"Scenery of Bend" a Bend Travel Page by explorer02

The name Bend was derived from "Farewell Bend," the designation used by early pioneers to refer to the location along the Deschutes River where the town eventually was platted, one of the few fordable points along the river. It is the principal city of the Bend, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Bend is located on the edge of the Cascade Range Ponderosa Pine forest on the west as it transitions into the Great Basin high desert plateau, characterized by junipers, sagebrush, bitter-brush, and little water. Originally a logging town, Bend has become identified as a jump-off point for multiple outdoor sports, such as mountain biking, fishing, hiking, camping, rock climbing, white-water rafting, skiing, and golf.