grounds, past several very nice old homes that are part of the hospital. Underneath these placid lawns is rumored to be a tunnel that goes all the way back to the State Capitol! A legislature and an insane asylum would seem to be a perfect match, but the actual existence of such a tunnel is debatable - I've heard individuals who say they've actually seen it, and also heard individuals claiming it's a complete myth.

And then you will see ahead the grand Kirkbride Building, recently restored and upgraded. Inside is the unique Museum of Mental Health, open limited hours, but worth a visit if your walk and the open hours overlap. The State Hospital has a long and difficult history. It received some celluloid fame as the film location of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Oscar winner for best picture in 1975, based upon Ken Kesey's famous novel of the same name.

Continue north from the Kirkbride Building to Center Street, and then start heading back west (to the left). Walk along busy Center Street (originally named Asylum Avenue until abutting property owners in the late 19th century objected!) to Breys Avenue, where you will turn right, and then left on "B" Street. You will once again cross 17th Avenue, through neighborhoods with attractive pre-World War II homes.

Once again be careful crossing busy 17th Street. At 14th Street, turn right and you will see North Salem High School, built in 1937 (one year before the State Capitol), but in a quite different colonial style that makes the building look older.

An interesting bit of trivia: North Salem High School was, before 1954, merely "Salem" High School, the only one in town (there are now six). When a new high school was built on the south side of town in 1954, the school was renamed, and, if you look closely above the entrance, you can see how the "North" was cleverly added to the entrance.

Where 14th Street meets "D" Street, turn left. You will once again cross the railroad tracks, pass a middle school on your right, and then cross Capitol Street. The next building, on your right, is the imposing Oregon State Archives.

The street beyond the archives building is Summer Street - here you turn left. After the archives you will cross Mill Creek. There's an awful lot of water in this "creek," and it turns out there's a reason for that - it is the beneficiary of a diversion upstream from the North Santiam River. The creek, as befits its name, was the site of early grist mills, but now serves mainly to occasionally flood central Salem. Here there's a nice park area along the creek between Summer and Capitol Streets.

Looking ahead, you view the Capitol Mall, with the end of your walk in sight. On either side of Summer Street, and then the Mall itself after Center Street, are a series of buildings representing typical government administrative architecture, some better looking than others, but none presenting a unified whole. The "brutalist" Department of Revenue building on your left between Marion and Center Streets is particularly ugly, while the Transportation building the next block down on the left (between Center and Chemeketa)  is in the same art deco style as the State Capitol, and was recently completely retrofitted into a LEED "platinum" designated structure (which means it is extremely energy-efficient). The Mall itself has an interesting sculpture (pictured), and some other markers of interest inlaid in the sidewalks.

Council Crest from Duniway Park - SW Portland

COUNCIL CREST FROM DUNIWAY PARK - SW PORTLAND

This walk will give you quite a workout - climbing from Duniway Park (elevation 154 feet) to Council Crest, one of the highest spots in Portland (elevation 1073 feet), with sensational views from the top. The route up mostly goes through the beautiful Marquam Nature Park, while the trip down goes through some great neighborhoods in the Portland Hills, and finishes with an amazing stairway. The entire route is 4.3 miles.

This walk starts at Duniway Park, named for Abigail Scott Duniway (1834-1915), a famous Oregon pioneer who walked the Oregon Trail at age 9, and then went on to a career as a womens' rights advocate and newspaper editor. Use the restrooms, located on the east side of the park near Barbur Blvd., because there are no public restrooms at the top of Council Crest or anywhere else along this walk.

 Parking might be tricky if you are driving to Duniway Park. There are a few places in a parking lot that can be entered from Barbur Blvd, but they are only one-hour spots. On-street parking on Barbur Blvd. is marked for two-hour maximum, and you should be able to finish the walk in that amount of time if you don't stop to "smell the roses." And finally there are other on-street spots nearby that are marked 90-minute maximum, but only Monday through Friday (to keep OHSU and downtown commuters from monopolizing all the spots). They have no time limits on weekends.

The park has a track around a grass field that often has soccer games and other athletic events going on. Cross the track and head up the hill until you reach the sidewalk along Terwilliger Parkway. Directly in front of you is Terwilliger Plaza, a large multi-story retirement complex. At the top of the park you will start up Terwilliger Parkway, a beautiful greenway that continues for several miles through southwest Portland. Through the tops of the trees on the hill to your left are glimpses of the Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU) campus - "Pill Hill" to Portlanders.

Continue up the parkway, but when it makes a hairpin turn to the left you will continue straight, ending up on Sam Jackson Park Road. This leads to the main entrance of OHSU. After a few hundred feet the sidewalk ends, and you will need to watch for passing traffic navigating the next few hundred feet to the Marquam Nature Park entrance. I would suggest using the wide shoulder on the left to start, and then carefully crossing the street and using the wide shoulder in front of the water tank on the right. The last 100 or so feet will be on a narrow shoulder, and then you will be safely in the Marquam Nature Park trailhead area.

The next mile goes uphill through a quiet forested area, with only city background noise to remind you that you are in the midst of Oregon's largest metropolitan area. Most of this portion of the hike hugs the side of a forested ravine. There are several trail forks and trail names, but you won't go wrong if you just follow the directions for Council Crest and stay on the 4-T Trail.

At the top of the drainage you will hit six switchbacks in a row. Soon after you will once again see signs of civilization - houses on the cliffs above you. The stairs shown in the picture lead to Sherwood Drive. Cross this street and continue on the trail up the hill.

You will now be passing below houses that front on Fairmount Drive, which you will soon be crossing on your way to the top of Council Crest. This house in particular makes a striking architectural statement from the rear. Soon you will come to Fairmount - cross this street and continue up the hill on the trail, paralleling the street. Do not be tempted to walk on Fairmount instead of the trail. Although Fairmount circles Council Crest on a fairly level but winding, route and is popular with walkers and cyclists, it has no sidewalks or separated walkways and often has narrow shoulders. There's no reason for you to walk on it when off-street trails are available as an alternative. Next, you will come to Greenway Avenue, which the trail also crosses on your way to the top. Greenway Avenue is the location of a former Portland Streetcar line which made its way to the top of Council Crest until the 1940's.

 Keep on trucking up the last few switchbacks, and soon you will arrive at the top. On a clear day, these are the views you will see of Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens. There are nice grassy area and benches at the top for you to relax and enjoy the scenery. It is hard to believe, but from 1907 to 1929 Council Crest was the site of an elaborate amusement park.

The full history of the amusement park, along with fascinating old pictures, can be found at this site.

When it's time to head down the hill, start down the trail you came up on, but within 100 feet you will see this junction - you came up the trail on the right, but you will head down the trail on the left, which is also signed as the Wildwood Trail. If you are so inclined, you can follow this trail all the way across Washington Park and the Portland Zoo, to Pittock Mansion, and on to the nether regions of Forest Park many miles to the north.

But you won't be going that far on this walk - the second half of the walk, which takes you the rest of the way down the hill and back to Duniway Park, goes through residential neighborhoods. The trail comes to an intersection where Talbot Road, Fairmount Road, and Talbot Terrace meet. Be careful to avoid the first possible right turn, which is Talbot Terrace. Take the next right turn beyond, which is Talbot Road.

Talbot Road has no sidewalks, but there is a shoulder on one side of the road or the other and  not a lot of traffic. Before you get to the Greenway Road bridge shown in the picture, you will see a stairway down the hill to the left. Take it, and you will land on Montgomery Road. This street is also without a sidewalk for a few hundred feet, but there is no significant traffic since it is a dead-end road. And a sidewalk begins soon enough. Enjoy looking at the nice homes on both sides of the street - and this is one of the more modest Portland West Hills neighborhoods!

Montgomery eventually meets up with Patton Road. Turn right, and continue as Patton turns into Broadway. But soon Broadway veers right and starts down the hill. You will be taking a less traveled route to the left, a slight uphill on Ravensview Drive. Follow Ravensview as it curves up the hill. At Terrace Drive continue straight; this street becomes Hawthorne Terrace. Enjoy viewing the fine residences on both sides of these streets, many with panoramic views of the mountains above and Portland below.

Hawthorne Terrace ends at 16th Avenue - make a slight right onto 16th, and then turn left onto SW Davenport Street. Davenport does not have a street sign in this location. Continue down Davenport, and you will pass a wooded area which a map of Portland labels "Governor's Park" but has no sign indicating that it is anything but a large, wooded, steeply-sloped, vacant lot. There is an interesting history behind this particular Portland park, documented very well at this site. The "Governor" who donated this park site was Governor Sylvester Pennoyer, also for a time Mayor of Portland, a populist and somewhat disreputable late 19th century Oregon politician. He made a name for himself with anti-Chinese nativist populism that curdles the blood when read today. Lawyers and law students should know that he is the "Pennoyer" of Pennoyer v. Neff, a late 19th century Supreme Court decision that is studied in every law school first-year Civil Procedure class.

Once you pass Governor's Park, Davenport trends down the hill. You'll go through some very nice neighborhoods and see sweeping vistas of Portland and the Cascades to the east. When Davenport ends you will begin a series of road switchbacks down the hill. While there are no sidewalks here, traffic is light and slow - just keep yours eyes open for cars. Davenport turns into Chelmsford - when this street ends make a left onto Buckingham, then a right onto Cross, then a left onto Commonwealth, then a slight left onto Sheffield, and finally a right onto Hoffman.

At this point, you will be in front of what looks like a 2-3 story condominium complex. You are right above downtown Portland, about at the level of the taller skyscrapers. Continue down Hoffman past the condominium complex on your left until you see the start of what is about the craziest and steepest stairway in the city. This stairway takes you straight down the hill, at such a steep angle that the stairway itself has to make switchback turns! As you go down, you will see that the 2-3 story condominium complex is actually about five stories tall, with a whole set of condos below the grade of the street.

When you get to the bottom, you are on Broadway. Broadway has no sidewalks, so carefully cross the street and start down a narrow walkway which will become a street, Sherman Street, that take you to Sixth Avenue. But before you go, look back and view the stairway you just went down, and think about residents of those condos trudging home from downtown up those stairs after a long day at work!

Continue on Sherman, and then turn right onto Sixth Street. Walk up the street, past the Terwilliger Plaza retirement complex, and you will be at the upper end of Duniway Park. Retrace your route down the trail, across the running track and athletic field, back to your starting point. Congratulations, you've just finished over 4 miles of walking, and survived almost 1000 feet of elevation gain!