Our Commitment
to Bend

Bend is for all of us.

 

At Visit Bend, we believe each trail, cafe table, mountain vista, and lakeside patch of grass should be a welcoming place for everyone.

Our team cares deeply about this place we live, play, raise families, and call home. We’re passionate about caring for the wild places, this community, and sharing them with people from all walks of life.

We honor all voices and experiences, regardless of where your travels take you. No matter who you are or where you’ve roamed, we welcome you.

Old mill district

Commitment to community

When you travel to Bend, we invite you to bring your very best self. At our community’s core is a warm and welcoming spirit, and each of us plays a vital role in keeping that spirit alive.

While tourism is part of a healthy economy, it’s the people who matter to us. That mom-and-pop restaurant you love will flourish with support from visitors and locals alike. Bend-based tour operators aren’t just businesses to us—they’re our friends and neighbors who thrive and can feed their families thanks to guests’ curiosity and currency.

Whether you’re staying with us one night or a lifetime, we thank you for being part of our community.

Downtown Bend, Oregon

Commitment to diversity and inclusion

We are committed to ensuring every person feels valued and accepted, whether you’re a first-time visitor or a lifelong resident of Bend.

At Visit Bend, we believe in welcoming all visitors regardless of age, race, creed, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical ability, or professional standing.

Whatever your journey looks like, no matter how you got here, your experience matters. We welcome you to Bend with open arms.

Wheelchair users on the Deschutes River Trail in Bend, OR

Commitment to acknowledging history

Indigenous people have fished, hunted, and recreated on these lands for generations. That history is not lost. We recognize we live, work, and play on the traditional lands of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, Wascoes, and Paiutes, and we honor their enduring relationship to this place.

High Desert aerial photo from Bend, OR

Commitment to the environment and sustainability

Bend’s outdoor and recreational resources provide endless possibilities for outdoor adventure and it is our collective responsibility to protect these treasures and ensure sustainable and lasting opportunities for all.

The Bend Sustainability Fund reinvests tax revenue generated by visitors into the places and spaces that are important to our community.

Tumalo Falls in Bend, OR

What can you do?

Interested in helping to protect and preserve Bend’s wild places? When you’re ready to take your next trip to bend, boost your commitment to the next level by following our Bend-specific Leave No Trace principles.

Leave no trace in Bend, OR

Strategic partners

Central Oregon Landwatch logo
Central Oregon LandWatch

Central Oregon LandWatch has been working to create well-planned cities and protect wild, open spaces across Central Oregon since 1984. LandWatch is at the forefront of defending our region’s waterways, wildlife, farms, and forests and promoting vibrant and sustainable cities and towns.

Learn more
COTA logo
Central Oregon Trail Alliance

COTA is a 501c3 non-profit, volunteer organization that works in conjunction with the USFS, BLM and other land managers to build and maintain trails throughout Central Oregon. They steward nearly 600 miles of singletrack trails, 5 bike parks, and 14 miles of groomed winter fat bike trails.

Learn more
Deschutes Collaborative Forest Project logo
Deschutes Collaborative Forest Project

Deschutes Collaborative Forest Project is all about bringing people together to care for the forests we share in Central Oregon. From scientists and foresters to neighbors, recreationists, and land managers, the Collaborative unites many different voices around a common goal: keeping our forests healthy, resilient, and safe. 

Learn more
Deschutes Trail Coalition logo
Deschutes Trails Coalition

The Deschutes Trails Coalition is a community coalition of more than 30 organizations and agencies working to sustain and improve Central Oregon’s invaluable trail systems through grants, collaboration, and passion.

Learn more
Discover Your Forest logo
Discover Your Forest

Discover Your Forest is dedicated to connecting people with the Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests and the Crooked River National Grassland. They enrich the visitor experience, build community support, and inspire the next generation of environmental stewards. 

Learn more
Oregon Adaptive Sports logo
Oregon Adaptive Sports

Oregon Adaptive Sports (OAS) creates access to over 2,000 high quality outdoor experiences each year to more than 400 unique individuals.

OAS envisions a day when every person with a disability has access to the benefits of outdoor recreation.

Learn more
Upper Deschutes Watershed Council logo
Upper Deschutes Watershed Council

The Upper Deschutes Watershed Council seeks to protect and restore the two-million-acre upper Deschutes River watershed through collaborative projects in habitat restoration, long-term monitoring, and watershed education.

Learn more
Central Oregon Landwatch logo
Central Oregon LandWatch

Central Oregon LandWatch has been working to create well-planned cities and protect wild, open spaces across Central Oregon since 1984. LandWatch is at the forefront of defending our region’s waterways, wildlife, farms, and forests and promoting vibrant and sustainable cities and towns.

Learn more
COTA logo
Central Oregon Trail Alliance

COTA is a 501c3 non-profit, volunteer organization that works in conjunction with the USFS, BLM and other land managers to build and maintain trails throughout Central Oregon. They steward nearly 600 miles of singletrack trails, 5 bike parks, and 14 miles of groomed winter fat bike trails.

Learn more
Deschutes Collaborative Forest Project logo
Deschutes Collaborative Forest Project

Deschutes Collaborative Forest Project is all about bringing people together to care for the forests we share in Central Oregon. From scientists and foresters to neighbors, recreationists, and land managers, the Collaborative unites many different voices around a common goal: keeping our forests healthy, resilient, and safe. 

Learn more
Deschutes Trail Coalition logo
Deschutes Trails Coalition

The Deschutes Trails Coalition is a community coalition of more than 30 organizations and agencies working to sustain and improve Central Oregon’s invaluable trail systems through grants, collaboration, and passion.

Learn more
Discover Your Forest logo
Discover Your Forest

Discover Your Forest is dedicated to connecting people with the Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests and the Crooked River National Grassland. They enrich the visitor experience, build community support, and inspire the next generation of environmental stewards. 

Learn more
Oregon Adaptive Sports logo
Oregon Adaptive Sports

Oregon Adaptive Sports (OAS) creates access to over 2,000 high quality outdoor experiences each year to more than 400 unique individuals.

OAS envisions a day when every person with a disability has access to the benefits of outdoor recreation.

Learn more
Upper Deschutes Watershed Council logo
Upper Deschutes Watershed Council

The Upper Deschutes Watershed Council seeks to protect and restore the two-million-acre upper Deschutes River watershed through collaborative projects in habitat restoration, long-term monitoring, and watershed education.

Learn more