Guides
How to Fill an Entire Week at Sunday River
There’s a moment on the drive toward Sunday River when you might think you’ve gone the wrong way—the radio starts to crackle, the trees get a little bigger, and your phone loses a bar of service. And just when you think it’s time to double-check your maps app, you realize you’ve made exactly the right call. Sunday River may be tucked away in the woods and wilderness of Maine, but the list of activities to do and places to explore runs longer than the drive.
Most visitors do Sunday River wrong. They show up on a Thursday or Friday night, try to squeeze in eight peaks worth of skiing into a single weekend, then drive home on Sunday, exhausted. It can be done in a weekend, but Sunday River is worth enjoying for a week.
Instead of a rigid day-by-day schedule, consider this a choose-your-own-adventure guide, and mix and match activities that suit your kind of trip. From five days of hard-charging capped by a snowmobiling adventure, to skiing every day until lunch followed by afternoons in town, there’s plenty for everyone (even if only half your crew skis).
When it comes to where to stay for a full week, renting a vacation home is the right move. Look for a place in the town of Newry or neighboring Bethel for maximum space—this is where you’ll find cozy Maine cabins at their finest. Slopeside condos are great if you really want to maximize your time at Sunday River Resort. Wherever you land, having your own place makes it easy to manage logistics: someone can start breakfast while others sleep in, and nobody has to negotiate a dinner reservation for eight on a Saturday night.
The main event
Let’s start with the obvious: With eight skiable peaks, Sunday River is seriously spread out, so give yourself plenty of time to learn how they all connect. Start near the base of Barker Mountain and work your way outward, hitting the groomers while the corduroy is fresh. Once you’re warmed up, explore White Cap and the upper-mountain terrain for longer pitches and a change of scenery.
The mountain has something for every ability level. Intermediates can spend entire mornings linking cruises without repeating themselves at all, and more advanced skiers can seek out the steeper terrain and glades. White Heat, off White Cap, is a legendary challenge—a bucket-list experience for experts, and not the place to test your skills for the first time. Beginners and families can start at South Ridge, home to the resort’s beginner terrain and SnowSports School.
Pro Tips: Check the mountain report each morning, arrive early on powder days, and take a proper lunch break instead of trying to power through until your legs give out. If your group includes mixed abilities, agree on meeting points throughout the day rather than attempting to ski together on every run. Sunday River is a big place, with more than enough space for everyone to enjoy at their own pace.
Don’t treat the mountain like a checklist. Find a run you love, and lap it over and over. Take a moment to appreciate the views across the western Maine mountains—you’ve got an entire week to experience it, after all.
Après-Ski: the other half of ski culture
A ski trip isn’t just about what happens between the first and last run of the day—it’s about the community reconvening when the lifts close to share stories about the runs that nearly took them out. Start with the classic Barker Bar, a relaxed, local favorite upstairs at Barker Lodge, or the Foggy Goggle, located upstairs at the South Ridge Lodge. For a livelier dinner experience, head to The Matterhorn Ski Bar on the resort’s access road—a longtime institution known for its wood-fired pizza, extensive ski memorabilia and live music. Steam Mill Brewing and Sunday River Brewing are two favorites for locally-made beer and pub food. And for a quintessential Sunday River experience, visit Iglu Sunday River, the resort’s slopeside snow-and-ice lounge near Jordan Bowl, complete with a carved ice bar and festive atmosphere.
Après-ski here never feels like too much work. Some days it’s a quick drink with your boots still on; others it’s a long table, a few plates of nachos, some pitchers, and plenty of laughs about who wiped out that day.
Sunday River distinguishes itself from other New England resorts with its ongoing roster of events—from the annual Ski-A-Thon and Winterfest celebrations, to regular slopeside fireworks shows. The resort’s website is a great resource for seeing what’s happening during your stay.
Beyond skiing
Whether you’re a non-skier who wants to stay busy, or a veteran looking to add a little variety into your week, the area surrounding Sunday River offers a lot to explore. Located a short drive north is Grafton Notch State Park, a great introduction to western Maine’s rugged landscape. In winter, the area around Screw Auger Falls is especially striking—just prepare your boots with proper traction, or rent some snowshoes from any of the area’s numerous ski shops. Be sure to stop at the Artist’s Bridge, a covered bridge built in 1872 that is considered one of the most beautiful and iconic in all of Maine.
For a guided experience, enlist the pros. Many guides offer fat biking, cross-country skiing and guided snowshoeing excursions. For the ultimate in adventure, sign up for a guided snowmobiling ride to gain access to Newry’s local trails, which connect to the state’s broader trail network spanning an impressive 4,000 miles.
For all the high octane adventures in and around Sunday River, there are slower-paced options, too, that are great for families, rainy days and rest days. The Maine Mineral & Gem Museum in neighboring Bethel, is a fascinating stop, with collections spanning Maine’s mineral wealth and specimens from beyond Earth—you can even hold a chunk of the moon in your hands. The Gem Theater is, as its name implies, a local gem that screens both new and classic movies, and bowling at nearby River Lanes is fun for the whole family.
From breakfast to last call
A week at Sunday River calls for a little strategy. Eat well on the mountain, make a few dinner reservations in town, and leave room for the occasional night when everyone stays in and cooks. Reservations are worth making in advance for weekends and holiday periods, when popular spots fill up quickly.
For breakfast and coffee in Bethel, head to Gemini Cafe & Bakery, which pulls strong espresso and serves fantastic bagels and breakfast. They also have a great menu of sandwiches if you find yourself here around lunchtime. But if you’re on the mountain, the must-book reservation for lunch is The Mountain Room, located inside the Peak lodge, mid-mountain and accessible to foot traffic via the Chondola. Chef Harding Lee Smith—known for his restaurant The Rooms in Portland—serves up an elevated take on typical ski resort food, from poutine and charcuterie boards to classic Maine lobster stew. The other must-visit is Sliders, a ski-in, ski-out restaurant at the Jordan Hotel.
Make sure to pencil in a few dinners in Bethel, which has a solid food scene for a town of its size. Watershed Wood-Fired Kitchen specializes in wood-fired sourdough pizza and house-made pasta, and it's a great choice for a couples’ dinner or a group meal. For something a little more inventive, check out Mountain Social Kitchen & Bar, which serves seasonal New American cooking and cocktails. Le Mu Eats serves Lao cuisine that’s a welcome change of pace from typical ski town fare. And for a classic ski-town evening, there’s Sud’s Pub, a relaxed pub serving comfort food inside the Sudbury Inn.
Don’t overlook the home-cooked night, either. The Good Food Store in Bethel or Barking Dawg Market closer to Sunday River are great for picking up provisions.
Putting it all together
One afternoon might end with a quick beer before heading home, and another might morph into a full evening out. Here’s how I make the most of a week at Sunday River without feeling like I’m doing too much or too little:
Day 1: Arrive, settle in, stock the fridge, make dinner at home
Day 2: Ski Barker and South Ridge to get your bearings, enjoy après ski at Barker Bar
Day 3: Explore more of the mountain, then head to Matterhorn for pizza and live music
Day 4: Take a break from skiing. Visit Grafton Notch if weather permits, or spend the afternoon exploring Bethel. Dinner at Le Mu Eats or Mountain Social Kitchen & Bar
Day 5: Book a lesson or explore new terrain, and make lunch at the Mountain Room the focal point of the day, then head home for a relaxed evening
Day 6: Continue skiing, or book a guided snowshoe, fat-bike, or snowmobiling excursion followed by a relaxed dinner at home
Day 7: One last coffee and a few final runs before heading home
Whatever you choose, leave a little room for the unplanned—the unexpected powder day, or time by the fire doing nothing at all. The best moments of a week at Sunday River are rarely the ones on the itinerary.
Explore other itineraries
Guides
How to Fill an Entire Week at Sunday River
There’s a moment on the drive toward Sunday River when you might think you’ve gone the wrong way—the radio starts to crackle, the trees get a little bigger, and your phone loses a bar of service. And just when you think it’s time to double-check your maps app, you realize you’ve made exactly the right call. Sunday River may be tucked away in the woods and wilderness of Maine, but the list of activities to do and places to explore runs longer than the drive.
Most visitors do Sunday River wrong. They show up on a Thursday or Friday night, try to squeeze in eight peaks worth of skiing into a single weekend, then drive home on Sunday, exhausted. It can be done in a weekend, but Sunday River is worth enjoying for a week.
Instead of a rigid day-by-day schedule, consider this a choose-your-own-adventure guide, and mix and match activities that suit your kind of trip. From five days of hard-charging capped by a snowmobiling adventure, to skiing every day until lunch followed by afternoons in town, there’s plenty for everyone (even if only half your crew skis).
When it comes to where to stay for a full week, renting a vacation home is the right move. Look for a place in the town of Newry or neighboring Bethel for maximum space—this is where you’ll find cozy Maine cabins at their finest. Slopeside condos are great if you really want to maximize your time at Sunday River Resort. Wherever you land, having your own place makes it easy to manage logistics: someone can start breakfast while others sleep in, and nobody has to negotiate a dinner reservation for eight on a Saturday night.
The main event
Let’s start with the obvious: With eight skiable peaks, Sunday River is seriously spread out, so give yourself plenty of time to learn how they all connect. Start near the base of Barker Mountain and work your way outward, hitting the groomers while the corduroy is fresh. Once you’re warmed up, explore White Cap and the upper-mountain terrain for longer pitches and a change of scenery.
The mountain has something for every ability level. Intermediates can spend entire mornings linking cruises without repeating themselves at all, and more advanced skiers can seek out the steeper terrain and glades. White Heat, off White Cap, is a legendary challenge—a bucket-list experience for experts, and not the place to test your skills for the first time. Beginners and families can start at South Ridge, home to the resort’s beginner terrain and SnowSports School.
Pro Tips: Check the mountain report each morning, arrive early on powder days, and take a proper lunch break instead of trying to power through until your legs give out. If your group includes mixed abilities, agree on meeting points throughout the day rather than attempting to ski together on every run. Sunday River is a big place, with more than enough space for everyone to enjoy at their own pace.
Don’t treat the mountain like a checklist. Find a run you love, and lap it over and over. Take a moment to appreciate the views across the western Maine mountains—you’ve got an entire week to experience it, after all.
Après-Ski: the other half of ski culture
A ski trip isn’t just about what happens between the first and last run of the day—it’s about the community reconvening when the lifts close to share stories about the runs that nearly took them out. Start with the classic Barker Bar, a relaxed, local favorite upstairs at Barker Lodge, or the Foggy Goggle, located upstairs at the South Ridge Lodge. For a livelier dinner experience, head to The Matterhorn Ski Bar on the resort’s access road—a longtime institution known for its wood-fired pizza, extensive ski memorabilia and live music. Steam Mill Brewing and Sunday River Brewing are two favorites for locally-made beer and pub food. And for a quintessential Sunday River experience, visit Iglu Sunday River, the resort’s slopeside snow-and-ice lounge near Jordan Bowl, complete with a carved ice bar and festive atmosphere.
Après-ski here never feels like too much work. Some days it’s a quick drink with your boots still on; others it’s a long table, a few plates of nachos, some pitchers, and plenty of laughs about who wiped out that day.
Sunday River distinguishes itself from other New England resorts with its ongoing roster of events—from the annual Ski-A-Thon and Winterfest celebrations, to regular slopeside fireworks shows. The resort’s website is a great resource for seeing what’s happening during your stay.
Beyond skiing
Whether you’re a non-skier who wants to stay busy, or a veteran looking to add a little variety into your week, the area surrounding Sunday River offers a lot to explore. Located a short drive north is Grafton Notch State Park, a great introduction to western Maine’s rugged landscape. In winter, the area around Screw Auger Falls is especially striking—just prepare your boots with proper traction, or rent some snowshoes from any of the area’s numerous ski shops. Be sure to stop at the Artist’s Bridge, a covered bridge built in 1872 that is considered one of the most beautiful and iconic in all of Maine.
For a guided experience, enlist the pros. Many guides offer fat biking, cross-country skiing and guided snowshoeing excursions. For the ultimate in adventure, sign up for a guided snowmobiling ride to gain access to Newry’s local trails, which connect to the state’s broader trail network spanning an impressive 4,000 miles.
For all the high octane adventures in and around Sunday River, there are slower-paced options, too, that are great for families, rainy days and rest days. The Maine Mineral & Gem Museum in neighboring Bethel, is a fascinating stop, with collections spanning Maine’s mineral wealth and specimens from beyond Earth—you can even hold a chunk of the moon in your hands. The Gem Theater is, as its name implies, a local gem that screens both new and classic movies, and bowling at nearby River Lanes is fun for the whole family.
From breakfast to last call
A week at Sunday River calls for a little strategy. Eat well on the mountain, make a few dinner reservations in town, and leave room for the occasional night when everyone stays in and cooks. Reservations are worth making in advance for weekends and holiday periods, when popular spots fill up quickly.
For breakfast and coffee in Bethel, head to Gemini Cafe & Bakery, which pulls strong espresso and serves fantastic bagels and breakfast. They also have a great menu of sandwiches if you find yourself here around lunchtime. But if you’re on the mountain, the must-book reservation for lunch is The Mountain Room, located inside the Peak lodge, mid-mountain and accessible to foot traffic via the Chondola. Chef Harding Lee Smith—known for his restaurant The Rooms in Portland—serves up an elevated take on typical ski resort food, from poutine and charcuterie boards to classic Maine lobster stew. The other must-visit is Sliders, a ski-in, ski-out restaurant at the Jordan Hotel.
Make sure to pencil in a few dinners in Bethel, which has a solid food scene for a town of its size. Watershed Wood-Fired Kitchen specializes in wood-fired sourdough pizza and house-made pasta, and it's a great choice for a couples’ dinner or a group meal. For something a little more inventive, check out Mountain Social Kitchen & Bar, which serves seasonal New American cooking and cocktails. Le Mu Eats serves Lao cuisine that’s a welcome change of pace from typical ski town fare. And for a classic ski-town evening, there’s Sud’s Pub, a relaxed pub serving comfort food inside the Sudbury Inn.
Don’t overlook the home-cooked night, either. The Good Food Store in Bethel or Barking Dawg Market closer to Sunday River are great for picking up provisions.
Putting it all together
One afternoon might end with a quick beer before heading home, and another might morph into a full evening out. Here’s how I make the most of a week at Sunday River without feeling like I’m doing too much or too little:
Day 1: Arrive, settle in, stock the fridge, make dinner at home
Day 2: Ski Barker and South Ridge to get your bearings, enjoy après ski at Barker Bar
Day 3: Explore more of the mountain, then head to Matterhorn for pizza and live music
Day 4: Take a break from skiing. Visit Grafton Notch if weather permits, or spend the afternoon exploring Bethel. Dinner at Le Mu Eats or Mountain Social Kitchen & Bar
Day 5: Book a lesson or explore new terrain, and make lunch at the Mountain Room the focal point of the day, then head home for a relaxed evening
Day 6: Continue skiing, or book a guided snowshoe, fat-bike, or snowmobiling excursion followed by a relaxed dinner at home
Day 7: One last coffee and a few final runs before heading home
Whatever you choose, leave a little room for the unplanned—the unexpected powder day, or time by the fire doing nothing at all. The best moments of a week at Sunday River are rarely the ones on the itinerary.
Explore other itineraries