About Central Oregon Resorts

There’s a good reason Central Oregon is known as the “Destination Resort Capital of the Pacific Northwest.” It’s gorgeous here! When it comes to second-home locales, it’s tough to beat: Located in the Pacific Northwest’s High Desert, Central Oregon is situated on the “dry side” of the Cascade Mountain range and features a crisp dry climate, rare geographic diversity and an average of 300 glorious days of sunshine each year. What’s more, it’s surrounded by breathtaking scenery — most notably, the majestic snow-capped Cascade Mountain range to the west and the rambling Ochoco Mountain range and dramatic Smith Rock formation to the east. But there’s also a lot more of Mother Nature’s finest to explore –- for starters, nearly 1.6 million acres of national  forest, more than 500 miles of rivers and 150 mountain lakes.

Who wouldn’t want to vacation here? The opportunities to connect with the area’s plentiful -– and extremely diverse — natural resources are limited only by your imagination. For example, you can ski the slopes of Mt. Bachelor and Hoodoo ski resort, fly-fish the streams of the Metollius or Fall rivers, play a round of golf on one of the area’s 30 world-class courses or hike a plethora of paths along the Pacific Crest Trail. Raft the white-water stretches of the Deschutes and McKenzie Rivers, pitch a tent in one of the 12 state parks, trail ride among the Diamond Peak Wilderness, mountain bike through the desert trails of Horse Ridge, hike an urban trail (you have a wide variety to choose from) or explore the ancient junipers within the Oregon Badlands Wilderness.

Vacation Home Options

With so many desirable resources within Central Oregon, it’s not surprising that the region boasts a host of diverse vacation-home communities too.

Near Sisters, you have the venerable Black Butte Ranch, with its rich history, world-renowned golf courses and breath-taking setting;  and the popular Aspen Lakes, a privately owned gated community of estate homes on large lots, many of which overlook the development’s highly regarded public golf course (known for its impressive Cascade Mountain views and distinctive red-cinder bunkers).

In Bend, there’s Mount Bachelor Village  (an obvious choice for ski buffs), Widgi Creek Golf Club (popular with golf-enthusiasts) and Seventh Mountain Resort (great for both winter and summer sports).

Just outside Redmond is Eagle Crest Resort, named one of Golf Digest’s best places to play.

Northeast of Bend is the luxurious Pronghorn, with its highly regarded Jack Nicklaus and Tom Fazio-designed golf courses.

South of Bend, there’s the venerable Sunriver (which many consider the gold-standard in area resorts because of its wealth of year-round recreation opportunities), plus its adjacent communities of Crosswater (a privately owned golf and social club) and Caldera Springs (a family-friendly resort community dotted by forest trails and multiple lakes).

Finally, Powell Butte has the rugged Brasada Ranch (known for both notable golf courses as well as a top-notch equestrian facility), which The Oregonian has named Oregon’s Best Destination Resort.

The only difficult decision when buying a second home in Central Oregon is choosing which community to call home.