Family Vacation in Bend (Eugene, Coos Bay: rental, waterpark, houses)

[cb2008]

We hoping and dreaming of a post Covid family gathering. We have not explored the NW and would like to plan something in Oregon. Half live in the East Coat and one family in LA.
We plan to get a house VRBO and thinking of Bend.
I would really appreciate any and all information on the ares. Our plan is for late June or Early August

Requirements:
Recreation
Attractions.
Active Downtown
Nice weather
Hiking trails
Birding
Adults and 2 teenagers.
Thank you very much

Thank you.

[Snownut]

Originally Posted by cb2008

We hoping and dreaming of a post Covid family gathering. We have not explored the NW and would like to plan something in Oregon. Half live in the East Coat and one family in LA.
We plan to get a house VRBO and thinking of Bend.
I would really appreciate any and all information on the ares. Our plan is for late June or Early August

Requirements:
Recreation
Attractions.
Active Downtown
Nice weather
Hiking trails
Birding
Adults and 2 teenagers.
Thank you very much

Thank you.

Late June is a safer time to avoid wildfires or smoke.

After late June it is nearly always hot & dry with cool overnights

The smoke has been bad a few of my 7 summers living here, particularly in August.

If post-Covid Bend will be full of outdoor festivals & events

You could look for a VRBO in the Sunriver area, but Bend will have more diverse activity options.

I suggest you look for a VRBO along the river

https://www.visitbend.com/

[cb2008]

Originally Posted by Snownut

Late June is a safer time to avoid wildfires or smoke.

After late June it is nearly always hot & dry with cool overnights

The smoke has been bad a few of my 7 summers living here, particularly in August.

If post-Covid Bend will be full of outdoor festivals & events

You could look for a VRBO in the Sunriver area, but Bend will have more diverse activity options.

I suggest you look for a VRBO along the river

https://www.visitbend.com/

Thank you. So I looked at the map a bit and there is North Bend near Coos Bay and then there is Bend to the East. I hope i dont get them confused. Would Eugene be the best airport?
It looks like it will be August. How hot does it get?

[Snownut]

Originally Posted by cb2008

Thank you. So I looked at the map a bit and there is North Bend near Coos Bay and then there is Bend to the East. I hope i dont get them confused. Would Eugene be the best airport?
It looks like it will be August. How hot does it get?

North Bend is a very different location.

You'd want to fly into Bend/Redmond Airport

City of Redmond, Oregon - Roberts Field, Redmond Municipal Airport

[Thom52]

Originally Posted by Snownut

North Bend is a very different location.

You'd want to fly into Bend/Redmond Airport

City of Redmond, Oregon - Roberts Field, Redmond Municipal Airport

My Sister-in-law booked a flight to North Bend instead of Bend. Her thought pattern was that she knew the Redmond airport was North of Bend. It does happen. We caught it when checking her flight arrival and couldn't find the flight number at the Redmond airport. We phoned her as she was waiting for her flight at the airport....a pricey mess to correct.

Along those same lines, when I worked in Redmond WA, we had a business customer book a flight to Redmond OR, thinking that Redmond would be handier than landing in Seattle.

It's all in the details.

[PNWest]

[quote=cb2008;60602446]Thank you. So I looked at the map a bit and there is North Bend near Coos Bay and then there is Bend to the East. I hope i dont get them confused. Would Eugene be the best airport?
It looks like it will be August. How hot does it get?[/quote]




Bend can vary. The odds are good that the temperatures will be in the 70s or low 80s and dry. Very, very comfortable. The nights get cooler and it is nice sleeping weather.



https://weatherspark.com/y/1215/Aver...tes-Year-Round


BUT..... August is typically fire season and if the fires and the winds are in the right places it can be horrible. Last year they were. For a few days Bend had the worst air quality in the entire world. Here's the air quality right now -

https://aqicn.org/city/usa/oregon/bend/


Last summer we were over 500 for a few days. The bad air was here for a couple of weeks. That was the worst we have seen since we moved up here in late 2011.



AND..... Depending on the weather patterns we can also get into the 90s or maybe even hit 100. It will still be dry but that is still not comfortable. This is more rare than the smoke which happens almost every year but is something to consider.


If you want to see Bend at it's absolute best I'd hit it in late May or early June. If you get lucky this August and the smoke isn't here and the temperatures are nice (all of which is likely) you'll understand why so many people want to move here.


Good luck!

[BendLocal]

I doubt the risk of wildfire smoke in Bend will be significantly different than much of the west.

In my experience Bend's weather is variable but has been getting warmer over the years so I don't trust the long term averages to give me a good guide of what to expect. I pulled the temps for Aug 2020 and by my count:

73- 78: 5 days
80 - 84: 9 days
85 - 89: 12 days
90 - 95: 4 days
99 - 1 day

Add in the last week of July and the first of Sept and Bend had another ten days that were 90+ during that stretch of summer:

July 27 - 92
July 28 - 90
July 29 - 95
July 30 - 99
July 31 - 96

Sept 1 - 92
Sept 2 - 92
Sept 3 - 96
Sept 4 - 99
Sept 5 - 94

Data from: https://weather.com/weather/monthly/l/44.1187,-121.282

Those temperatures are for the city of Bend. Head to the higher elevations like the Cascade Lakes area and they'll be cooler or head out to Smith Rock and they will be hotter. Bend is a great location to visit a number of wonderful outdoor recreation areas.

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by cb2008

We hoping and dreaming of a post Covid family gathering. We have not explored the NW and would like to plan something in Oregon. Half live in the East Coat and one family in LA.
We plan to get a house VRBO and thinking of Bend.
I would really appreciate any and all information on the ares. Our plan is for late June or Early August

Requirements:
Recreation
Attractions.
Active Downtown
Nice weather
Hiking trails
Birding
Adults and 2 teenagers.
Thank you very much

Thank you.

We do that on occasion. You might consider getting a VRBO in Sunriver and doing day trips to Bend. You'll find a lot more rental options in Sunriver and probably better hiking, rafting, and birding options. Sunriver has a huge waterpark complex if the teens are into that sort of thing.

Sunriver is also excellent for biking and a lot of the rental cabins and houses have bikes, canoes, and kayaks available to use.

[Wintergirl80]

If you will be near Bend, Oregon I suggest hiking at SmithRock State park, it's beautiful and definitely worth exploring and only a short drive from Bend. Newberry Crater Volcanic National Monument, Lava Lands and the High Desert Museum are worth seeing. If the weather is nice drive down to Crater Lake National Park. Enjoy your visit.