Spring Break in Oregon: A one week itinerary
Many people like to go to the tropics during spring break. Some others head to the southwest. But if you’re considering a spring break in Oregon, you’re in for a treat! Oregon is an incredible spring break destination.
Why is Oregon a great spring break destination?
- Oregon is full of incredible waterfalls. Spring is the perfect time to take advantage of seeing waterfalls at their fullest.
- Oregon has varied geography and something for everyone to love. If you’re a beach person, there’s a rugged long coastline. If you’re a mountain lover, the Cascade peaks await you. If you’re a desert fan, central Oregon is the place for you. Truly, you can find it all.
- On that note, it’s very drive-able, in that you can easily drive between a few different types of places over the course of a week-long trip.
- It’s less crowded than some other, more typical spring break destinations, which means it is more peaceful and less expensive.
- Not sure what exactly there is to do in Oregon, but you’re intrigued? Explore the top attractions in Oregon state here.Oregon spring break weather
The weather for your spring trip will depend a lot on where you end up going. I recommend consulting annual rainfall and temperatures by month for whenever you are going (March, April, or May). That way you will know what you can expect. You can do that here!
We picked Bend as our primary Oregon spring break base area, in part because it is high desert and has less rain than more western Oregon. This website allows you to see historical weather for the past two years by month! So cool.
One thing to note is that you should be prepared for the weather conditions of your travels. For example, we drove our all wheel drive SUV and brought snow chains because we planned to go up to the snow. Weather can change quickly, especially in higher elevations.
If you’re renting a car, I’d recommend renting an SUV for both comfort and ease of accessing different areas, especially if you are heading to the mountains or driving on forest service roads. Discover Cars has excellent availability, finds the best prices, and has fantastic reviews. Reserve your rental car now.
Oregon spring break itinerary
Oregon has endless different possibilities for itineraries, but I’m going to share what we did and why, alongside any changes I’d make if I were to visit again.
Days 1-2: Silver Falls State Park
Hike the Trail of 10 Falls
We started our Oregon spring break at Silver Falls State Park. The waterfalls here are legendary, and spring is truly the best time to visit. With maximum water flow and fewer crowds than in the summer, it doesn’t get any better than this.
The Trail of 10 Falls is truly spectacular; I wrote an entire post about the hike that you can read here. But basically, take a hike behind, around, and near several waterfalls and the riverside. It’s a relatively mild hike (not super steep) and there are multiple places where you can cut the trail shorter if you don’t want to complete the entire 7 mile trail.
This is how we spent our day at the park. Make sure you enjoy a nice hot drink at the cafe in the parking lot area after exploring the falls.
Days 3-7: Bend and surroundings
Bend is where I decided to base the majority of our Oregon spring break trip, for three main reasons:
- Bend is an excellent hub for outdoor adventures, as there are many beautiful natural areas nearby
- Bend is in the high desert and gets lower rainfall than some areas in Oregon
- Bend is drive-able from our home near Seattle, but far enough that I wouldn’t want to go for a weekend trip only (5 hours each way)
These factors combined to make Bend an easy choice for our spring break base camp.
Where to stay in Bend
There is no shortage of hotels and lodgings available in Bend. There is something suitable for everyone!
We stayed at the Bend Motel but I’m not sure I’d recommend it. The room was what you would expect for a budget motel, and they actually upgraded us to a two bedroom suite on arrival which was awesome. But it’s located right by a trailer park with folks who were going through the dumpsters at the motel. I’d probably pick one of these instead.
- Budget friendly: Campfire Hotel. Perk: it even has a pool.
- Mid range: Pine Ridge Inn. It includes breakfast and is rated 9.1 out of 10.
- Luxury: Tetherow Hotel. Resort with a golf course.
For another more comprehensive list of traveler favorite hotels in Bend, check out this list.
What to do in Bend
Visiting local pastry shops
Checking out pastry and coffee shops is one of my favorite things to do while visiting new places (and let’s be honest, to do even at home). I really loved Nancy P’s and The Sparrow Bakery Northwest. Try the marionberry scone at Nancy P’s and the cardamom bun at The Sparrow Bakery. Your taste buds will thank you.
Nancy P’s is definitely a homey, cozy, old house vibe. The Sparrow Bakery is more sleek and modern. Both are great, just depends on what you’re in the mood for.
Soaking in the pool at McMenamin’s
The soaking pool at McMenamin’s is an absolute must in Bend! It’s a beautiful warm pool located within the hotel that you can visit with a reservation even if you’re not staying there. Book the last session of the day open to the public (4:30 pm) so you can enjoy the rest of your day adventuring and end it here. Reservations open one week in advance and I recommend booking quickly if you want that last session because those fill up quickly. We liked it so much, we wished we had reservations for two days, but they were all full for the rest of our trip.
Hiking at Smith Rock State Park
Smith Rock State Park was a huge highlight of our spring break in Oregon. The rock formations are unique, as are the orange colors, especially in the Pacific Northwest where we see a lot of forested green areas.
The trail we took was the Misery Ridge Trail and Loop and I wrote a whole post about it here. But the short advice: arrive early, pack layers (it was windy when we went!), wear sturdy shoes, and enjoy exploring. It’s about a 30 minute drive so it’s a really easy day trip from Bend.
If you’re a rock climber, there are many rock climbing routes at this park, too. Another reason to visit!
Playing in the snow at the snow parks
There are several snow parks within driving distance of Bend. Get out your snow clothes and go play! One thing to note is that snow parks offer different experiences. Some have sledding hills, some do not. Some are only for snowshoeing or cross-country skiing, some are only for snowmobiling. You will want to read about the different snow parks to determine which one you want to visit.
Biking at Sunriver
Bike riding is a wonderful way to explore more of an area than you can on foot, but more enjoyable than by car. We rented bikes at Sunriver Sports bike shop and headed out for a couple of hours at Sunriver. The nice thing about the Sunriver area is that there are bike trails and areas where there are no cars. It’s a really peaceful excursion. The people at the bike shop can provide you with a map and route suggestions.
After your bike ride, eat a burger at Sunriver Brewing Co. It was one of the best burgers of my life, and if you have kids, it had a kids’ area with toys, which is amazing when you have little ones.
Brewery hopping
There are many breweries in the Bend area that you can check out and sample. Immersion Brewing, Bend Brewing Company, Deschutes Brewery, Crux Fermentation Project, and Silver Moon Brewing are just a few of MANY possibilities for beer tasting.
Spring break in Oregon things I wish I had done
We ran out of time to do some of the things we wanted to do, and there are a couple things I may have done differently. For example, we tried to hike the Lava Butte Lookout but the weather was frigid (in the high 20s) and snow was falling. It was simply too windy and miserable to continue. On a nicer day, this could have been a cool experience as its a unique volcanic environment.
Biking in Bend along the river
We enjoyed our bike ride in Sunriver, which I picked for being a bit more quiet and removed. However, I think the bike trail in Bend itself along the river would have actually been more scenic. If I did a bike day again, I might choose to ride along the Bend Deschutes River Trail. Or do both!
Snowshoeing or skiing at Mount Bachelor
We had a travel fail with this one, because we were planning to snowshoe around Mount Bachelor. But the rental place at the ski resort would not allow us to rent snowshoes with a baby. It’s apparently prohibited to snowshoe with a child in a backpack on their property for some reason.
If we had rented gear in Bend instead of the resort, we would have been fine (to snowshoe in the area, not on the Mount Bachelor resort property). We were going to do the Todd Lake trail.
Alternatively, try skiing or snowboarding!
Cave exploring
The Lava River Cave looks super cool and very close to Bend. However, it closes generally from mid-September until May, so this only works if you travel in May or June for your spring break in Oregon.
The Hidden Forest Cave is open year round and a great option as well! Both were formed by lava tubes. Definitely something to add to your spring break in Oregon itinerary.
More hiking
Tumalo Falls and Tumalo Mountain were both trails I wanted to try. They’re moderate, not too long, and lead to incredible waterfalls and mountain views, respectively. There was also the Blue Hole that was more or less on the way from Silver Falls State Park to Bend, but our son fell asleep on the drive and we were NOT about to wake him to go hike.
Where to eat in Bend
Bend has a ton of highly rated restaurants to explore! Here are a few:
- Jia Asian Street Kitchen: Family style plates from Thailand, China, Vietnam, and other Asian countries. Also serves beautiful cocktails.
- Chow: A delightful brunch spot with specialities like a southern biscuit platter and harissa veggies and grits. They also have a dedicated vegan and gluten free menu.
- Drake: Pub style food but a bit fancier
You can see a full list of very highly rated/popular restaurants here for more inspiration.
What to pack for spring break in Oregon
This will in part depend on what time of year your spring break is. Ours was in late March, and we planned to do some snow activities, so we brought all the layers.
- Cute outfits for going out in towns
- City shoes (my most comfortable but also cute sneakers)
- Sunglasses
Final thoughts on spring break in Oregon
Oregon is a diverse and beautiful state that could be perfect for your next spring break adventure!
