BEND, OR -- Bend Parks and Rec has been busy with summer trail projects.

The District’s Julie Brown says an expanded section in Downtown Bend offers more access, “The stretch of the Deschutes River Trail from Pioneer Park to Drake Park just kind of had its opening just about a week ago, so people are slowly discovering it. It's a nice trail that includes a boardwalk section that actually goes under Newport Avenue. Pioneer Park now has some parking available. So, for folks who want to have a longer trip on the Deschutes River trail, that's open and ready to go.”

Brown says more improvements are coming, “We're not completely finished with the whole Drake Park project. We're still working on some staircase and some other areas. So, you'll see some areas at Drake Park that are still a little blocked off. But for the most part, we're getting really close to being completed with that entire project.”

The recently opened boardwalk travels under the Newport Avenue bridge, and keeps pedestrians from having to cross that busy Downtown Bend intersection.