Nancy D. Brown is a lover of all things related to travel. With What A Trip, she has combined her passion for travel with her professional writing career. 
Things to See and Do in Sunriver, Oregon
Take in a sunset at Sunriver, Oregon
The first place I take a visitor from out of town is to the top of Lava Butte.
When I crave home made ice cream, I turn to Goody’s at the Sunriver Resort Village Mall.
To escape work I go mountain biking in the Deschutes National Forest.
For complete quiet, I can hide away on my kayak on the Deschutes River or Cascade Lakes.
If you come to Sunriver, get your picture taken next to Benham Falls.
If you have to order one thing off the menu at the Grille at Crosswater, get the salmon.
Sunriver is my one stop shop for outdoor recreation.
Take a downhill mountain bike ride to Paulina Plunge outside of Sunriver, Oregon
When I’m feeling cash-strapped, I go to Parilla in Bend.
For a huge splurge, I go to the Grille at Crosswater.
Photo ops in Sunriver could be on a horse next to the Deschutes River, in a Glider soaring over the Cascade Mountains, or on the 12thhole at Crosswater.
The best vantage points are taken by walking to the top of Lava Butte or on horseback at Ramsey Ridge.
The most random thing about Sunriver Resort is the Wings and Wheels Antique Car and Airplane Festival.
In Sunriver, an active day outdoors involves biking, horseback riding, kayaking, rafting, paddle-boarding, hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, caving. The recreational opportunities are wide open.
My favorite walking route is the Benham Falls trail.
Sunriver’s best museum is the High Desert Museum.
For a night of dancing, go to your back porch and dance under the stars.
To find out what’s going on a night or on weekends, read the Sunriver Scene.
The best Sunriver views are reached on horseback from Ramsey Ridge
You can tell a lot about Central Oregon from visiting Sisters and watching the Sisters rodeo.
In the spring you should go skiing and snowboarding at Mt. Bachelor. Usually Bachelor has the best late season snow in the country.
In the summer you should take a white water rafting trip on the Deschutes.
In the fall you should hike the Deschutes river trail when the aspens are on fire.
In the winter you should go to Mt. Bachelor for dog sledding rides.
A hidden gem in Central Oregon is Fall River.
For a great breakfast treat or espresso, go to the Bellatzza.
Just outside of Sunriver Resort you can visit Sparks lake and have a picnic.
The best way to see Sunriver is to ride bikes.
If you have kids, you won’t want to miss Ft. Funnigan.
Go standup paddle boarding or kayaking on Sunriver's Deschutes River
What are your favorite things to do in Sunriver, Oregon?
Thanks to Daryl McCarl and Sunriver Resort for assistance with this post.
Photos and YouTube video by Nancy D. Brown
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Sunriver
Tags: biking, central oregon, crosswater, crosswater golf course, deschutes river, golf, high desert, horseback riding, kayak, nancy d. brown, Oregon, sage springs spa, sunriver, sunriver resort, sunriver stables, youtube nancy d. brown, youtube video
Love Sunriver!
If your readers haven’t checked it out, it’s certainly worth visiting. We’ve enjoyed it in summer + winter + would go back any time.
Thanks for sharing Sunriver with us. I live near Mount Shasta and I’m starting to explore more of Oregon.
@John
I’m glad you enjoyed my post on “Things to See and Do in Sunriver, Oregon. If you are a hiker, read my post on http://www.Writinghorseback.com about the Peter Skene Ogden Trail in La Pine, Oregon. It is located a short distance south of Sunriver and is a scenic hike along Paulina Creek.
Hey Nancy-
Nice post, glad to see someone raising awareness of this truly unique area in the High Desert of Central Oregon. I’ve vacationed in Sunriver with my family growing up and have now lived in the area for a little over 5 years. Your activity suggestions capture a lot of what makes Sunriver so special to me.
Kyle J. Hoak
Prudential Northwest Properties-Sunriver
@Kyle
My husband and I have enjoyed our annual family vacations to Sunriver. He’s a native Oregonian and would like to retire to the High Desert of Central Oregon. I, on the other hand, am a third generation Californian and would not forward to shoveling snow in my 80’s.
I LOVE, love, love this post! Thank you so much! We are planning a summer vacation and I have moved to looking for things to do in Sunriver and this post NAILED it! Thank you!
@Sara
I love, love, love readers like you who leave nice comments about my blog. Glad I could be of assistance. You’ll love your summer vacation to Sunriver.