[10] The High Desert Museum sits on 135 acres (0.55 km2) of pine covered forest land in Central Oregon.

Visitors passing through the lobby can walk straight ahead into the Collins Gallery and museum gift shop or proceed to exhibits down corridors to the right or left.

To the right of the main lobby is the Earle A. Chiles Center on the Spirit of the West and separate galleries for special traveling exhibits.

The exit at the far end of the desertarium leads to the Donald M Kerr Birds of Prey Center and the museum's outdoor exhibits.

[18] The museum's indoor and outdoor exhibits of Native American, pioneer, and animal life are presented on a massive scale.

A visitor can actually walk through an early 1860s town complete with blacksmith shop, Chinese mercantile, and stage coach stop.

There is also an impressive exhibit of Native American horse tack used for the Pendleton Round-Up that is unmatched for its craftsmanship, beauty, and individuality of design.

Exhibits include a Forest Service fire truck, a stage coach, and a number of Native American history displays.

The museum's Hall of Exploration and Settlement has displays highlighting a hundred years of high desert history.

[11][12] Between July 6 and November 10, 2019, the museum held an exhibit about how the United States prepared astronauts for lunar landscapes by training in central Oregon, near Bend.