There are lots of options for hikes around us, but none of them transport you back in time like the Oregon Badlands Wilderness. High desert and Central Oregon landscape really don’t begin to explain the terrain you walk through on this complex of trails just 20 minutes east of Bend.
Weekends from May to September, the parking lots are packed from sunrise to sunset. The place is just that popular. However, if you come out on a winter’s morning you’ll often find no one around. Like we did on this day. For us the cold, today it was 17 degrees at 8am, is preferred to the heat of a summer day.
Gnarled ancient junipers, desert sand paths, and jutting igneous rock make for a very different view from our typical walks along streams and rivers. The place is very dog friendly and the trails are wide and not technically challenging. We went out on the Flat Iron Loop looking for a good sunrise and thoroughly enjoyed the quiet morning.
envious!