Wanderlust tours - Pitstops for Kids

Best snowshoe tour in Bend: Wanderlust Tours

November 12, 2018 By Amy Hagstrom

Another day, another excellent outdoor experience with Wanderlust Tours! What makes Wanderlust the best snowshoe tour in Bend? My family and I first experienced Wanderlust during a kayak tour of the Cascade Lakes of Central Oregon, and loved our afternoon so much, we came back for a winter Cascade Mountain Snowshoe tour. Yes, Wanderlust gets our highest possible endorsement: a return visit.

What makes Wanderlust Tours great? Their access to areas off-limits to other tour operators, their expertise and professionalism, but more than anything, their guides. Wanderlust guides know their stuff—flora, fauna, and outdoor safety—but they don’t just spout it out. They teach it in a natural and enthusiastic way that gets even teens onboard. They meet their guests’ needs in the fullest extent possible, tailoring each tour to what people want to experience.

Before our Wanderlust snowshoe tour, my kids said they didn’t like snowshoeing. It’s an activity I enjoy, and drag them along for. The boys are adrenaline junkies who love downhill skiing and mountain biking: snowshoeing is too tame! However, the minute we met Wanderlust tour guide Danny, I knew their opinion was about to change. I was right: Danny met the challenge of creating snowshoe fans with enthusiasm. He understood and enjoyed kids—a crucial requirement in any guide—and treated them to an off-trail, deep powder snowshoe trek. Our tour included epic snowball fights, snow fort building, snowshoe jumping (and sort of landing) and races. Would this be everyone’s ideal snowshoe trip? Maybe not, but that’s the point: Wanderlust tailored the afternoon to us.

The nitty gritty:

We started at the Wanderlust Tours office in Bend, and drove approximately 25 minutes up Century Drive into the mountains. We stopped at Mt. Bachelor, where we donned snowshoes and took off into the woods. We weren’t restricted to trails, and while Danny guided our route, he was open to suggestions. Right away, he proved himself a good shot with a snowball, which intrigued all the kids. For the next two hours, we trekked, ran, jumped, and even dove through the snowy terrain, with short periods in which Danny reigned us in to point out various trees and moss, and to give us historical or geological lessons. We stopped mid-way for a hot chocolate break, and practiced building snow shelters just for fun. By the end of our tour, all our boys thanked me for booking the snowshoe tour, and admitted that now that they knew ‘how to make it so fun’, they’d snowshoe with me again. Win-win!

Snowshoe tours are offered by Wanderlust daily, and span half-days. This is the optional amount of time needed to gear up, get there, and return, with approximately two hours in the snow. Any longer, and we would have begun to feel the cold, and any less, and we wouldn’t have felt as though we’d gotten too far into the wilderness. Wanderlust also offers cave tours, moonlit snowshoe tours, and craft beer tours for adults. In summer, try a kayak tour!

Tips: As with all outdoor guided experiences, families will want to arrive prepared. For a snowshoe tour, wear waterproof pants and jacket (ski attire works well) and snow boots. Knitted hats and gloves are a must. If you don’t own snow pants or boots, they are available for rent. Snowshoes will be provided. We found it helpful to bring a small day pack to store extra layers and water bottles. We also brought granola bars for the van ride back down the mountain.

Date last visited:

March 2014

Distance from the interstate:

Wanderlust Tours is located in Bend, off Highway 97.

Rates:

During the time of our tour, snowshoe half-day tours were $60 for adults and $55 for kids. Children must be 8 years old and up to participate. Check the Wanderlust Tours website for specific tour date info.

Directions:

The Wanderlust Tours office is located at 61535 S. Highway 97 in Bend.

As I disclose whenever applicable, we experienced Wanderlust Tours as guests, for the purpose of review. All opinions are our own.

Central Oregon activities: kayaking the Cascade Lakes with Wanderlust Tours

September 10, 2017 By Amy Hagstrom

If you’re enjoying a Central Oregon vacation and wondering what to do with kids in Bend or the surrounding areas, Wanderlust Tours offers outdoor excursions that will introduce you to Oregon’s Cascade Lakes and other wilderness areas while everyone has fun. Located in Bend, Wanderlust offers a full range of outdoor excursions, including cave tours, kayaking Cascade Lakes, canoeing, volcano sightseeing, and brew bus excursions for adults. In winter, they also offer snowshoe trips.

We booked a kayaking tour of the Cascade Lakes during an autumn weekend stay at House of Metolius. Because our resort was located past Sisters, Oregon, we drove into Bend and met our Wanderlust guides in town. (If you’re staying at a Mt. Bachelor-area resort, they’ll pick you up at your door.) Our guides Courtney and Chris were friendly and eager to show us all the wilderness this area has to offer.

After a short van ride up Century Drive and past Mt. Bachelor ski resort to the Cascade Lakes, we unloaded at Hosner Lake. (Wanderlust Tours is the only operator permitted in this region.) It was chilly and raining lightly, but we had come prepared for weather (Wanderlust Tours depart rain or shine!) and the enthusiasm of Courtney and Chris kept us optimistic. We were right not to fret the weather: the serene lake with its mist of cloud and rain was spectacular, and we had the water nearly to ourselves. It was quiet and peaceful, and our kayaks glided nearly effortlessly over the still lake. Courtney was a book of knowledge on local flora and fauna: we loved learning about the different uses of moss and lichen, and the differences between the trees surrounding us.

She was great with the kids too. Toby, age 7, kayaked tandem with her, and even though he has a habit of talking guides ears off, she didn’t mind (or at least didn’t let on that she minded!). She sang songs with him, pointed out wildlife, and generally got everyone in our group enthused about what we were seeing and hearing out of the water. Our 11 and 13-year-olds were happy too, because they were allowed to kayak tandem together. We had only eight kayakers in our group in addition to the two guides, allowing everyone lots of attention and keeping us all safe.

We kayaked for over an hour (or until our hands were numb!) and Courtney assured us that Wanderlust Tours continues to operate their kayak tours as late into the season as possible, as long as there’s demand. While I’m sure a summer tour would have been enjoyable, I’d recommend an autumn excursion: we saw aspects of lake life that would have eluded us in a busier time of year.

We have been on many kayaking trips across the country, and my kids rated Wanderlust Tours as tops. Why? The fun they had with Courtney, and the uniqueness of seeing the lake in October. Courtney did an excellent job of showing us just how much life was out in the Cascade Lakes at this time of year, and her love of the outdoors was obvious.

If you’re coming from the Sisters area, you’ll want to allow for a full half-day for this tour, including driving time. If in the Bend area, it will take about four hours, from 9 am to 1 pm. Food is not included in the kayak tour, so bring a few snacks to store in the van…along with extra dry clothing or extra jackets. Note: kids generally need to be eight years old for this tour.

Tour rates: The kayak tour at Cascade Lakes is $55 per person, and includes all transportation, gear, and instruction.

Directions: Call Wanderlust Tours to schedule your tour, and they’ll pick you up or send you a pick-up location. They’re always available at 1-800-962-2862.

As I disclose whenever applicable, we experienced kayaking in the Cascade Lakes as guests of Wanderlust Tours. This compensation came with no expectation of a positive review.