Swimming Holes Near Bend, OR

Looking for a place to swim near Bend, OR? There are 12 natural swimming holes within 60 miles of Bend in our directory — springs, rivers, creeks, waterfalls, and lakes. The closest is Sawyer Park (Deschutes River), about 2 miles away. Distances are straight-line from Bend — drive time will be longer.

Swimming holes near Bend, closest first

1. Sawyer Park (Deschutes River)2 mi from Bend · River · Bend

   Sawyer Park sits on the Deschutes River in Bend, with river access for swimming and floating.

2. Tumalo State Park (Deschutes River)3 mi from Bend · River · Bend

   Tumalo State Park sits on the Deschutes River northwest of Bend, with river access for swimming and floating.

3. Dillon Falls, Deschutes River5 mi from Bend · River · Bend

   A Deschutes River day-use area downstream of Bend where the river's lava-bed rapids give way to calmer pools for swimming and sunbathing.

4. Paulina Lake, Newberry Crater24 mi from Bend · Lake · La Pine

   One of the Newberry Crater twin lakes, where a developed Forest Service campground meets surprisingly warm shallows thanks to hot springs seeping along the shore.

5. Paulina Lake Hot Springs24 mi from Bend · Spring · La Pine

   Paulina Lake's eastern shore hides natural hot spring seeps where bathers dig shallow pools in the lakeside gravel.

6. Steelhead Falls, Deschutes River26 mi from Bend · Waterfall · Terrebonne

   A secluded Deschutes River canyon spot with a 20-foot waterfall, 25- to 30-foot cliffs for jumping, and a sandy beach downstream for those who prefer to wade.

7. Cultus Lake31 mi from Bend · Lake · La Pine

   A spring-fed Cascade lake in the Deschutes National Forest with developed campgrounds and easy shoreline swimming.

8. Prineville Reservoir State Park32 mi from Bend · Lake · Prineville

   Prineville Reservoir State Park offers a swim beach on the Crooked River impoundment, with desert canyon scenery.

9. Metolius River (Camp Sherman)32 mi from Bend · River · Camp Sherman

   The Metolius River at Camp Sherman is one of Oregon's most beautiful spring-fed rivers, with swimming in the impossibly clear, cold water.

10. Lake Billy Chinook (Cove Palisades)33 mi from Bend · Lake · Culver

    Lake Billy Chinook's Cove Palisades State Park offers swimming in the desert canyon reservoir at the confluence of three rivers.

11. McKenzie River (Paradise Campground)39 mi from Bend · River · Blue River

    Paradise Campground sits on the McKenzie River in the Willamette National Forest, with swimming in the river's impossibly blue pools.

12. Tamolitch Blue Pool39 mi from Bend · River · McKenzie Bridge

    The McKenzie River's most photographed pool, where water filtered through miles of lava rock resurfaces in a deep, impossibly blue basin at the base of the former…

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