Things to Do in Sisters, Oregon

The rodeo calls itself “The Biggest Little Show in the World,” and it has run since 1941. It’s held at the rodeo grounds just east of town, with bull riding, bronc riding and a parade. The whole town fills up for it.

★ Good to know It’s always the second weekend in June, so book a room early if you’re coming for it.

The chamber bills this as the largest outdoor quilt show in the world. For one day, quilts hang all over downtown and across the wider Sisters Country. The Stitchin’ Post on Cascade Avenue is the town’s quilt shop.

★ Good to know It falls on the second Saturday in July; come early, because downtown parking goes fast.

A short paved trail leads to the springs that feed the Metolius River. It’s one of the easiest walks in the Sisters Country, with vault toilets and a picnic area. The river below is fly-fishing-only water, known well beyond Oregon.

★ Good to know From Sisters, drive 9.6 miles northwest on Highway 20, then 4.4 miles north on Forest Road 14; there’s no drinking water, so bring your own.

Five miles downstream from Camp Sherman, the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife raises Atlantic salmon, brook and rainbow trout, and kokanee here. The hatchery produces more than 2.6 million fish a year. The grounds sit right on the Metolius and make an easy add-on to the Head of the Metolius.

★ Good to know Pair it with the Head of the Metolius, since both are off Forest Road 14.

Suttle Lake sits off Highway 20 in the Deschutes National Forest, with a boat launch, picnic tables, a small swimming beach and a trail around the lake. The Suttle Lodge & Boathouse is nearby for food and drinks. It’s one of the busiest day-use spots in summer.

★ Good to know Parking at the day-use area requires a recreation pass, which you can buy on site.

A 1-mile accessible trail leads to cliffs over Whychus Creek, a federal Wild and Scenic River, with views of the Three Sisters. The trailhead is 5 miles south of town on Three Creek Road. A harder one-way North Trail adds two more mountain viewpoints.

★ Good to know There’s no water at the trailhead, so fill up in town.

Fifteen miles west of Sisters on Highway 242, this lava-rock lookout sits at 5,187 feet on the McKenzie Pass. The Civilian Conservation Corps finished it in 1935, and NASA trained astronauts on the surrounding lava in 1964. On a clear day you can pick out the Three Sisters, Mount Jefferson and even Mount Hood.

★ Good to know Highway 242 closes in winter and bans vehicles over 35 feet, so it’s a summer-and-early-fall drive.

Black Butte Ranch, west of town, has two championship courses. Glaze Meadow reopened in 2012 after a John Fought redesign, and Big Meadow is a Robert Muir Graves course with a famous view of Three Fingered Jack from the 14th hole. The Little Meadow putting course opened in 2020.

★ Good to know The putting course is a good family option if not everyone plays golf.