Cascade Lakes Highway
Bend → Crane Prairie, OR · ~66 miles · half day
Stylized illustration, not a photo — the real place looks different (and that’s half the fun).
A scenic loop out of Bend that strings together a dozen alpine lakes beneath the volcanoes of the Three Sisters, Broken Top, and Mount Bachelor.
Updated July 2026.
A string of volcanic lakes under the Three Sisters.
Paddle Sparks Lake, hike to a waterfall, and watch the peaks reflect at golden hour. The upper road is snow-closed in winter — summer and fall are prime.
States on this route
The signature stops
What to pull over for.
The best stops on the Cascade Lakes Highway are the places that define the drive, not just the nearest towns. Roamward orders them for the road: start with Mount Bachelor, Sparks Lake, Devils Lake, Elk Lake, then open each stop guide for the pull-over context.
01Mount Bachelorthe volcano ski area and trailheads — open the stop guideOR
02Sparks Lakea shallow reflective lake ringed by peaks — open the stop guideOR
03Devils Lakeimpossibly clear water and a South Sister trailhead — open the stop guideOR
04Elk Lakea sailing-and-swimming lake with a lodge — open the stop guideOR
Where to eat
Restaurants along this route.
Restaurants on the Cascade Lakes Highway are chosen for trip usefulness: gateway-town location, a clear reason to stop, and enough quality to make a traveler save the pick. Start with Ariana Restaurant, Bangers & Brews, Deschutes Brewery Bend Public House, Elk Lake Resort Restaurant.
A curated set of trip-useful meals near the route — enough to anchor driving days without turning the guide into a phone book.
- Ariana Restaurant
A special-occasion Bend dinner when the Cascade Lakes day deserves the city’s most polished table.
- Bangers & Brews
A Bend sausage-and-beer stop that works beautifully after a lake-hopping day when the group wants something easy and satisfying.
- Deschutes Brewery Bend Public House
A Bend brewpub classic for the Cascade Lakes day, especially when the route ends with a group dinner and local beer.
- Elk Lake Resort Restaurant
A lakeside summer stop tucked directly into the Cascade Lakes route, useful when you want the meal to stay in the scenery.
- Jackson's Corner
A Bend neighborhood kitchen for a real breakfast or wood-fired dinner before the Cascade Lakes loop turns into mountain and water.
- McKay Cottage
A beloved Bend breakfast base for Cascade Lakes Highway mornings.
- Pine Tavern Restaurant
Historic Bend tavern dining under the famous ponderosa tree, a classic dinner after the Cascade Lakes loop.
- Spork
Global street-food favorite in Bend, a high-probability crowd pleaser after the Cascade Lakes loop when pub food feels too predictable.
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Stay & experience
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Things to do near Cascade Lakes Highway
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