Things to Do in Central Oregon Before School Starts: A Local’s End-of-Summer List for Bend, Redmond, and Sisters

Okay, here’s the thing about this stretch of summer. The Deschutes County Fair is going right now in Redmond, wrapping up this weekend, the mornings are getting that little bite to them, and school is closer than any of us want to admit. Bend-La Pine kids head back on September 9 this year, with everyone in class by the 11th, so we’ve got about five real weeks left.

I’ll be honest, this one hits a little different for me this year. My oldest starts kindergarten in September, so this is my first real end-of-summer-into-school-year as a parent, and I am feeling the countdown in a way I never used to. Suddenly the float trips and lake days feel less like a to-do list and more like a thing I do not want to run out of time on.

So I plan showings around my own kid’s summer schedule, and I know the feeling of looking at the calendar and going, wait, did we actually do the summer stuff yet? This is my honest, locals-first list of what’s worth doing before the backpacks come out, across Bend, Redmond, and Sisters. Some of it you already know. Some of it I’m betting you keep meaning to do and haven’t.

Get on the water while it is still warm (Bend)

If you do one thing before school starts, float the Deschutes. Duh-SHOOTS, for anyone still working on it. The classic run is Riverbend Park down through the Old Mill to Drake Park, and the Ride the River shuttle means you are not stranded at the bottom with a wet tube and a long walk. It is the most Bend thing you can do, and it is basically free.

When you want actual swimming instead of floating, head up the Cascade Lakes Highway. Elk Lake is my easy pick for families: a lodge, paddle rentals, and water that is not going to give anyone hypothermia by August. Sparks Lake is the one for calm-water paddling and the kind of view that makes people move here. Both are close enough to be a half-day, back in time for dinner.

Make a Redmond and Smith Rock day of it

Redmond gets treated like the place you drive through on the way to somewhere, and that is a mistake. Smith Rock State Park in nearby Terrebonne is worth the trip on its own. The Misery Ridge trail earns its name, so save it for a cooler morning and bring more water than you think you need, but the little River Trail along the Crooked River is flat and doable with younger kids.

If your family is more county-fair-and-corn-dogs than switchback-and-sunscreen, the Deschutes County Fair and Rodeo runs at the Redmond expo center from the end of July through the first weekend of August. It is the biggest annual event in Central Oregon, and it is exactly as loud, greasy, and fun as it should be, so if you are reading this early enough, go catch the tail end of it.

Take the Sisters day trip you keep putting off

Sisters is a 25-minute drive and a completely different feel from Bend, and that is the whole point. Walk the downtown, hit the fly shop or the bakery, then get out into the actual Sisters Country. Suttle Lake has a swim area, a lodge, and a flat loop trail around the water that is one of the most underrated family outings out here. The Peterson Ridge trails just south of town are a good bike-and-hike option that does not require a full expedition.

Save the evenings for downtown Bend

Late summer evenings here are the reason people put up with February. On Thursdays in early August, Munch and Music takes over Drake Park with a free concert, food carts, and roughly every family in town on a blanket. Go early, bring a blanket, let the kids run.

The Bend Farmers Market runs downtown on Wednesdays if you want peaches and a low-key afternoon. And when you just want a win with no planning, drive up Pilot Butte at sunset. It is a cinder cone in the middle of town with a 360-degree view of the Cascades, and it takes ten minutes. I still recommend it to people who have lived here for years and somehow never go.

The honest stuff: August is smoke season

I am not going to sell you a postcard. August in Central Oregon can mean wildfire smoke, and the air quality can flip from perfect to stay-inside in a day. Every local I know checks an air quality app before committing to a big outdoor plan this time of year. That is not a reason to skip summer, it is a reason to have a backup.

My backup list: the High Desert Museum south of Bend is genuinely good and eats an entire afternoon, indoors and out. The aquatic centers in Bend and Redmond are the move on a hot or hazy day. And there is zero shame in a matinee. Plan the lakes and the big hikes for the clear days and keep these in your back pocket for the rest.

Pick one big hike before the alarm clocks come back

If you want the summer to feel finished, do one hike that actually takes some effort. Tumalo Falls is the low-lift option, a short walk to a big waterfall right outside Bend. Green Lakes off the Cascade Lakes Highway is the classic bigger day, and the payoff is ridiculous. Go on a clear-air morning, start early to get parking, and let that be the trip everyone remembers when they are complaining about homework in October.

When does school actually start? (Central Oregon, 2026)

For Bend-La Pine Schools, the 2026-27 year starts staggered: most grades on Wednesday, September 9, grades 7-8 and 10-12 on Thursday, September 10, and full attendance for everyone by Friday, September 11. Redmond and Sisters families should double check their own district calendars, since start dates shift by a day or two, but early September is the window across the region. Translation: you have until Labor Day weekend and a little past it to get the good stuff in.