61909 Skyline View Drive

Neighborhood

About Larkspur

Larkspur sits on Bend's east side, bounded roughly by Highway 20 and Franklin Boulevard to the north, Reed Market Road to the south, the Parkway to the west, and the urban growth boundary to the east, according to the Larkspur Neighborhood District. It runs from the base of Pilot Butte south to the Reed Market corridor. The district itself is a voluntary group of residents and businesses recognized by the City of Bend, not a homeowners association. Its board is volunteer-run, meets monthly, and works on city-facing issues such as traffic safety, sidewalks, bike access, and land-use review rather than deed restrictions. Bend Source, the Bend alt-weekly, places Larkspur among the east-side neighborhoods that draw families and young professionals for larger lots and short commutes to jobs.
Pilot Butte anchors Larkspur's north end and gives the neighborhood its skyline. The 114-acre cinder cone was donated to the state of Oregon in 1927 by a group of Bend business associates in memory of Terrence Hardington Foley, according to Oregon Parks and Recreation Department records, with additional land added in 1941. Long before the donation, the butte served as a landmark that guided wagon-train immigrants to safe crossings of the Deschutes River. Three trails climb through juniper and sagebrush to the summit, a gain of about 490 feet, and on a clear day the view reaches Mount Bachelor, Broken Top, the Three Sisters, Mount Jefferson, Black Butte, and Mount Hood. The paved summit road is open to vehicles seasonally, May 1 through September 30. The trails themselves are open on foot year-round.
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