McKay, Miller’s Landing, and Columbia Parks River Access

The Bend Park and Recreation District (BPRD) owns and manages park property that encompass eight miles of Bend’s riverfront. This is nearly all of the riverfront accessible to the public within Bend. To best manage the increased recreational river use and improve the experience for all users at these parks, BPRD embarked on a two-year planning process to create the   Deschutes River Access & Habitat Restoration Plan   (River Plan). The River Plan identified a total of 28 projects, some of which have already been completed by staff, but these will be the first three projects to begin a full development process. They are: McKay Park (project #20), Miller’s Landing Park (project #21), and Columbia Park (project #22).

These three individual projects, which include four river access points, have been combined into this single, larger project: the   McKay, Miller's Landing, and Columbia Park's River Access Project   (Project). These locations are home to some of the few areas in downtown Bend where river access can be provided to calm sections, which are conducive to a multitude of uses.   BPRD’s 2018 Comprehensive Plan   (Comp Plan) identifies “areas to access the river” as a high community need. Improved access at these three parks for a site-specific appropriate combination of water craft launching, wading, swimming, and hanging out by the river would go a long way in addressing that need.

BPRD has completed the initial phase of work, which included site surveys, data collection and development of initial concept drawings. The initial concepts were developed based on data collected at each location, the opportunities and constraints of each site,   BPRD's Comp Plan ,  BPRD's River Plan   and from recommendations by the team at Environmental Science Associates and Empowering Access.

Two initial concepts are provided for each river access location and are intended to present the widest range of possible solutions. Community input about these concepts was collected via an online survey, at in-person outreach events, and through direct communications (emails, phone calls, and comment forms) submitted by community members. All this feedback will assist the project team in the development of the preferred concept design for each location.

***To view how each concept fits over the existing site, click and drag the double arrow icon to the left and right. Dragging to the left will reveal the proposed concept while dragging to the right will reveal the site as it stands today***

The conceptual enhancements at this location focus on river access for users with mobility challenges and user circulation at the beach area. The project scope does not include improvements along the whitewater park. High-level cost estimates, based on the initial concepts, range from $161,000 - $345,000.

Access Point #1: Enhancements at this river access point need to address the connection from the boardwalk into the river. There is an accessible route from the parking lot to the boardwalk, making this a preferred site for infrastructure upgrades which would better enable people with mobility challenges to recreate in the river independently. High-level cost estimates, based on the initial concepts, range from $270,000 - $421,000.

Access Point #2: This location provides access to an area of the Deschutes River that is unique in the downtown Bend area. The river here is calm, sand-bedded, and relatively shallow far out into the river, creating ideal conditions for wading. High-level cost estimates, based on the initial concepts, range from $90,000 - $176,000.

The riverbank along this neighborhood park is shaded much of the time, and provides a less crowded alternative to McKay and Miller’s Landing Park. Due to limited street parking, narrow proximity to the trail, and relatively steep slope, this access point concept would best provide for wading, swimming, and hanging out by the river. That said, it offers limited options for people with mobility challenges. Improvement considerations at this access point are also impacted by the illegal bridge jumping from the Gilchrist Footbridge. High-level cost estimates, based on the initial concepts, range from $217,000 - $384,000.

Your time and feedback is greatly appreciated. Preferred conceptual designs for each location will be developed this summer based on the public's input, the data collected at each location, the opportunities and constraints of each site,  BPRD's Comp Plan  and  BPRD's River Plan . Please refer to the  Project website  to find the latest updates.