Oregon’s Outdoor Playground

Central Oregon’s high desert offers year-round outdoor play for everyone! Its 300+ days of sunshine invite you to get out in nature and explore its various terrain ideal for every outdoor activity. Rock climb at Smith Rock, paddle board at Elk Lake, or explore the Three Sisters (Faith, Hope, and Charity) and Mt. Bachelor of the Cascade Mountain Range on your next adventure. 

Central Oregon has it all. All that’s missing is you!

The Perfect Drive-To Destination

Whether you’re coming from the North, South, East, or West, many major west-coast cities are less than 500 miles to this amazing destination! Plan your road trip today and make amazing memories along the way!

Fly Right Into Sunriver! (Private Flights Only)

Sunriver has a 5,500 ft long paved and lighted airstrip, which is the third busiest in the state and one of the longest private airstrips in the West. The Sunriver Airport also provides rental cars that can be ready and waiting for you upon arrival. If you’d rather visit on public flights, 30 miles to the north of Sunriver is the commercial Bend/Redmond Airport.

Sunriver Information

Why Visit Sunriver

Sunriver is Central Oregon’s premier outdoor destination with access to top-tier locations and facilities for skiing and winter sports, golf, and more. Mount Bachelor and its ski area are a short drive away (20-30 minutes) and are frequent destinations for winter guests, while year-around  visitors enjoy the myriad of golf courses, hiking trails, nearby lakes, and other attractions. Sunriver visitors all agree that it is an incredible destination that creates a wonderful and memorable experience for all ages. Once you visit Sunriver, you won’t be able to resist a return visit. 

About the Community

Sunriver is a 3,300-acre, private, and planned community in Central Oregon that is part of the Bend, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is located on the eastern flank of the Deschutes River about 15 miles (25 km) south of Bend at the base of the Cascade Mountain Range. Sunriver consists of residential areas, recreational facilities, the Sunriver, and areas for commercial development. It has a permanent population of about 1700, though at any given time it may have several times that number of vacationers visiting. Among it’s amenities and attractions, Sunriver has three golf courses, multiple tennis courts, several swimming pools, a park, the Sunriver Nature Center and Observatory, horse stables, a marina, a general aviation airport, restaurants, a business park, the Three Rivers School and The Village shopping center. All these amenities are accessible via the 35+ miles (over 55 km) of paved bicycle paths that span the Sunriver area. Mount Bachelor and its ski area are also close by (20-30 minutes) and are frequent destinations for winter guests.

Area History

Sunriver is located on the grounds of Camp Abbot, a World War II training facility designed to train combat engineers in a simulated combat environment. The U.S. Army camp opened in 1942, but by June 1944, the camp was abandoned and most of the settlement was razed. Developers John Gray and Donald V. McCallum later selected the name ‘Sunriver’. Condominiums were built in 1968 in conjunction with the completion of the Sunriver Lodge, and in 1969 the master plan was completed and developers began selling lots to create the amazing community we have today.

Bend Information

Why Visit Bend

Bend is the largest city in Deschutes County, Oregon, and is known across the nation as a premiere destination for outdoor enthusiasts. Originally a logging town, Bend has become identified as a jump-off point for multiple outdoor sports, such as mountain biking, fishing, hiking, camping, rock climbing, white-water rafting, skiing, and golf.

In addition to its outdoor allure, Bend is also Oregon’s Craft Beer Capitol with the most microbreweries per capita in the state (over 25) with craft distilleries and wineries to boot. Bend also features a myriad of fantastic restaurants, wonderful shops and boutiques, and just about anything a traveler will want from a destination, including the Last Blockbuster if you’re looking for some big-screen nostalgia. Visitors find themselves wanting little when in the greater Bend area.

About the Community

Bend is the principal city of the Bend, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 52,029 at the 2000 census, though it has grown to over 80,000 as of 2012. Bend is located on the west edge of the Cascade Range Ponderosa Pine forest, right where it transitions into the Great Basin High Desert Plateau, characterized by junipers, sagebrush, bitter-brush, and little water.

Bend’s History

The name Bend was derived from “Farewell Bend,” the designation used by early pioneers to refer to the location along the Deschutes River where the town eventually was platted- one of the few fordable points along the river. Until the winter of 1824 only Native Americans who hunted and fished there knew the Bend area. That year, members of a fur trapping party led by Peter Skene Ogden, visited the area and next came John C. Fremont, Dr. John Strong Newberry, and other Army surveying parties. Then pioneers heading farther west passed through the area and forded the Deschutes River at Farewell Bend. Actual settlement did not occur until the early 1900s with the founding of the Pilot Butte Development Company by Alexander M. Drake. A small community developed around the bend in the river and in 1904 a city was incorporated by a general vote of the community’s 300 residents. On January 4, 1905 the city held its first official meeting as an incorporated municipality, appointing A. H. Goodwillie as the first mayor. Twelve years later Deschutes County was formed from the western half of Crook County and Bend was designated as the county seat. In 1929 Bend amended the charter and adopted the manager/council form of government.