Press Releases

10 Reasons to Love Summer

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Whether you choose to ride it during summer, or take in the brilliant colors of fall from one of its gondola cabins, Sunday River’s Chondola is a must-do experience for all guests to the resort. Yankee Magazine ranked the Bethel area as the #1 New England leaf-peeping location and noted Sunday River’s Chondola as one of the best ways to take in all of the views. Summer and fall, the Chondola whisks guests to the mid-mountain Peak Lodge where views of the Mahoosuc and Presidential Range extend for miles and miles. No trip is complete without taking a moment to take in the full view.

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Covering all eight of Sunday River’s interconnected peaks, the Sunday River Mountain Bike Park is packed with over 25 miles of terrain perfect for honing your downhill skills on, not to mention learning new ones. Kids of all ages can take advantage of a full fleet of technical Kona rental bikes and will appreciate the Chondola’s bike transport system. Beginners will find the recent addition of Easy Tiger absolutely “purrfect,” while those more daring souls will feel just like this after tackling the resort’s newest trail, Rockstar.

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Voted “Best Public Golf Course in Maine” by Golfweek magazine six years in a row, the Sunday River Golf Club, designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr., features an 18-hole championship course that winds through one of Maine’s most picturesque alpine settings. Advanced golfers will love the challenge of a truly award-winning course, while beginners will love the clinics and wide-open fairways.

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On a hot sunny day, there is no better escape than the local swimming spot—Letter S Pool. Located five miles past the picture-perfect Sunday River covered bridge, Letter S provides people (and oftentimes their four-legged friends) some much-needed salvation after extended time in the sun while mountain biking or golfing. Hidden down a dirt road, Letter S is part of the actual Sunday River, which runs through glacial rock formations before widening out to what looks like a twisting letter “S.” Pack a lunch and some towels and don’t forget your sunscreen, Letter S boasts a small rocky beach with highly coveted real estate for tanning, as well as shallow water to refresh the tootsies with deep spots perfect for a full-on plunge.

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Take your sense of adventure to a whole new technological level with Sunday River’s geocache adventure! Located throughout the resort’s eight peaks, geocaching involves handheld GPS devices to locate hidden treasure chests. Choose from a dozen cache locations throughout Sunday River, some close to the South Ridge base area and others accessible by a decent hike or Chondola ride. GPS rentals and information are available out of Sunday River Sports in the South Ridge Base Lodge. 

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Deep within one of Sunday River’s forests is a Zipline Tour unlike any other. Six lines, ranging from 100 feet to 300 feet in length, take zippers up and over a ravine and through a wooded wonderland. All thrills, no skills, Sunday River’s Zipline Tour is perfect for the beginner or intermediate adventurist. Guides set the pace and scene by helping you into your harness and assist you when loading and unloading at each line. The Tour’s grand finale is a zip down one of the resort’s two parallel Twin Zips, which span 750 feet in length. Of course no tour is complete without a heartfelt round of “Zip ah dee doo dah!” You’ll certainly leave thinking, “My oh my, what a wonderful day!”

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The Bethel area is home to some of the world’s best hiking as evidenced by the hundreds of hikers who drop into town for a quick trip back to reality before logging in more miles along the Appalachian Trail. Day hikers can easily take advantage of come of these same parts of the AT, or for a quick leg burner with just as much scenic reward, Table Rock Mountain located in nearby Grafton Notch, takes hikers up almost 2,400 feet and is suitable for even small kids. And, as locals will tell you, a summertime trip up and down Table Rock is best accompanied by a refreshing dip in the nearby Screw Auger Falls scenic swim spot. 

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There are foot races, triathlons, even adventure races, and then there are races like Sunday River’s Tough Mountain Challenge. Created last year, this bucket list-worthy obstacle race takes some of Sunday River’s most well known features and pins them against racers in a 5k obstacle course. Scheduled to take place on Saturday, July 23, at Sunday River, racers can expect a snowgun salute kickoff similar to last year’s Hurricane Alley as well as some other race favorites, including the Trench of Terror and the Black Hole. Singles, duos, and teams are invited to race in this all-out “Man vs. Mountain” battle. New this year, kiddos can get involved too with the free Mini Mountain Challenge a. When it’s all said and done, there will surely be “the mud and the blood and the beer.” 

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Full moons are spectacular events to witness and even provide the perfect excuse to throw a party. Each summer, Sunday River schedules Full Moon Parties at the Peak Lodge, which combines a scenic Chondola ride with live entertainment and an abundance of food and drink, all under a brightly moonlit sky.  You’ll dance, you’ll sing, you may even find yourself howling at the full moon above, but the good news is you won’t be alone. You’ll find yourself in the good company of many in-the-know locals.

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Whether you look at it as extreme couples’ therapy or a great excuse to add a little spontaneity to the relationship, Sunday River’s Annual Wife Carrying Championship provides as good an excuse as any to add a little something-something to the relationship. Just as the name reads, this event takes couples from across the US and challenges their physical fitness and communication skills over a 278-yard Finnish-style obstacle course. While you do not need to be married to enter, you do need to come prepared with a sense of humor. From the classic Estonian carry, which places women in the awkward-yet-strategic upside-down piggyback position, to the run through Widow Maker pond, this event is a favorite among thousands of spectators who watch it during the resort’s annual Fall Festival Weekend, and an even bigger hit among national and international media who run footage from it.   

For more information, please visit www.sundayriver.com.