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While a lucky few may be able to fly their private planes directly into the small airport located at Sunriver, most travelers will need to arrange transport from one of the regional airports located nearby. North Bend (OTH) is the closest, half an hour away, but it is only served by Horizon Air and private planes. The next closest is the slightly larger Redmond Municipal Airport (RDM), which is almost an hour from Sunriver, and both Horizon Air and United Express fly into this airport. The city of Eugene is a two and one half hour drive from Sunriver, but four different airlines serve their larger airport (EUG).

Luckily, all of these airports have a few different options for rental car companies, and the drive from each of these cities to Sunriver is fairly straightforward. For those who don't drive: Greyhound and Amtrack both have service to Sunriver, but the schedules and routes can be dicey: a train ride from Eugene to Sunriver can be almost three times as long as driving. Also, the Sunriver resort offers a shuttle from the Bend or Redmond Airport.

Once you get to Sunriver, most people should be able to park their car and not touch it for days. The resort side of town has over 30 miles of paved bike trails, even though it is only about 5 square miles in area. Because the town was built on an ancient lake bed, the land is generally flat with only gentle hills, making bicycling around town a good prospect even for those who don't aspire to be Lance Armstrong. Pretty much anything within the resort can be accessed by a short bike ride. If bicycling seems like too much work for your vacation, there are a few scooter /motorbike rental places in town; however, you can expect that rental rates will be equal to, or even larger than, the per day cost for a car.

If you plan to ski, there are shuttle buses to Mt. Bachelor, which will save you the hassle of mountain driving and parking fees.

If your clutch foot begins to itch, you can fire up the engine to explore one of the many exciting locations within a short drive. If you feel the need to visit a city, Salem (1.5 hours), Eugene (2.5 hours), and Portland (just under 4 hours) are within driving distance. However, there are much more exciting things to see even closer to Sunriver. The Newberry National Volcanic Monument is only about 6 miles away. Here you can find a river of ancient lava frozen in time as basalt. The visitor's center is right off of highway 97, and the rangers there can direct you to all of the amazing views. Smith Rock State Park is about 1.5 hours north, and there you will find daring rock climbers hanging from cliffs, and for those who like to stay on the ground: miles of hiking and mountain bike trails through rugged canyons. Crater Lake National Park is just under 2 hours to the south of Sunriver. This park is a must-see for every traveler: the majestic lake was formed when an ancient volcano collapsed in on itself, and a volcanic cinder cone is slowly growing within the lake.

Whatever you do, don't be put off by the long trip from the airport to Sunriver, because once you are in town, you can choose to ditch the sub-compact and enjoy the wide open spaces on foot or bicycle. Also, that car just might come in handy if you make the wise decision to venture outside of town and visit the spectacular natural attractions that Oregon has to offer!

Learn more about this author, Jody Barnes.
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