You’ve heard the adage about it being the journey and not the destination that matters most. This is definitely true for one of my favorite trail connections on Bend’s west side that provides a completely off-road trail experience in a bustling part of town.

The Outback Trail goes from Discovery Park through the Discovery West Natural Area, connecting to the Shevlin Park trails.  If you haven’t visited this area recently, it’s undergoing tremendous transformation with development of the Discovery West community around the 30 acres of open space that is stewarded by Bend Park and Recreation District. It’s busy with children walking and riding bikes to and from nearby schools, cyclists and runners connecting to trails, and sounds include back-up beepers, hammers and saws working on housing construction.

My favorite part about the Outback Trail is that it allows visitors to flow through many of our different park offerings. It starts in Discovery Park with its large grass lawn area where there is always activity happening, especially in the evenings when youth sports practices occur. The trail also goes past the off-leash area for dogs and a community garden.

Next up is one of my favorite art pieces in the community — the Women of Discovery mural that decorates the underpass of the Skyline Ranch Road bridge, which was painted by local artist Douglas Robertson. I make it a point to learn about a new female trailblazer each visit.

Then the trail enters the natural area, leading to trail connections, including the Manzanita Trail, and a new Labyrinth. It allows each trail user to discover their own adventure with ease.

Recently, we celebrated the opening of the new Labyrinth with the artist, Discovery West, Visit Bend, neighbors and others because it’s a great intersection of public land and art. I was surprised at the size and scale of it and learned that it was constructed to be fully accessible for community members using mobility devices such as wheelchairs to have equitable enjoyment of the recreation opportunity.

Designed by Lea Goode-Harris and Marilyn Larson of Creative Labyrinths, the Discovery Park Labyrinth features a unique three-circuit pass-through design with an optional fourth circuit for a longer traveling experience. The labyrinth was funded by the Bend Sustainability Fund and was built by Botanical Developments. The other remarkable aspect of the labyrinth is that the sign is designed for Braille users to have a tactile version.

The park district has worked with Discovery West and other developers over many years on shared goals to preserve open space and elevate its importance in livability for community members of all ages and abilities. You can see it along the Outback Trail as well as in numerous neighborhood parks that have opened in the past two decades in all corners of the community.

I am proud that the team that develops BPRD trails and takes care of these open spaces sees these projects as chances to go beyond getting from point A to point B. These unexpected art stops encourage trail users to engage in something surprising and to appreciate the moment.

When I asked the manager of the team what she likes most about the Outback Trail, she said the experience is whatever each person wants to make of it.

“Do you want to push a stroller through the park and catch up with a friend? You can. Does a person want to ride their mountain bike out their front door and connect via BPRD parks to their favorite Deschutes National Forest trail? They can do that too.”

And along the way, these trail goers can learn and engage with artwork in unexpected ways and places while traveling through.

The Outback Trail includes just under one mile of paved trail as well as 0.8 mile of compacted gravel and 0.8 mile of natural surface trail. Parking is available at Discovery Park.

Learn more at bendparksandrec.org with a park and trail locator.