Today I’m sharing Deschutes River sights to see. Since the river, located in central and northern Oregon, is 252 miles long, I’ll show just a few of its riches. At the end of this post, a map shows these locations.
Where the Deschutes begins
The first picture is of Little Lava Lake. This is a more peaceful place to kayak than the much larger Lava Lake. The spot below shows where the Deschutes River begins.
The next picture was taken on another kayaking trip near Harper Bridge in Sunriver. The waters are calm on this part of the river, but get much rougher when you get to Benham Falls, a class V section. I got out well ahead of the falls!
A river of falls
FYI – Deschutes means “of the falls” in French. You can find four waterfalls in close proximity north of Benham Falls. These include Dillon Falls, Upper Deschutes River Falls, and Lava Island Falls.
Here are two pictures of Dillon Falls – one at the top and one of the falls.
In Bend, they created artificial water features at the Bend Whitewater Park. I’ve seen engineers standing near the park changing how the river flows with a handheld tablet. This section of the Deschutes River is divided into three sections. One is for inner tubing enthusiasts, another is for surfers, and the other section is for wildlife. The wildlife section is not accessible to swimmers or surfers.
Deschutes River sights north of Bend
The next picture shows The Cove Palisades State Park from above. The river on the left is the Deschutes River and the one on the right is the Crooked River. This park is very popular with people looking for water-related activities in the summer.
This next Deschutes River sight is along the Trout Creek trail. This easy, level trail is not used as heavily as others in the area. Rock climbers love to climb on the rock formations in this canyon.
Where the Deschutes ends
The next picture is a view looking west from the Washington side of the Columbia River. You can see Mount Hood in the distance. The end of the Deschutes River is located on the Oregon side almost right below the mountain in this view.
I took these pictures from the Stonehenge WWI Memorial, located in Maryhill, Washington. Did you know there’s a replica of England’s Stonehenge in Washington state? It was commissioned by Sam Hill and opened in 1918.
Looking West to where Deschutes River meets Columbia River 
Stonehenge WWI Memorial
I’m including a map of the entire river basin with Deschutes River sights I mentioned marked. Interestingly, this map did not include Little Lava Lake so my mark is in the approximate location. There is much to see and do along the course of this beautiful river.
Beautiful images.
Thank you!
Looks like an interesting place to visit!
Yeah, I barely scratched the surface of things to see and do along the river. And of course the water from that river basin makes great beer. 😁 🍺
Looks like there’s a great balance between recreational use and conservation on the Deschutes River. Not all rivers are treated this well. Good example for the rest of the world!
Yes, true. The farmers divert water during the growing seasons but they can’t withdraw too much to protect a local endangered frog. Now if only we could get rid of some of the dams or build fish ladders…
So interesting to see the same river in its very different guises! We did a lovely boat trip on the Deschutes when we visited Bend many years ago 🙂
Yes, it goes through forests and deserts. Sounds like you had a fun trip on the river. 🙂
Bend has changed so much over the years. Its so pretty up there. I was cool the way the rangers monitor water flow to three places. One of our greats water excursions was white water rafting on the Deschutes. Donna
Yes, it is a pretty area, Donna. Sounds like you had a fun time white water rafting!
Yes, I haven’t done it but a few times in my life. Definitely a great time. Donna