Discover Recreation: City Parks

Published 5:00 am Thursday, April 26, 2001

Story by Anne Aurand

The Bulletin

If you don’t have the time to drive into the national forests surrounding the cities of Central Oregon, it only takes a few minutes to find a municipal park for a picnic under the pines or a walk along a river.

Several stunning parks are scattered along the Deschutes River in Bend.

Bend’s signature park, Drake Park, is practically downtown and a must-see for all visitors. The city’s oldest park, which meanders along Riverside Boulevard, is a perfect complement to a walk downtown, or an afternoon picnic followed by a game of Frisbee amid towering ponderosa pines.

Just a short sprint across the footbridge straddling the Deschutes River, Harmon Park offers fenced-in slides, swings and room for families to safely play.

Another park that focuses on children and provides some play equipment is Juniper Park between Franklin and Irving avenues in east Bend. A couple of miles of trails meander through the park, and a grove of trees offers plenty of shade to rolling grassy hills on a hot sunny day. Adjacent to the park is the Juniper Swim and Fitness Center, featuring indoor and outdoor pools and a full slate of classes.

A short trip north out of Bend on O.B. Riley Road brings you to Sawyer Park, a wooded, remote park abutting the river. Sawyer Park connects to a well-maintained running, walking or biking trail that wraps around the lower part of Awbrey Butte to a north-bound viewpoint of the Cascades that includes Mount Hood on a clear day.

Bend’s largest park and probably the best one for a visit with nature, Shevlin Park, established in 1921, offers a plethora of trails winding among ponderosa pines, a mix of fir trees, larch and cottonwoods. Bisected by Tumalo Creek, the 600-acre park is prime bird watching territory, a mountain bikers’ heaven, and it’s only about five miles from town.

And, speaking of parks in Bend, here’s one you can’t miss. That big red cinder cone right next to Highway 20 in East Bend, is also known as Pilot Butte State Park. There are two ways to get to the top. The easy way is a drive on the winding road starting on the west side. The hard, but perhaps more rewarding, way is to hike on the footpath that starts from the east side parking lot. Once on top drivers and pedestrians enjoy an expansive view of the mountains and high desert.

In the heart of Prineville, within walking distance of downtown, sits Ochoco Creek Park. Along Northeast Fourth Street, the greenway follows the creek through the heart of the city for about five blocks. It is the site of numerous community events throughout the year as well as home to a skateboard park, a bike path and pedestrian trail, a children’s playground and the monument to the nine Prineville Hotshot fire fighters who died at Storm King Mountain in 1994.

Sister’s main park, Creekside City Park, is a small and quiet getaway along Squaw Creek, right on the east edge of city limits. Grassy expanses under ponderosa pines are dotted with picnic tables. In Redmond, the locals’ favorite seems to be Sam Johnson Park, about a mile west of downtown, off of 15th Street and Highland Avenue. The park, with about four acres of grassy open fields, has eight new tennis courts and a pavilion that’s popular for weddings, parties and family reunions. The Central Oregon Park and Recreation District says it has more parking available then other parks, too. Although it’s open year-round, it’s mostly used in the summer.