"Every other Sunday we will gather at the La Pine tasting room to see whose version of each week's spotlit dessert will rock the socks off our judges AND locals!!" That's how Legend Cider announces the La Pine Bake Off, and the schedule it describes now sets the pace for the rest of the year in town.
The series started with Cornbread on October 4 and Pumpkin Dessert on October 18. It has five rounds left, from November 1 to December 27, at the taproom at 16481 Bluewood Place. Over the same weeks, the Newberry high country closes in stages, the Sno-Park season opens, tree-cutting permits go on sale and the holiday markets set up. Nearly every one of those dates lands on a bake-off Sunday or within a few days of one. If you live here, the bake-off schedule tells you how to plan the season.
How a Round Works at Bluewood Place
The rules are short. If you want to compete, fill out the entry form with your name, email, phone number and the date you're entering, then bring three dozen sample-sized bites. This season Legend is having bakers make their samples on site. The taproom provides scoops and cups, and bakers should arrive at 1:15 to portion everything before the 2 p.m. start. Judges and the locals who show up both weigh in. Hello La Pine's listing asks the public to come sample the entries and cheer on the bakers.
The room has been building toward this for years. Bend Magazine reported in 2020 that Adrianne Baumann and her family opened Legend's first La Pine taproom in August 2019. In 2023 the business went looking for more space. Baumann told KTVZ at the time, "We fought to stay in La Pine." The larger Bluewood taproom opened in March 2024, and the Source Weekly covered the reopening with two food trucks on site. Legend's taproom page now lists 28 taps along with cocktails and mocktails.
Two details matter for a Sunday visit. The taproom is open noon to 7 p.m. on Sundays and closed Mondays. Chubby Duck serves Thursday through Sunday, while Josie K's Deli runs Tuesday through Friday. That makes Chubby Duck the kitchen on bake-off afternoons.
The High Country Closes in Stages
Between rounds, the outdoor season is shrinking. The Forest Service closed driving access to the Paulina Peak summit for the season on October 6. That spur road usually closes in late October or early November depending on snow, so it went early this year. Paulina Lake Road was still listed open on the Forest Service's current-conditions page as of the same date.
Paulina Lake Road's own gate closing date for 2026 hasn't been posted yet. OPB reported last year that it and the Cascade Lakes Highway were set to close November 18, 2025, and that once they close, both roads become winter recreation areas for snowmobiles and backcountry skiers. From then on, the way into Newberry is through the two Sno-Parks on County Road 21. 6 Mile Sno-Park and 10 Mile Sno-Park are named for their distance east of Highway 97, and 10 Mile serves both motorized and non-motorized users heading toward the caldera.
Up at the lake, Paulina Lake Lodge closed its fall cabin season at noon on October 12. Its homepage still says winter 2026–27 information is "coming soon."
Where the Two Calendars Overlap
The two schedules first overlap on Sunday, November 1. That's the Cinnamon Roll round, and it's also the first day Oregon requires a Sno-Park permit. Under Oregon DMV's current schedule, permits are required November 1 through April 30 and cost $25 for the season, $9 for three consecutive days or $4 for a day, and permit agents can add a service fee. At those prices, an annual permit pays for itself by your seventh single-day visit. Annual permits are sold online, and retail agents sell all three types.
Christmas trees join the schedule two weeks later. Deschutes National Forest permits go on sale on Recreation.gov on Thursday, November 12, at 10 a.m. Eastern, which is 7 a.m. in La Pine. They cost $5 per tree, with a limit of five, and the cutting season runs November 13 through December 31, 2026. That puts the Cranberry Dessert round on November 15, the first Sunday of cutting season. According to the Deschutes National Forest permit page, online permits carry a service fee. Fourth graders with an Every Kid Outdoors pass get a free tree permit, though ordering it online still adds a $2.50 reservation fee and Forest Service offices can issue it in person. Last season's vendor sheet listed La Pine Ace Hardware, Bi-Mart La Pine, Fast Break Store and Mainline Station as places to buy permits in person. That list is from 2025, so call ahead before you drive over.
Here are the dated stops from Halloween through the end of the year.
| Date | Bake Off round | What else lands that week |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Oct. 31 | None | Monster Mash & Candy Dash, 5–8 p.m., La Pine Activity Center |
| Sun., Nov. 1 | Cinnamon Roll | Sno-Park permits required starting today |
| Thu., Nov. 12 to Fri., Nov. 13 | None | Tree permits on sale Thursday; cutting season opens Friday |
| Sun., Nov. 15 | Cranberry Dessert | First Sunday of tree-cutting season |
| Sun., Nov. 29 | Nut Dessert | Sunday after Thanksgiving |
| Fri., Dec. 4 to Sat., Dec. 5 | None | Christmas Bazaar both days; Grange craft fair Friday |
| Sun., Dec. 13 | Spice Dessert | 18 days left in cutting season |
| Sun., Dec. 27 | Chocolate Dessert | Last listed round; tree permits valid through Dec. 31 |
The Weekends in Between Fill on Their Own
Two of the season's busiest dates fall off the Sunday schedule. Halloween falls on a Saturday this year. The Monster Mash & Candy Dash runs 5 to 8 p.m. on October 31 at the La Pine Activity Center, 16450 Victory Way, with costumes, candy and family activities. The next afternoon is the Cinnamon Roll round.
Friday, December 4, has two events. The La Pine Christmas Bazaar, run by the Frontier Days organization, fills the La Pine Community Center on December 4 and 5. Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, with local vendors, crafts, gifts and holiday décor. On the same Friday, the Little Deschutes Grange holds its December Craft Fair with homemade goods and holiday décor. The Grange's listing doesn't give hours, so check before planning to hit both. The Saturday bazaar runs until 8 p.m., so you can save most of your shopping for that evening.
Before Then, the Roads, and Later, the Park
Through Saturday, October 24, in-town driving is slower. Deschutes County's update for October 18 through 24 lists shoulder work and new reflective markers on 3rd, 5th and 6th Streets, Pengra Road, Dorrance Meadow Road and Walker Road. Crews work weekdays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., with single-lane closures, flaggers and delays of up to 20 minutes. The same county notice also lists utility work on 1st and 4th Streets, Bonnie Lane, Coach Road, Morson Street and William Foss Road. That work runs 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and Saturdays, with possible detours.
One project has moved from this year's calendar to next year's. La Pine Parks & Recreation's capital campaign page now plans the Heritage Park splash pad for July 2027. Site work is set for January through March, installation for April through June, and a grand opening for the week of July 4, as long as the funding comes through. The district's adopted 2026–27 budget had aimed for completion in July 2026. Until then, the town's winter gathering spots are a taproom on Bluewood Place, two community halls and two Sno-Parks east of the highway.
When the Chocolate Dessert round wraps up on December 27, four days will be left on this year's tree permits, and the Sno-Park season will still have four months to go. If you're thinking about how La Pine's year-round rhythm fits your own plans, from a quiet cabin near the 10 Mile turnoff to a place close enough to Bluewood Place to walk over on a Sunday, The Agency Bend can help. Request a Premium Market Consultation, and we'll talk through the parts of town that fit how you spend your weekends.
