Pine Nursery Park is a large 159-acre community park located in northeast Bend. This project will construct the remaining features identified in the approved development plan for this highly used park.
Project work may include athletic field lighting, artificial turf infields, pickleball courts, pedestrian trail lighting, ADA access improvements, off-leash dog area improvements, maintenance and infrastructure improvements, full-court basketball, irrigation and landscaping. The project will not impact the disc golf course, playground or shelter/restrooms, fishing pond, Timbers fields, sand volleyball courts, or existing pickleball courts.
Construction is anticipated to begin Summer 2025.
To better manage the increasing recreational river use, improve the experience for all users, and to promote sustainable use of our river resource, BPRD initiated the 2021 Deschutes River Access and Habitat Restoration Plan. The plan identified 28 projects to be completed over approximately 10 years to improve and consolidate existing access points along with habitat restoration. Three initial projects were identified at McKay Park, Miller’s Landing Park, and Columbia Park (project numbers 20, 21, and 22 in the plan).
The three parks host some of the few calm water sections in downtown Bend, making them ideal locations for various recreation activities. By enhancing access at these sites, the district hopes to meet community needs for many activities like launching watercraft, wading, swimming, and riverside leisure.
After months of initial work including site surveys, data collection, and substantial community and stakeholder input, the preferred concept designs were completed for each park and these were approved by the board on September 5th, 2023. The preferred conceptual designs are available on the documents and plans tab, and you can also view the StoryMap here.
The construction of the access points and habitat restoration work will be completed under individual projects at each park. You can learn more about these projects at:
- McKay Park River Access Project
- Miller’s Landing Park River Access Project
- Columbia Park River Access Project – coming 25/26
Funding Partners:
- Partial funding for Phase One design work of this project is provided by the Oregon State Marine Board Waterway Access Grant Program, which invests 10-foot and longer nonmotorized boat permit fees for boating facility improvements.
- Partial funding for Phase Two design work of this project is provided by the Bend Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). The MPO works cooperatively with local governments to set priorities for transportation needs. MPOs are charged with maintaining and conducting a “continuing, cooperative, and comprehensive” regional transportation planning and project programming process for the MPO area.
- Partial funding for Phase Three for design work of this project is being provided by the Central Oregon Future Fund, a newly established annual grant program managed by Visit Central Oregon. The purpose of this program is to reinvest Transient Room Tax dollars generated from overnight visitors back into the region to create positive revitalization for visitors and residents alike.
- Partial funding for the construction of the Miller’s Landing access points is being provided by the Bend Sustainability Fund which invests in projects that create sustainable experiences in Bend’s community, and by the Oregon State Marine Board Waterway Access Grant Program, and a donation from the Joseph & Elizabeth Hoffart Charitable Foundation.
The North Unit Canal Trail is a planned trail in northeast Bend. The canal is jointly managed by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the North Unit Irrigation District (NUID) and provides irrigation to lands in Deschutes, Crook and Jefferson counties.
The trail is planned to be a 10-feet-wide multi-use trail with a primarily compacted gravel surface similar to other canal trails in Bend. Some portions of the trail will have asphalt surface.
Phase 1 of the project includes development of the trail between Canal Row Park and the future extension of Yeoman Road, which will run adjacent and provide access to Pine Nursery Park. The segment of the trail that passes through the new Pahlisch Homes Petrosa subdivision will be transferred to BPRD for management upon completion and will offer connections to interior trails for Fieldstone Park.
Important notice regarding canal trails: Public access along irrigation canals is subject to permission from the irrigation district and private landowners. The primary function of the canal is to provide vital irrigation for farmers and it is very important that public access/trail use does not impact these operations.
Please do your part in respecting irrigation district employees, private property owners and other trail users.
Sawyer is one of Bend’s oldest and most beloved parks. Decades of use and increased visitors to the park each year has created the need for an improved entrance and parking lot. The existing ones can no longer provide the needed functions and space for the park.
The project plans include relocating the parking area closer to O.B. Riley Road, adding accessible parking, habitat restoration, improving trail accessibility, and the addition of a permanent restroom, picnic shelter and river overlook. Visit the documents and plans tab to see the preferred concept design and other project planning information.
This project is funded in part by grants from the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the Local Government Grant Program.
Big Sky is a community park that is home to the Luke Damon Sports complex, a multi-purpose athletic facility. The park also features an off-leash dog area, playground, picnic shelters, and a BMX track that is run by Bend BMX.
A phased design plan developed projects in the park that would improve connectivity and safety, increase accessibility, and offer additional recreation opportunities including a bike park. The bike park was designed in collaboration with community partners and has elements for riders of all skill levels from beginner to professional.
The first phase was completed in June 2023 which included a new entry from Hamby Road, improved vehicle circulation within the park, 93 new parking spaces, more than 1.5 miles of soft-surface trail looping around the perimeter of the park, and bike features including a pump track, tot zone, trials area, bike skills development area and single track trails. The bike features were built through a grant from the Bend Sustainability Fund which invests in projects that protect, steward, and create sustainable recreational resources and outdoor experiences in Bend’s backyard.
In the second phase, additional bike features will be designed and constructed, which is scheduled to begin in 2026 with estimated completion in 2028. They will include a slopestyle terrain park with start tower and a sessions zone.
The Deschutes River Trail (DRT) is the most heavily used trail in Bend, averaging more than 1,200 trail users per day, and is an important transportation and recreation amenity. Riverfront Street, between Galveston Avenue at Drake Park, to Miller’s Landing Park, is a local street that has function as the DRT for many years and is one of the last remaining “gaps” along the trail through downtown Bend.
However, because of the street’s poor condition and lack of a continuous accessible route, BPRD has long sought to improve the street for trail users. BPRD began to investigate design concepts in 2014 but eventually stopped because of the unforeseen need to rebuild the street and replace aging public utility infrastructure which caused the project to exceed the amount of available funding.
In 2023, BPRD and the City signed an intergovernmental agreement to restart the project as a joint effort lead by the City of Bend and supported by BPRD. The renewed project will seek to improve conditions for trail users as well as replace the street and other public infrastructure as needed.
Want to know more? Visit the City’s project page!
