Flatiron Rock Trail (Bend)

While the higher elevation Cascades hiking trails are slowly turning into ski trails, you don’t need to hang up your hiking shoes for the season. Grab your dog and camera and head east on Highway 20 out of Bend to the Badlands, a true high desert landscape filled with twisted old junipers and crazy lava rock formations. Just past the 15 mile marker watch for a sign on the left; the Flatiron Trailhead is on the eastern edge of the parking area. This is a good hike for kids: 3+ miles roundtrip, rolling but not steep, and Flatiron Rock makes a great climbing structure. Mountain bikes are Badlands approved but any motorized vehicles stay in the parking area (and this is one hiking spot where no parking passes are required!) If that is not enough to entertain you for an afternoon, rumor has it there are a few geocaches in the vicinity, just waiting to be tracked down. Trails are not marked well beyond the trailhead map, so a compass or GPS is always a good idea.

- Oregon Adventurist: SJ