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Experience
Wonder Visit Today Learn More Under Pressure:
A Volcanic Exploration Because volcanoes never go out of style Learn More Soil Alive! Dive underground to explore the hidden world of soil Learn More Drawn West Explore the history and art of promoting place

About the Museum

Plan Your Visit

Check out current exhibits and daily programs, find directions, rates, hours and more.

See Hours and More

Kids & Families

Explore Together

Learn about kid-friendly exhibits, activities, camps and more.

Family Fun

Education

Teach & Learn

Lifelong learning starts here! Explore teacher trainings, memorable field trips and unique school programs.

Education for Everyone

Join the HDM Family

Make an Impact

Volunteer, become a member or donate to support arts, education, wildlife and more.

Get Involved

Wildlife, History & Art

Otters, porcupines, owls, oh my! Encounter wildlife up close, explore the history and culture of the wild West and take in beautiful art. The High Desert Museum is a cultural gem set on 135 acres of awe. It’s no wonder visitors voted us one of the best things to do in Bend Oregon!

Daily Schedule

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Events


  •  04.29.26
     9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Visitors 65 and older are invited to enjoy the Museum for FREE. The Museum will also be open to the general public.  (more…)


  •  04.30.26
     6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Susan Kamei’s family members were among the over 120,000 Japanese Americans forcibly detained during World War II. Her book, When Can We Go Back to America? grapples with contradictions between the ideas this country was founded on and the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans. Kamei will explore the constitutional, historical, and political ramifications for citizenship (more…)


  •  05.01.26
     9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Attention writers! The final day to submit your proposals for the 2026 Waterston Desert Writing Prize is today. Click below to learn more and submit your applications.  The Waterston Desert Writing Prize is an annual celebration of nonfiction writers whose work reflects a connection to the desert. Inspired by author and poet Ellen Waterston’s love (more…)


  •  05.04.26
     7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

The high-pitched calls of the small-but-mighty American pika defending their territory are hard to miss near the rocky slopes and lava flows of Central Oregon’s wilderness. Despite their reputation as a climate-sensitive species, little is known about the status and distribution of pikas in response to changing climate. Please join Oregon State University wildlife ecologist (more…)


  •  05.05.26
     9:00 am - 5:00 pm

May 5, 2026 through June 7, 2026 Explore the artwork of students from La Pine Elementary School! Over months of special in-class visits and field trips to the Museum, third and fourth graders focused on the diverse perspectives of fire. Their artwork will go on display in the Desertarium Gallery. Free with Museum admission. (more…)

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Changing
Exhibits

10.18.25 -
3.29.26

Science, Natural History

Soil Alive!

From dry and sandy to slimy and wet, many types of soils exist in the High Desert. But all healthy soils have one important thing in common: they form the foundation of the West’s ecosystems. This family-friendly exhibit takes visitors on a subterranean journey to encounter mycorrhizal networks, burrowing animals, and microscopic organisms. Dive underground to explore the hidden world of soil. Presented in English and Spanish.

11.1.25 -
2.15.26

Art, Natural History

Hollow and Still: Photographs Following Fire by David Paul Bayles

In September 2020, the Holiday Farm Fire, driven by fierce east winds, burned 173,000 acres along the forested McKenzie River canyon. Hollow and Still brings together a special collection of photographs from acclaimed photographer David Paul Bayles.

11.15.25 -
6.28.26

Art, History

Drawn West: A History of Promoting Place

Explore a century of salesmanship, when artists and cartographers alike crafted an image of the West that depicted both fact and fiction in this visually engaging exhibition featuring 50-plus maps, artworks and advertisements from the Museum's collection.

02.7.25 -
1.3.27

Science, Nature

Under Pressure: A Volcanic Exploration

An original exhibition, Under Pressure takes visitors on an educational, insightful and thought-provoking journey into the forces that make volcanoes among the most majestic and often misunderstood natural wonders of the world, while exploring their individual stories and temperaments.

Spirit of
the West Learn More Experience the vibrant history of the West as you explore its people, their challenges and successes. Permanent Exhibits By Hand
Through Memory Learn More Discover the journey of the Plateau Indian Nations as they traveled from reservation confinement to the 21st century. Permanent Exhibits Miller Family
Ranch Learn More Living historians bring 1904 to life as they maintain the cabin, barn, willow corral and sawmill and care for their animals. Permanent Exhibits Donald M. Kerr
Birds of
Prey Center Learn More See some of nature’s most spectacular aerial predators up close: owls, hawks, eagles, falcons and vultures. Permanent Exhibits Autzen
Otter Exhibit Learn More Our three river otters define “play” in their newly-renovated exhibit. Permanent Exhibits Desertarium Learn More View High Desert reptiles, amphibians, spiders and burrowing owls. Permanent Exhibits Galleries Learn More Temporary exhibits on art, history, nature and culture. Changing Exhibits

The Institute of Museum and Library Services named the High Desert Museum as one of six recipients of the 2021 National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the nation’s highest honor given to museums and libraries that make significant and exceptional contributions to their communities.

The Museum was recognized for providing dynamic programming and services through community outreach, working to create programs that offer rich educational programming and expand museum access.