Riverfront Street, between Drake Park and Miller’s Landing Park, is a local street that has functioned as the Deschutes River Trail for many years and is one of the last remaining gaps in the trail through downtown Bend.

With most things in life, as many people will have a strong affinity for something as will reject it. Favorite food, music, sports teams and ways to use limited free time can all result in spirited debate with friends and family members.

However, there’s one thing that seems commonly agreed upon in Central Oregon: trails. Nearly everybody loves them and wants more.

I make this bold statement based on fresh data. Every few years, Bend Park & Recreation District conducts surveys to gauge use behaviors and priorities of Bend residents in regard to parks and recreation services. These results inform projects and priorities for parks, trails and recreation as the community grows and interests wane or intensify.

Trails, including both natural and paved types, are the most used recreational facilities, with at least 9 out of 10 survey respondents — more than 2,700 people — engaging with them in the past year.

Someone who wasn’t a bit surprised by this data is my colleague, Henry Stroud, the trail planner for BPRD. Stroud lives and breathes trails every day and quietly works behind the scenes looking for ways to fill the remaining puzzle pieces in the Bend Urban Trails network.

District trail planning is primarily guided by a comprehensive plan adopted in 2018. It includes the “trail plan map” that shows the general locations of all of our proposed trails, organized into High, Moderate and Low priorities. In 2021, we completed a Trail Action Plan to couple funding to the most important projects.

These plans guide the buildout to the extent possible. However, trail development is often opportunistic in nature and driven by the land development process or other factors that push the district in different directions.

In Bend, there are many different ways trails are developed, and many partners play roles in making them happen, including the city of Bend, Bend-La Pine Schools, Oregon State Park, Deschutes National Forest and others. The existing Urban Trail System in Bend consists of 122 miles total, of which BPRD maintains right around 88 miles. In previous columns, I’ve shared information about the Drake Park improvement and Deschutes River Trail extension and the Riverbend South river access and trail improvements completed last year.

Here’s a look-ahead at a few key trail projects in the works:

North Unit Canal Trail

The North Unit Canal Trail is a planned trail in northeast Bend. The canal is jointly managed by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the North Unit Irrigation District (NUID) and provides irrigation to lands in Deschutes, Crook and Jefferson counties.

The trail is planned to be a 10-foot-wide multi-use trail with a primarily compacted gravel surface similar to other canal trails in Bend. Some portions will have an asphalt surface.

We are currently focused on the portion of the trail within the district boundary. This area has been split into two phases: Phase one is from Canal Row Park East to Yeoman Road. Phase two is from Canal Row Park West to Highway 97.

Outback and Manzanita Trails

On the west side of town, we have been making great progress on the Outback and Manzanita Trails. These trails are planned to connect Discovery Park to Shevlin Park in two directions.

The Outback Trail is being developed through a partnership with Brooks Resources where the existing gravel trail is being upgraded with paving and lighting as the developer completes additional phases of the Discovery West Neighborhood. The trail will also feature several new art installations including a labyrinth, mural and several sculptures. The district also plans to acquire additional open space lands for protection and to develop a new neighborhood park along the trail.

The Manzanita Trail will connect Discovery Park to Shevlin Park a bit farther to the north. This trail is being built in phases as the district secures the necessary easements through the land development process. The trail is anticipated to be complete by the end of next year.

Deschutes River Trail — Riverfront Street

The Deschutes River Trail is the most heavily used trail in Bend, averaging more than 1,200 trail users per day, and is an important transportation and recreation amenity. Riverfront Street, between Galveston Avenue at Drake Park, to Miller’s Landing Park, is a local street that has functioned as the DRT for many years and is one of the last remaining “gaps” along the trail through downtown Bend.

The district began working on this project in 2014 but paused in 2017 because of the need for multiple improvements beyond just trail connectivity. In 2023, BPRD and the city of Bend entered into an agreement where the city will manage the project with financial and technical assistance from BPRD.

Designs will be complete by next summer 2025. This is a great example of public agencies working together to make efficient use of tax resources and will serve the community well.

For more information about trail projects, visit bendparksandrec.org.

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