High Desert Museum
Photo: Own work — CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon, offers exhibits on wildlife, Native American culture, Western history, and art, providing an immersive experience into the High Desert region.
Planning your visit
The High Desert Museum covers the Intermountain West — the sagebrush country east of the Cascades that most visitors drive through without understanding — and it does so by combining living animals, cultural history and art on a 135-acre forested site outside Bend.
Live animal exhibits include birds of prey, river otters in a re-created stream habitat, porcupines and reptiles, presented in daily keeper talks that carry real natural history content. The cultural galleries cover the Indigenous peoples of the Columbia Plateau and Great Basin, developed with tribal input, alongside settler history, the fur trade, ranching and the timber industry. Outdoor historical areas include a working homestead and sawmill with costumed interpretation in season.
The By Hand Through Memory exhibition on Plateau Indian history and the Spirit of the West walk-through galleries are the strongest permanent elements.
It works exceptionally well with children, and the wooded setting makes it pleasant in itself. Bend is Oregon's high desert base for outdoor recreation, and this museum explains the landscape people come to use. Allow three hours. The main booking is an entry ticket. Current availability is shown below.
Before you book
Where is High Desert Museum?
High Desert Museum is in Bend, United States. The map on this page marks its exact location.
How long should I allow for High Desert Museum?
Allow three hours. That is the time the collection itself takes at an unhurried pace, before any queue.
Do I need to book High Desert Museum in advance?
Tickets can be bought on the door at quiet times, but booking ahead fixes the date and avoids the queue at busy ones. Live availability is shown on this page.