Located at the intersection of two major ecological zones—the eastern slopes of the Cascade Range and the western edge of the High Desert, Bend, Oregon offers an unusually diverse environment for challenging yourself in the outdoors. The region is characterized by a combination of alpine forests, volcanic rock fields, sagebrush steppe, and glacial rivers, often within a 30-mile radius. This geological and ecological diversity makes it one of the most varied outdoor recreation areas in the Pacific Northwest.
The terrain in and around Bend presents a range of challenges that attract climbers, mountain bikers, trail runners, and endurance athletes. Areas like Smith Rock State Park, composed of volcanic rock and basalt cliffs, offer technical climbing routes. Just to the west, trail networks built into the Deschutes National Forest provide mountain bikers with access to hundreds of miles of singletrack, traversing everything from a pine forest to dry, rocky ridgelines.
For this trip, I wanted to return to some of the places that had challenged me in the past. It had been a while since I’d been to Central Oregon, and I was excited to climb at Smith Rock again and explore new mountain biking trails I hadn’t ridden before. I loaded the Toyota 4Runner with climbing gear, a mountain bike, camera equipment, and enough supplies to stay off-grid for the better part of a week. The 4Runner is ideal for trips like this, able to carry and organize everything I need while quietly handling the kinds of roads that don’t always make it onto the map.
Smith Rock was my first stop. I’ve climbed there before. It’s one of Oregon’s most iconic climbing areas, defined by sharp vertical walls and expansive desert views. This time, I met up with my longtime climbing partner, someone I hadn’t climbed with in years. Returning here with her felt like coming full circle. Beneath those cathedral-like cliffs, we tied in and moved up a route we vaguely remembered. There was a quiet reverence to it, like returning to a language we used to speak fluently.
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Climbers travel to Smith Rock for its steep walls, varied terrain, and wide range of sport and traditional routes—making it a premier destination for testing both skill and endurance.
Years ago, Smith Rock was one of the places where I tested myself. Now, it’s not only a place where I return to challenge myself but also reflect and appreciate. The rhythm came back slowly, chalked hands and steady breathing. But the deeper rhythm, the unspoken trust, the muscle memory, the focus returned instantly. Out here, there’s no room for distraction. Climbing again in this place, with someone who knew me before the mileage and the changes, was about more than movement. It was about reconnection.
After climbing, with our arms and forearms exhausted, we returned to the 4Runner. Throwing our gear in the back I went in search of a different kind of proving ground to find some mountain bike trails. Bend’s network of singletrack is dense, well-maintained, and full of variation. I chose some trails that were technical with some varied elevation gain. Loose pumice, embedded rock, and dry switchbacks kept me on my game. At one point, I stopped to photograph a few locals hitting jumps. Each person using the trail system in their own way to test limits.
Driving between locations offered its own layer of testing. Many of the access roads were unpaved, narrow, or degraded from recent runoff. The 4Runner’s high clearance and suspension allowed me to move through without needing to second guess route options. Its rear cargo setup kept my gear quickly accessible. A necessary feature when changing over from climbing to riding in unpredictable weather.
Evenings were simple: trail notes, route prep, quiet meals at the edge of cell reception. But those moments off the wall, off the trail, alone with the rhythm of the day were just as much a part of the process. In a world that rewards speed and interruption, these physical, technical activities; climbing, riding, driving offered a rare kind of focus. You have to be present, in the moment and that’s a novelty I keep searching for.
The Toyota 4Runner’s signature power rear window rolls down with the push of a button—making it easy to grab gear, air out the cabin, or let the breeze in.
Still from National Geographic CreativeWorks
By the end of the trip, there were no summits, no records, no stats—and that was exactly the point. A proving ground isn’t about achievement; it’s about honesty. The wild doesn’t care who you are—it simply reflects how you move through it. The trail doesn’t lie, the climb doesn’t care, and the weather won’t wait. In that clarity, something shifts. It’s where edge and learning meet, where repetition becomes refinement, and where experience is earned by showing up and paying attention. Every time.