Bend, Oregon is great, be a tourist here. This post is all about how we lived the locals’ life for a ski season, and our takeaways. Completely piggybacking the popular bumper sticker Bend Sucks, Don’t Move Here, the catchy line is meant to convey how amazing Bend is, and how the locals want to keep it for themselves. But after living in Bend part-time, our verdict is Bend is Great, Be A Tourist Here.
Overall, Bend is a mixed bag, with some good memories. For van life, it’s sure is a memorable ride up to Mount Bachelor in the Cascades for the ski season. There are lots of spectacular views, storms that the abominable snowman dreams up, and a snowmobile heaven. But in the end, we decided farewell, Bend … until next time.
Bend is a Mixed Bag
I’ll mention the positives first. Throughout the area are phenomenal Cascade Mountain views. Bend proper has pretty easy access to shopping, a pretty chill community, is very dog friendly, and feels very safe for kids. As for skiing, the Mount Bachelor area has great Sno-Parks and very long ski season.
Next, I’ll share all the negatives that led us to throw in the towel and decide to be tourists from now on. Bend is a high desert climate, and there is no easy access to other wonders of the west. On the skiing side of things, the Sno-Parks are great but they are too stormy for me, and the same with the skiing itself. Plus there is seriously no Sprinter technician in Bend!
Bend has Great Views
The Cascade Mountain Range views are spectacular, we love the Three Sisters and Broken Top. What is even better about these frozen white breathtaking peaks is that their true names are honored and actually kept. The tales of the Three Sisters and Broken Top are in Indian Legends of the Pacific Northwest by Ella Elizabeth Clark. In fact, the Three Sisters legend was our family favorite on the Pacific Northwest Junior Ranger Quest, see here. So of course, I was forever grateful to be able to ski beside them all winter long.
Easy Access to Shopping
Bend has very easy access to shopping and most importantly, room to park the van. Even though we have a 22′ which can mostly fit into a decent parking spot, it is sometimes a huge challenge to park in cute ski towns. Shopping here is no problem, there is a Costco, Target, Whole Foods, Safeway, Petsmart, pretty much any major convenience. All of these places have big parking lots, great for RVs and vans.
Plenty of Sno-Parks
Bend has great Sno-parks, that are super convenient and well maintained. The Sno-parks are just a hop, skip and a jump away from the entrance to Mount Bachelor. We stayed at them a handful of times this winter, and always enjoyed the quick drive to ski team, and the peaceful serenity of the isolated frozen mountain landscape. There is a great summary of them here. Or see How to Play in Oregon’s Sno-Parks. But, the wind. It’s a rockin’ windy van life up here.
Super Dog and Kid Friendly
Bend is a super dog-friendly city. How did one of the girl’s ski coaches put it? “The dogs, everyone has one, but then one isn’t even enough, they get two, it is almost an obsession.” It is great to be in a place where people love dogs.
Bend is very safe for kids, so family life here is very chill. I wanted to make sure the van was locked and a local stated, “we don’t lock things here!” It truly feels like an area where petty crime doesn’t really happen. What are the conditions for that, I’m not sure, but I am guessing it is partly because of its isolation and affluence.
A Very Long Ski Season
Mount Bachelor has a notoriously long ski season, and easy parking and access to the lifts for our ski lodge on wheels. Ski season goes all the way through end of May, and sometimes even longer depending on the year. Now, sure, it is a long ski season, but, let’s talk the quality not quantity. Yes, Mt. Bachelor is a magical spring ski hill, and if you have only been spring skiing here the mountain’s climate could really trick you.
The Climate is One of Extremes
High desert climate is not our forte, and it isn’t sunny Reno either. One of the selling points that made us (almost) relocate to Bend, was the “300 days of sunshine a year.” Who doesn’t want to live in the lush unpopulated mountains of Oregon with 300 days of brilliant sunshine? It’s like having the best of Oregon and the best California in one package. Well, it’s not true.
Those travel guides really tricked us, read one here. Plus, in Bend when it is hot it feels very hot, and when it is cold it feels very cold. Bend was the first time we had lived in a true high desert climate, and we realized it’s not just the temperature fluctuation between day and night, it is also the fluctuation between the sun and shade.
Bend is Out There
Post-van life in Bend, it hit me, Bend is far away from all the western wonders that keep our family surviving here on the west coast. Sure, it is just a few hours to Crater Lake, which is without question worth more than just one trip, and it’s only 5 hours far from Lassen. In the other direction, it’s about the same distance: 5 hours to Mount Rainer or Olympic up in Washington, and 8 hours to North Cascades. But to anything else outside of the states of Oregon or Washington? It’s so far.
We love year round camping, so for us staying lower in latitude out west is the way to go. When you look at the vast number of spectacular National Parks out west, there are way more in the California and Four Corners regions. Case in point, it is 10 hours from Bend to Yosemite.
Super Stormy Sno-Parks
Even though Bend’s Sno-parks are great, they have weather extremes like no other. To start, the van was insanely rocking in the wind nearly every time we were up there in January and February due to harsh high winds. The storms create an ice layer that doubles the defrost time.
Inside the van, the constant below freezing storms equal constant frozen van pipes. It is not fun when the van dish water will not drain because it’s frozen, and grey water built up in the sink is sloshing all over the van when you drive to the ski hill. So we will not miss frozen pipes! Even in the dead of winter in Tahoe, we never had our van pipes freeze quite like this.
Super Stormy Skiing
Mount Bachelor has several months of seemingly non-stop extremely stormy skiing. Because we left end March, we missed out on all the sunny spring skiing you pay the price to get by surviving the winter. Some endearing memories of winter Bachelor skiing are long lift lines, constant wind holds, less than half the terrain open, and many ski team storm cancellations (due to freezing rain, zero visibility, and wind holds).
A Bend local who had moved from Mt. Shasta, California, up to Mt. Bachelor, explained it like this: California has an agreement with God, that it snows at night, and is sunny in the day. Sure it’s a little exaggerated, but really sorta true, and it’s really a fantastic agreement. And let’s just remember, Mt. Bachelor is a volcanic cone, and it is completely exposed. The summit is usually closed most of the winter as it is an icy, barren, violently windy landscape. It’s beautiful, but it takes windy skiing and hoarfrost to a whole new level.
The Sprinter Van is Meant for Bend
Now, the van getting up the mountain in all the storms was a breeze (no pun intended) because we have 4×4. Over and over again we will say 4×4 is the best decision we made on the van, written about previously, here and here. But, a close second is the diesel heat, a necessity, especially for our cats, who made most of the trips up to the top of the mountain with us.
Bend is Van Life central. So why is there no Sprinter technician in Bend? Yet all Bend Sprinter owners drive to either Medford or Portland for service; an 8 hour round trip. This definitely left us wondering.
We Can Always Make Light of the Truth
It wouldn’t wrap up a good season of Mt Bachelor skiing without sharing probably the best clip on Mount Bachelor skiing. Created in 2021, this parody You Tube clip has timeless humor; check out Hitler Wants to Ski Mount Bachelor by Luke Perry. Luke, thanks for making this season full of laughs on the lift. Read more about it, or find it here.
Farewell, Bend
Did you know Bend’s original name was Farewell, Bend? Well, it is only farewell for now. We will definitely be back, maybe to raft, mountain bike, or spring ski. Or to check out the magical world class rocking climbing destination Smith Rock State Park.
A great outdoor family destination, Bend is definitely worth a stop. The Bend local’s popular bumper sticker can just cut the sarcasm out, and simply state, Bend is Great, Be A Tourist Here.
