Bend, Oregon – Driving The McKenzie/Santiam Pass Scenic Byways
The Drives Around Bend, Oregon Are Truly Amazing
Spending 6-8 hours exploring the area scenic byways is a great day trip out of Bend if you have some wheels and a backpack. Check out this video of my round trip out of Bend to Sisters, Oregon to see many of the cool stops along the McKenzie Pass / Santiam Pass scenic byways.
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Make sure that you plan for a full day, and make the time to stop a lot along the McKenzie Pass / Santiam Pass Byways, since there is so much to do. While the guide books and articles about the area tend to hit on the more top-level travel stops, some of the best stops aren’t frequented or written about. Just stop and explore when you get the hankerin’!
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Featured in this video:
An awesome Bend guidebook, with a bit of a different angle on the area. Another great hiking guidebook I used while exploring the Bend, Oregon area.
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Cheers!
—Jason
About Jason Robinson
Jason is the author of “The Beginner Traveler’s Guide To Going Nomad,” as well as the voice behind the words and the eye behind the lens for The Nomad Experiment. “Planning to travel at some point” wasn’t actually getting the job done, so nearing 40 he decided to make it a priority, nomatter how scary that was. A few years later—through the pandemic and a type 1 diabetes diagnosis at age 42—now living a life of nomadic travel, he’s speaking out to encourage others of any age, or with any serious medical diagnosis, to live an unconventional life.
Travel Planning Tips
Figure out where you are going & how are you getting there…
I suggest using at least 2 to 3 different travel search sites. Start with Skyscanner or Orbitz or Booking …or whatever aggregator site you prefer. Then when you see what airlines to use, check their respective sites for better deals or rewards flights.
Figure out where you’re going to stay…
If you’re interested in hostels, search Hostelworld or Hostelling International. For longer-term or more private digs, look at Airbnb, VRBO, or you can look for hotel rooms in the links from the search engines listed above.
Get comprehensive travel insurance, or in the least, travel medical insurance if internationally…
Especially with Covid not going anywhere, get covered. Start with an insurance aggregator like Insure My Trip, or with SafetyWing, World Nomads, or another. Then decide what is important to you; trip cancellation, baggage coverage, medical, or all of the above. And get a yearly evacuation plan, since you’ll have to get home after your emergency!
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