It doesn’t take long for anyone with the slightest interest in good craft beer and the great outdoors to fall head over hiking boots for Bend, Oregon. Spend a few days in the small Central Oregon town framed by the Cascades and you’ll end up hearing the same story—of passersby who came to visit for a weekend or a week and never wanted to leave—so they didn’t.
After a weekend (or even one day) in town, the draw is clear: Bend is a beer-and-outdoors utopia. Also often described as a “Disneyland for adults,” the city has the most breweries per capita in Oregon, with one brewery for every 4,500 people. And it is an outdoor playground for about every sport and outdoor activity, from hiking to climbing to running to mountain biking.
The wild Deschutes River runs through the heart of the town, and its namesake Deschutes Brewery, founded in 1988 by Gary Fish, is at the heart of the brewing scene. The downtown brewpub on Bond Street serves classics like their Obsidian Stout; Bond Street Series favorites like Hop Trip and Chasin’ Freshies; and pub specials like a New Zealand hopped pilsner-pale ale hybrid. The production brewery overlooking the river offers free tours. The brewery has embedded itself in Bend’s outdoors scene by sponsoring and holding races, and its influence has also spread as former brewers branch out.