More than adventure: a trip with Wanderlust Tours

Courtney Braun was nervous. What she didn’t know was just how much she was about to change two strangers’ lives. 

As the daughter of dedicated educators, and as an accomplished long-distance hiker herself, Braun, then a relatively new guide for Wanderlust Tours, knows her way around the outdoors better than most, but it’s her infectious passion for nature and deep skill set that helps others feel safe, have fun, learn, and be inspired by the beauty around them. Wanderlust specializes in naturalist-guided adventures around Central Oregon, a company that fits her personality perfectly, but Braun still felt some jitters that day. Her mission: take a couple from Europe canoeing for the first time in their lives.

That was a long time ago, and now Braun isn’t just a guide but also co-owner of the company. Today, she has helped assemble a crack team of enthusiastic naturalist guides who live and breathe this landscape, as if their jobs aren’t really jobs at all but a way to unleash their professional curiosity and still get paid.

A trip with Wanderlust is designed so you, too, can fan the flames of your own curiosity. You can canoe with them on lakes glimmering under a smear of stars and wander among ancient lava flows to see firsthand how fire and ice forged this landscape. She’ll take you deep into the cool world of caves, where the ceiling comes tasseled with roots of thirsty plants pushing through the soils so far above. New for winter 2026, Wanderlust offers guided tours along the edge of one of the largest volcanoes in North America, a short 15-minute drive from downtown Bend. It’s all about wonder and awe. Imagine snowshoeing through a moonlight forest, spotting fox tracks, listening to the soft hiss of snow falling on firs, only to come around a bend to find another guide waiting with hot chocolate, belly-warming spirits, and a bonfire blazing in a hand-carved amphitheater of snow.

You could live in Bend for 50 years and still discover something new, any time of year, in any season, no matter your experience, no matter gear, no supreme fitness, even. Have mobility issues? Wanderlust can help get you and the whole family out. All you need is a willingness to be wowed, she says.

“My goal is for guests to go from just experiencing a place to appreciating it, connecting with it, and feeling a desire to protect it,” Braun says. “We want people to feel that Central Oregon is a special place, just like we do.”

The couple Braun took canoeing that day had a blast. The nerves faded. The fear melted away under the bliss of floating through a pristine, watery environment. Something clicked. A few weeks later, long after their time together, the couple sent Braun a photo of them standing proudly with their new purchase—their very own canoe. 

“That moment was one of my favorites,” Braun says. “It solidified everything that I want to do and love about this, that people can be so excited and inspired after coming out on tours with us that they want to incorporate a part of that into their world every day.”