The SELCO Pole Pedal Paddle starts at Mt. Bachelor and finishes at the Old Mill in Bend on a Saturday in mid-May, with 2,000 or more entrants across individual, pair and team categories. This house sleeps 30 and sits about 30 minutes from both the start and the finish, with parking for 15 vehicles, a mudroom for ski boots and wet paddling gear, and a washer and dryer. A team or two alumni teams and their families fit under one roof.
Updated October 2026
Pole Pedal Paddle at a glance for a team staying near Sunriver
The race is one mid-May Saturday, from the mountain to the river in Bend; the house is about 30 minutes from both ends.
| Detail | What to know |
|---|---|
| When | A Saturday in mid-May. The 50th running was May 16 in 2026; MBSEF has posted May 15 for 2027. Confirm at pppbend.com. |
| Course | Alpine ski, cross-country ski, bike, run, paddle and sprint, from Mt. Bachelor to the Athletic Club of Bend and Riverbend Park. Low snow can alter the early legs. |
| Teams | Individual, pair and team categories; team size varies by category. |
| Housing rule | None. Entrants book their own lodging. |
| From the house | About 30 minutes to Mt. Bachelor and about 30 minutes to the finish in Bend. |
Friday night before Pole Pedal Paddle: six legs of gear in one mudroom near Sunriver
A team arrives Friday with skis, a bike, running shoes and a kayak or board, and someone has to lay it all out and check it. The mudroom has a built-in bench and hooks, the game room takes the bikes out of the weather, and the covered deck is where the boats sit overnight. Dinner is the 12-foot table and the gas grill; the pasta goes in the kitchen's two ovens.
The team that drives to Bachelor at dawn on Saturday leaves the house at about 6; the cheering section leaves later for the finish. One house holds both groups and one kitchen feeds them.
Saturday after the finish in Bend: the river, the hot tub and the deck
The finish party is in the Old Mill. The house is 30 minutes south, and the afternoon there is the covered hot tub, 450 feet of private Deschutes frontage with Adirondack chairs on the dock, and the grill. Mid-May water is cold, and an outdoor fire in May depends on the weather and that week's fire rules, so plan on the hot tub.
Alumni teams make this a weekend: Friday to Sunday, with a Sunday morning on the dock before the drive to Portland or Seattle. The route home is in getting to Sunriver.
Where a Pole Pedal Paddle team and its families sleep: 11 rooms, two buildings
Six bedrooms in the Lodge, including a bunk room and two King rooms with a twin bunk added; five in the Cottage, the original 1960s cabin next door with its own kitchen. A team of six, partners and kids spreads out; two alumni teams of six with families fill it to the 30-person cap. The bed-by-bed table for all 11 rooms is on large group rentals near Sunriver; the floor plans and 3D tour are on the whole retreat page.
Parking for cars, bikes and boats at the house south of Sunriver
Up to 15 vehicles park on site, with room for a trailer. Bikes live in the game room or on the covered deck; boats and boards go on the deck. The last stretch in is Chief Paulina Drive, a shared dirt road, so drive it slowly with a kayak on the roof. From the house: Sunriver Resort and SHARC are five miles and about ten minutes, Bend and Mt. Bachelor are each about 30 minutes, and the Big River boat ramp, a public put-in, is 2.5 miles up the road.
The house rules that matter for a race weekend near Bend
Quiet hours start at 9 PM and the home is on well and septic, so the 30-person cap is real. A dog that comes to cheer is welcome for a pet fee.
The rules that decide whether this house fits a group: the renter must be 30 or older, every booking has a 2-night minimum, quiet hours run 9 PM to 8 AM, and occupancy is capped at 30 guests (24 adults) because the home is on well and septic. Dogs are welcome for a pet fee once approved on your reservation. The full list, the deposit and the cancellation terms are on house rules and Book Now.
What a Pole Pedal Paddle weekend costs for 12 to 30, and how to book
Two nights split 20 or 30 ways is the number to compare with Bend hotels on race weekend. The calendar on Book Now shows the rate; mid-May is shoulder season here, so the dates are usually open until spring. The other events teams book this house for are on team and event lodging near Bend and Sunriver, and the Cascade Lakes Relay has its own page.
Nightly rates run about 1,000 to 4,000 dollars plus taxes and fees. For 24 adults, that is 42 to 167 dollars a person a night before taxes and fees.
What a group of 16 said about a weekend here
“Scott’s house was absolutely amazing! The backyard is stunning and we had plenty of space for our group of 16 adults. Scott was super responsive and friendly. I’d absolutely stay here again”