Skip to content
visitorfun
BusinessesGrow
MuseumsFamily FavoriteHistory BuffOutdoor Adventure

High Desert Museum

59800 S US Highway 97 · Bend, OR

Why you should go…

The High Desert Museum sits along US Highway 97 on the edge of Bend, Oregon, and combines indoor galleries with outdoor trails and live-animal habitats. Exhibits cover the natural history, wildlife and human history of the High Desert region, including Native American culture and homesteader life. The museum is open daily year-round, with hours and admission pricing that vary by season.

  • #museum
  • #wildlife
  • #history
  • #family
  • #nature

Good to know

General museums guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Check the special exhibition separately

    Touring shows usually carry their own ticket and their own opening hours, listed apart from general admission.

  • Look for the free window

    Many museums run community days, member evenings, or discounted late openings. It is worth a look before you pay full price.

  • Travel light through the door

    Large bags and backpacks often have to go to a coat check, and lines for it move slowly at opening.

  • Weekday mornings beat weekend afternoons

    School groups clear out by early afternoon midweek, while weekends stay busy from late morning on.

What's around here?

The closest stops to High Desert Museum, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Attractions
    Quirky Fun

    Puzzle Effect Bend

    $25–$50

    An escape room venue in Bend offering themed puzzle rooms like a haunted ship, an underground city and a rescue mystery.

    4.9 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions

  • Tours
    Outdoor Adventure

    Sun Country Tours

    $50+

    Guided whitewater rafting and river tubing trips out of Bend since 1978.

    5.4 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours

  • Museums
    History Buff

    Deschutes Historical Museum

    Under $25

    Local history museum in a restored 1914 schoolhouse covering Central Oregon's pioneers, tribes and logging past.

    6.3 mi awayMore like this

  • Sightseeing
    Foodie Favorite

    High Desert Food Trail

    Free

    Self-guided trail linking about 60 Central Oregon farms, ranches and food businesses from Warm Springs to Sunriver.

    6.5 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Sightseeing
    Outdoor Adventure

    Bend

    Free

    Central Oregon hub for outdoor adventure, craft breweries and high desert scenery along the Deschutes River.

    6.5 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Sightseeing
    Outdoor Adventure

    Central Oregon

    Free

    Regional visitor guide covering Bend, Redmond, Sunriver, Sisters and the high desert of Central Oregon.

    11 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing