Heaven is a place on earth…That place is Sunriver, Oregon and let me tell you a story why. The sun starts to creep up and shine light into my room. I slip on my sneakers, grab my dogs leash, and head out the door. A deer is looking me straight in the face from the side yard, through the crisp morning air. I walk my dogs past him and find my way to the bike path that leads down to the river. Enormous, beautiful trees tower above me and surround me. The forest eventually breaks to a grassy plane by the river. I walk my dogs over the bridge, off the bike path, and to the rivers edge and let them off leash. I hurriedly run through the wild grass to find sticks to throw for my abundantly excited dogs. I look behind me, and they followed me. Galloping at full speed towards me, bounding, leaping through the vast open land. The sun started to sparkle on the water with the bridge providing a beautiful backdrop. Faintly, in the background, you can hear something that sounds like , “Ooo heaven is a place on earth, yeah, heaven is a place on earth”. In that moment, I came to the conclusion that heaven is in fact a place on earth.

Sunriver is somewhere that you can spend a whole day playing board games on the back patio or meandering your way through the miles of bike paths, and not feel like you wasted a second. It’s a place that is rejuvenating. Wholesome. Freeing. It’s about disconnecting. Relaxing. Enjoying nature. And let me tell you, Oregon’s nature sure is beautiful. I grew up going here for a week every year so I can attest that it is worth going back to again and again!

What to do?

As I alluded to, a lot of what there is to do involves being outdoors or relaxing. Sunriver is essentially a giant resort community. But think more like a suburban resort, not a hotel; meaning, it’s a bunch of home rentals but resort amenities everywhere.

Practically no one drives, you either bike or walk to where you are going. There is probably more bike paths then there are streets! The bike path is just beautiful, you can go out to the river loop, stables, and airport for a scenic ride. Keep an eye out for deer! I always keep a running tally of how many deer I spot, and this past time I stopped counting after I reached 15.

The amenities in the community include tennis courts, multiple pools, a central village with shops, restaurants, and mini golf or ice skating depending on the time of the year, parks, playgrounds, and a golf course. The village is super cute with one of my favorite sweet shops of all time! When I was a kid, I would always make sure we made one run to the sweet shop to stock up for the weekend and get an ice cream. At the parks, we’ve played family games of wiffle ball, brought the dogs to run, or swung endlessly on the tire swing. Plenty to keep you busy for a week!

My all time favorite activity to do near Sunriver is to book a rafting trip. The nearby Deschutes river offers a fun rafting experience! Get prepared to get wet, which when it’s 90 out trust me it’ll be great! Add in some adrenaline and you got yourself an action packed day.

For something a little slower pace, what I’ve been doing recently is getting out on the sun river which cuts through Sunriver – see where the name comes from? I’ve taken just a inner tube floaty out before, or a small raft or kayak. Some people have ‘party’ floats that are big enough to fit 6+ people. The one thing with the inner tube is that your butt goes numb because the river is so cold hahaha and you don’t have a paddle so you have to get yourself unstuck off the banks sometimes. The counter is if you bring beer and are in a raft / kayak and have to pee from drinking beer 🙂 I think technically alcohol is not allowed on the river, but I saw plenty of people drinking. You can rent a raft at the marina and ask them about the put in and take out spots!

Finally, there is nothing better than hanging out on the back patio with an ice cold drink and lazing away nights playing board and card games. And a must must MUST is book a rental with a hot tub!!! Trust me, you will love ending your day, slightly sore from bike riding, looking up at the beautiful starry sky.

Logistics

You can get to Sunriver either by driving or by flying into Bend airport. Bend is about a 30 minute drive from Sunriver. I would suggest renting a car so you can get to Sunriver. You should rent an Airbnb or Vrbo and I highly suggest booking a few months in advance as Sunriver is extremely popular and can book up. Once there, get a bike rental for the duration of your stay. Sunriver is a high desert meaning that they have long, hot summers and cold, snowy winters. I suggest going in the summer and enjoying the water activities in the heat. Although if you go in the winter, sledding and skiing is phenomenal.