A visit to Smith Rock State Park is one of the top things to do in Central Oregon, and for good reason: The park’s volcanic formations, along with the Crooked River snaking through it all, provide the perfect backdrop for a variety of memorable outings. Best of all, it’s just a short drive from Redmond and Bend.

Soak in the views (and cotton-candy sunsets) from viewpoints near the parking areas, enjoy an easy horseback ride, follow several miles of hiking trails to wide-open vistas, go for low-key mountain bike rides through Smith Rock’s high-desert terrain, and even try your hand at some of the best rock-climbing in Central Oregon. Several thousand climbs—and more than 1,000 bolted routes—dot the park’s cliffsides and rock faces. Dogs are allowed to join your adventures at Smith Rock, but please note they must be leashed at all times to protect the park’s wildlife—including deer, beavers, river otters, and birds.

Pilot Butte State Scenic Viewpoint was established in 1928, making it one of Oregon’s oldest state parks. When the extinct cinder cone was made a state park, it sat at the outskirts of Bend, which at the time was a small logging community.

The views have changed dramatically in the decades since its formation—but Pilot Butte’s allure remains as strong as ever. A roughly 2-mile (round-trip) nature trail circles the butte while gaining about 450 feet along the way. From Pilot Butte’s wide-open summit, 360-degree views include roughly a dozen Cascade Range peaks (including the Three Sisters, Mount Bachelor, and Broken Top), the city of Bend below, and high-desert terrain to the east. Pets are welcome on the trail but should be leashed at all times.

Between mid-April and mid-November, drivers can head to the summit via a  paved road—an especially popular choice in late spring and summer, when the butte’s summit becomes one of Bend’s best spots to watch the sunset.

If you prefer an indoor playground, you’ll find plenty around Bend and Redmond. 

Cascade Indoor Sports boasts that its Big Play Thing is the largest indoor play structure in Central Oregon, with more than 7,000 square feet of climbing activities; the fun includes slides, foam obstacles, tubes, web crawls, and other adventures. Nearby Trampoline Zone & Adventure Park hosts more than 50 trampoline beds (with options for basketball, dodgeball, and other fun games), six interactive climbing walls, a laser maze, a 15-obstacle ninja course, and several pickleball courts.

For more bouncy fun, Mountain Air Trampoline Park showcases numerous trampolines—some with exciting games and challenges—for children and toddlers alike. In the Old Mill District, Free Spirit offers a variety of obstacles, ninja-type challenges, and kid-focused yoga sessions—with activities geared toward children and toddlers. And in Redmond, Little Bug Play Hub encourages children seven and younger to have fun with soft play areas, a wooden play structure, an assortment of toys, and other attractions designed to encourage their growth and development.

Sunriver is a beloved family destination for many reasons—including its close proximity to engaging attractions, wide range of available lodgings at Sunriver Resort, and sheer volume of fun playgrounds nearby.

Paulina Park, for instance, resides at the Sunriver Homeowners Aquatic & Recreation Center—and offers a large rock-climbing structure for young children. Fort Rock Park, meanwhile, entices young children with a playground that draws inspiration from Central Oregon’s landscapes with its climbing structures, slides, and monkey bars. LaPine State Park, meanwhile, is about 15 minutes south of Sunriver—and hosts several miles of hiking and biking trails, an off-leash dog park, put-in spots for canoes and kayaks, and a Camper’s Clubhouse—open to the park’s overnight guests—that hosts nature-inspired books, games, and other family activities. See other Sunriver Parks for more ideas on fun for the whole family.

Looking for other types of natural playgrounds? Check out the top Sno-Parks in Central Oregon, where families can go sledding, tubing, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing in the region’s snowy backcountry.