SARAH

Thinking of visiting Sun river Oregon. Is it a worthwhile trip? Is it out in the middle of nowhere? What did you do when you were there?

Paula

Sarah, Depends what you like...it was very pretty, we went hiking, river warfing, played tennis, and went out to eat alot. It was relaxing, but I don't really have a desire to go back, but I live outside Seattle and where I live is even prettier, so it just depends. If you want a very relaxing, outdoorsy vacation, it might be good for you.

msa

I also live in the Seattle area...but absolutely LOVE Sunriver!!!! The resort is basically a little suburb of Bend...Sunriver has so much to do...biking, canoeing, golf, tennis, swim...you name it...then in the general area there are lots of mountains to go explore...GREAT hiking. We rent houses at Sunriver, so never eat out...too much fun to grill on the deck in the evening and hang out in the hot tub. Not sure where you are coming from...but when we drive down we stop at some family's house near the Portland airport and from there it only takes us around 3 hours to get there, so not bad at all.

lisa

Sarah, What sort of vacation are you interested in? Then we can help you out more.
We've stayed at Sunriver a few times, in winter and summer. As other posters suggest, there is a lot to do, in an outdoorsy way. Bike paths, horseback riding, swimming, tennis, etc. Bend isn't too far, and it's becomming an upscale retirement town, with a nice downtown with great stores. It is not urban, though.
Also, near Sunriver is the Newberry Crater National Monument, which has two lakes (mini-crater lakes) and is quite scenic; a lava butte; a lava cave you can explore; the High Desert Museum. It is a great place for a family vacation or reunion. Mt. Bachelor is nearby, and it is lovely. Plus hiking in the mountains, as other posters have suggested.
Another well-respected resort close to Bend is Black Butte. We've seen it but not stayed there. Lots of people prefer it to Sunriver. It has more planned type recreational activities than Sunriver. It is closer to the town of Sisters than Sunriver is to Bend, but Sisters is smaller (but has some great shops and nice places to eat). It is in the mountains, whereas Sunriver is in a Ponderosa pine forest on the eastern slopes of the Cascades.
Check out the web sites for both.
You could combine a trip - maybe four days in Sunriver or Black Butte, and then drive to Crater Lake and Ashland, for the wonderful Shakespeare festival....Don't know your interests.

Clara

We spent a week one christmas with a group of friends at sunriver. Its not far from Bend but that doesn't say much unless you like to ski at mt bachelor. bend is very blah and in the middle of nowhere. sunriver is just like a huge suburban tract development with lots of sidewalks to walk on. nothing special at all.

lisa

It's not like the suburbs we live in! Wish where we lived were more like Sunriver! It is a resort community. It is full of contemporary cedar siding houses and condos (has a lodge) and is in a forest with rolling hills. The streets are all winding and the sidewalks are for walking and biking. You can get anywhere (the pools, the river, the horseback riding, the little town) by bike or walk. There's a little downtown in Sunriver that is totally planned, on a central square area, that has stores, restaurants, cafes. A few of the stores were vacant when we went. Not doing too well.

Sara

I absolutely love Sunriver!! We go every spring and fall - hope to own a house there sometime. I love it because it is so relaxing but there is so much to do too. We ride bikes LOTS (they have bike rentals there, tandems too). I don't know if horseback riding was mentioned. There is a tour group that takes you to the top of a hill and you ride down, stopping to swim and play in waterfalls. This was very fun. In the winter there is snowmobiling, skiing, and sledding. Sisters would be a fun day trip, touristy but fun anyway. The High Desert Museum is great.

Sunriver is a planned resort with very strict rules about the houses. They have to be painted certain colours, no privacy fences over a specific height. Typically the houses near the mall are older, some have been completely redone others need it. I prefer to be close to the mall for ice cream at Goodies. You can rent a house for up to 15 people or a condo. I like the houses because then we can cook our own meals and save lots of $. There are not very many restaurants in Sunriver so if you don't want to cook then plan on driving to Bend. There are house rental companies with great websites. Depending on the time of year you go there are specials.

As mentioned Bend is close - really dislike that city, has no planning and is growing very fast, however, it does have a cute downtown with little shops.

I haven't ever stayed in Black Butte in Sisters but from the few times I have been through I think I prefer Sunriver.

Sunriver is in Central Oregon which is a high desert so it is pretty dry but not necessarily barren, there are trees.

Can't say enough good about it - can be very active or very slow it is up to you.

beachbum

I've been to and like both. But when I drive into Black Butte, the breathtaking scenery inspires a sense of peace unlike any other place I've been. Black Butte is smaller and less commercial than Sun River, so maybe not as good for teens. But there are plenty of activities if you want to keep busy. My absolute favorite is an early morning bike ride through the meadow with sunrise views of Three Sisters, Mt. Washington, Three-Fingered Jack, and Black Butte. Aaahhh...can't wait to get back.

jlf

SunRiver is beautiful with lots of outdoor activity. But it's not in the middle of nowhere. There is a lot going on. If you want a more remote resort check out Black Butte or Eagle Crest. Anywhere you go there's lots of golf, hiking, rafting, mt. biking, swimming etc. If you like the outdoors you can't go wrong.

Kris

Sunriver was probably the best vacation i ever had. I had so much fun biking every day on the miles and miles of scenic paths, whitewater rafting, playing tennis, swimming, horseback riding,hiking and sightseeing. Make sure you drive out of Sunriver and see the mountains and museums nearby. Well worth it. I loved it, and cannot wait to go back. I would highly suggest it.

Gary

I can not image (nor would I want to) what type of hellhole you folks must live in on a daily basis that you would consider Sunriver to be some sort of wonderland! It's just a tract development of ticky/tacky identical homes inches from each other in a flat ppiece of land in the middle of the ugliest part of the state of Oregon.

J T Kirk

IMO, and as has been mentioned, it's a little TOO planned for my taste. Yes, you are smack dab in the middle of great wilderness areas, but Sunriver feels sorta like Disneyworld to me. It's like the trees and squirrels are fake (they aren't, of course, but, gee, it sure seems like it in Sunriver.) Plus, when I was there it seemed like it was dying a slow death. I think it's just a little too far from Bend to be viable, but I don't know since I don't live there.