A fourth-generation Oregonian, Tawna Fenske can't get enough of hiking, SUPing, and savoring Bend's concert and culinary scenes. A USA Today bestselling romance author, Tawna has lived in Bend since 1997 and contributed to the Visit Bend blog since 2010.

Buckle up, buttercups! June in Bend brings all the activities to get all of us happily skipping down hiking trails and bobbing in colorful river tubes.

Warm temps in our high desert town deliver the bonus of blue skies over wide, grassy meadows, forest trails speckled with sunshine, and so much hiking, biking, and paddling on Bend’s rivers, mountain lakes, and trails. 

If you’re seeking the best things to do around Bend in June, there’s no shortage of adventures. Here’s what’s happening in Bend in June!

Bring on the festivals

You’ll find festivals in Bend each month of the year, but when June marches in, she’s not messing around. You’ll sometimes see four or five of them on the calendar each weekend throughout June.

I’m not just talking about music fests, though June boasts plenty of those. Don’t miss the 4 Peaks Music Festival, which gets a fresh venue this year when it moves to the Tower Theatre June 20-22. Later in the month, trek over to Sisters June 28-29 for the Big Ponderoo Music Festival.

Beyond the music fest scene, there’s the Oregon Gin Festival on June 7 at Oregon Spirit Distillers, where you can sample unique cocktails and gins from 14 Oregon-based distillers. General Admission tickets are $25 and include eight tastings and a commemorative glass. 

June is also Pride Month and there’s plenty to celebrate as LGBTQ+ communities and allies come together to be themselves. Out Central Oregon lists lots of special events on their website, while properties like The Campfire Hotel pack their event calendar with goodies like drag brunches and Pride pool parties. Don’t miss the Pride Month kickoff event on June 7 in Drake Park, put on by the Bend Pride Coalition.

Junteenth—the holiday commemorating the end of slavery—will look different this year with celebrations happening at The Campfire Hotel on June 19. Stay in town a few more days and you can get your groove on with the legendary band Earth, Wind & Fire playing at the Hayden Homes Amphitheater on June 22.

An exciting Bend tradition happens on June 14 with the Cascade Cycling Classic Criterion downtown. Even if you know zilch about bike racing, this fast-paced, thrilling speed race is one of the coolest spectator sports in town.

I’m barely touching the tip of the iceberg of Bend summer events, and I haven’t even mentioned weekly ones like the Bend Farmers Market on Wednesdays, and a new farmers market happening at Worthy Brewing every Sunday through September. From family-friendly festivities, to a freakin’ statewide gin festival (how cool is that?!) you’ll find out what’s happening in June with a quick search of Visit Bend’s Event Calendar.

Let’s hit the water

Attention, everyone: Grab your paddleboards, kayaks, float tubes, and canoes. This is not a drill. With the snow melting down from the mountains, it’s peak time for exploring Bend’s rivers and lakes.

As you might guess from my mention of snowmelt, our water temps here aren’t exactly warm. But that’s the beauty of getting splashy in June, when temperatures soar and chillier waters feel downright refreshing.

Want to try standup paddlboarding or kayaking? Bend’s the best place on earth to learn, and our friends at Tumalo Creek can hook you up with all the gear and lessons you need.

With the Deschutes River running high, it’s the perfect time to go whitewater rafting with Sun Country Tours on a stunning stretch of water known as Big Eddy.

For a more leisurely river experience, floating is the quintessential Bend passtime. Each June,  the river shuttle starts circulating so floaters don’t have to hoof it back to the put-in. Go here to learn everything you need to know about floating the river in Bend.

For other forms of water play, including canoeing, swimming and surfing (yep, really!) follow the links on this page.

Head for the hills

With most of our region’s winter road closures lifting in May, Bend’s high-elevation hotspots are the place to be in June.

Popular resorts swing open the doors for gift shops and on-site restaurants, while boat rentals give you a way to explore Central Oregon’s pristine lakes. Check out East Lake Resort, Elk Lake Resort, Cultus Lake Resort, and other popular high lake locales for the lake adventure of your dreams.

June also brings summer operations to Mt. Bachelor as ski slopes transform into mountain bike trails, ziplining kicks into full swing, and scenic chairlift rides open to the public. If you missed last summer’s opening of the new multi-use Evergreen Trail at Mt. Bachelor, put that on your list for hot summer hikes. It’s a great way to squeeze in a Central Cascades adventure without needing a permit, plus June brings a low likelihood of views being blurred by wildfire smoke. The trail was made possible through Visit Bend’s Bend Sustainability Fund, so it’s a great chance to check out the good work the grant program does to enhance our wild places.

If it’s been a heavy snow year, you’ll watch your step on popular high-elevation hiking trails around the Newberry National Volcanic Monument or spots off the Cascade Lakes Highway like Sparks Lake and Todd Lake. Things can stay icy well into summer.

Speaking of Central Cascades hiking trails, make sure you know which areas require wilderness permits for day use and overnight hiking. Now’s the time to line up permits for June hikes, so read this article for rules, maps, and other details about the Central Cascades Wilderness Permit system. 

Get ready to rock in Bend

If you’ve ever read this blog, you know live outdoor music is one of my favorite things about living in Bend. June is when Bend’s live music scene really starts to rock.

The first shows at the Hayden Homes Amphitheater typically kick off in late May or early June, with the season spanning through the end of September (or in some years, October). Want to know what’s on tap for the venue this year? This post has all the info you need about tickets, venue rules, and most importantly, who’s coming to treat your earholes to a delightful night of tunes.

Want live music on a budget? Munch and Music has been going strong in Drake Park since 1991 with free, family-friendly shows. The concerts begin at the start of July, so now’s when you should mark dates on your calendar to make sure you don’t miss your favorite artist.

Breweries all over the Bend Ale Trail love busting out live music this time of year. Check the event calendar or the social feed of your favorite local brewery, then pull up a barstool, order a pint, and prepare to abandon that stool in favor of dancing your pants off. And don’t fret if booze isn’t really your thing. Most Bend breweries offer an n/a beer or two on their taplist.

If you don’t mind driving just a bit, Faith, Hope, and Charity Vineyards offers super-awesome live music shows with tasty wine to boot. Best of all, they boast some of the most epic mountain views around. Make it a dinner date and pair their wood-fired pizzas with a glass or two of locally-made vino. Just remember to have a designated driver for the journey back to town.

Who’s up for family vacation in Bend?

With school letting out for the summer, families all over the Pacific Northwest flock to everyone’s favorite mountain town for the ultimate kid-friendly travel destination.

The event calendar for the High Desert Museum suddenly starts bursting with offerings like Raptors of the Sky flight demos, kid-friendly exhibits, and camps for kiddos of different ages. There’s a reason this place has been a top family attraction for 40+ years, and June is when its outdoor exhibits really shine. 

The outdoor attractions at Sun Mountain Fun Center also get lots more fun when June brings warmer weather. Make a plan to take the whole fam and hit the batting cages, go-karts, and mini-golf course.

I already touched on whitewater rafting above, but can I give it another shout-out? It’s truly one of the coolest family-friendly adventures to have on your bucket list, particularly in June when the water’s running high and fast.

And don’t get me started on the roundup of offerings from Wanderlust Tours. Excursions like their Cascade Lakes Canoe Tour and their super-fun Volcano Tour start rolling again as snow melts at high elevations. These outings are hands-down some of my family’s favorite memories, and their naturalist guides do a great job mixing educational info with cheerful fun, plus all the transportation and gear you need.

Want a one-of-a-kind summertime adventure? The Paulina Plunge combines downhill biking (it’s tame, I swear!) with waterfall hikes and a chance to ride natural waterslides unlike anything you’ve experienced before. My kids first did this with us a decade ago and HAVE. NOT. STOPPED. TALKING. ABOUT. IT. Tours run from June through September each year and tend to book up fast. 

For more ideas on family-friendly fun in Bend, check out this page on the Visit Bend site.

Leave no trace, please?

Bend’s busiest time of year brings sunshine and crowds to our outdoor spaces, and it also brings heightened awareness that it’s up to all of us to protect our natural resources.

Remember to pack out all your litter from that family hike, and tote water in reusable bottles instead of one-time-use plastic. Stick to marked trails instead of wandering off on your own, and if you show up at a trailhead and the parking lot’s full? That’s your cue to move to plan B instead of inventing a parking spot on the fragile forest floor.

Need more ideas for planning a sustainable Bend vacation? Check out our Leave No Trace page to get geared up for an eco-friendly family vacation.

Welcome to Bend in June. Now get out there and enjoy!