Sun Country Tours

What Sun Country Tours does

Sun Country Tours is a Bend, Oregon-based outdoor adventure operator founded in 1978 that runs guided whitewater rafting trips on the Deschutes and Umpqua Rivers in Central Oregon. The company offers a portfolio of five core products: the flagship Big Eddy Thriller signature rapids experience, Full-Day Trips, the multi-day Umpqua Two-Day Adventure, River Tube Rentals for self-guided floats, and Photo Packages sold as trip add-ons. Operations are seasonal and concentrated in the summer months, with guided and self-guided river experiences delivered to tourists, locals, and organized groups (corporate teams, families, reunions) who book directly through the company's website or by phone.

The business runs on a direct-to-consumer commerce model with three revenue streams: per-person guided rafting trip fees, one-time tube rental income, and add-on photo package sales. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and customers are routed through an online trip-comparison booking tool. Distribution is single-channel via suncountrytours.com, supplemented by email newsletter capture and organic Instagram and Facebook presence (accounts shared with sister resort Mt. Bachelor). Marketing includes co-branded partnerships with Yeti and Subaru, and the company's website cross-promotes Mt. Bachelor's downhill mountain biking and zip line offerings.

Sun Country Tours has been a subsidiary of POWDR, a privately held adventure lifestyle conglomerate that also owns Mt. Bachelor, Copper Mountain, Snowbird, Eldora, Woodward, and Soda Springs, since at least the current corporate structure. Its competitive position rests on 45+ years of continuous operation, a signature product (the Big Eddy Thriller), and regulatory access via a partnership with the USDA Forest Service for river permits on federal land. The company employs between 51 and 100 people, primarily seasonal, and has no disclosed funding rounds, M&A activity, or leadership changes in the source data.

Name

Sun Country Tours

Legal name

Sun Country Tours

Website

https://suncountrytours.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Sun Country Tours is a Bend, Oregon-based outdoor adventure operator founded in 1978 that runs guided whitewater rafting trips, river tube rentals, and photo packages on the Deschutes River, serving tourists, locals, and groups as a subsidiary of POWDR.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Adventure Tourism & Outdoor Recreation

NAICS

Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (487210)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Whitewater Rafting, Kayaking & River Adventures (THAJABAB)

Keywords

• Whitewater rafting
• River tubing
• Guided adventure tours
• Outdoor recreation services
• Deschutes River rafting

Headquarters

HQ city

Bend

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Guided Rafting Tours: Revenue from guided whitewater rafting trip experiences including Big Eddy Thriller, full-day trips, and multi-day Umpqua 2-Day Adventure packages. Customers pay per person for guided river experiences.
2. Tube Rentals: Rental income from river tube rentals for self-guided floating experiences on the Deschutes River. Customers rent tubes and float independently.
3. Photo Packages: Additional revenue stream from professional photography services during rafting trips, sold as add-on packages to customers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Sun Country Tours provides guided whitewater rafting experiences and river tubing rentals on the Deschutes River in Central Oregon. The core offering includes the signature Big Eddy Thriller rapids trip, full-day rafting trips, multi-day Umpqua Two-Day Adventure expeditions, and self-guided river tube rentals, supported by certified guides, safety equipment, and on-river photography services.

Product overview

Sun Country Tours operates as an outdoor adventure company offering guided whitewater rafting experiences in Central Oregon (Bend & Sunriver, OR). The core product portfolio centers on guided whitewater rafting trips, with the flagship Big Eddy Thriller as the signature offering since 1978, supplemented by Full-Day Trips and the multi-day Umpqua Two-Day Adventure. The company also offers river tube rentals for self-guided river floats and Photo Packages as add-on services. Additional activities like downhill mountain biking at Mt. Bachelor are referenced as partner offerings rather than direct products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Big Eddy Thriller: Flagship whitewater rafting experience offered by Sun Country Tours since 1978.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• USDA Forest ServicecoreOthersPartnership with USDA Forest Service for land use and river access permits, critical for operating whitewater rafting trips on federal lands.
• American RiversminorOthersListed as a partner organization, likely for river conservation advocacy and river access initiatives.
• YetiminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBrand partnership with Yeti for outdoor gear, likely providing equipment sponsorship or co-marketing as both serve the outdoor adventure market.
• SubaruminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAutomotive brand partnership, likely involving vehicle sponsorship or co-marketing for adventure travel transportation.
• POWDRcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent company operating Sun Country Tours as part of POWDR's adventure lifestyle brands portfolio. POWDR owns multiple ski resorts and adventure companies including Mt. Bachelor, Copper Mountain, Snowbird, and Woodward.
• Mt. BachelorcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSister resort under POWDR, cross-promoting summer activities. Mt. Bachelor offers downhill mountain biking and zip line experiences, with Sun Country Tours mentioned as an activity option on Mt. Bachelor's website.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Backroads: Established active travel company offering biking, walking, and paddling trips worldwide; broader portfolio but overlapping target market of experiential adventure travelers seeking guided outdoor vacations.
• REI Adventures: Guided adventure travel arm of REI offering rafting, hiking, and cycling trips worldwide; broader platform with overlapping customer base of outdoor enthusiasts and brand-aligned consumers.

Direct peers

• OARS: Multi-day whitewater rafting outfitter operating guided trips on Western US rivers; the closest functional comparable to Sun Country's guided-river-trip business model and adventure-tourist customer base.
• Austin Adventures: Active adventure travel company offering guided outdoor trips including rafting, hiking, and wildlife experiences; comparable in family/group focus and packaged-experience model.
• Wilderness Voyageurs: Pennsylvania-based outfitter running guided whitewater rafting and paddling trips on Eastern US rivers; comparable in guided-rafting business model and packaged-experience pricing.
• ROW Adventures: Idaho-based guided rafting and wilderness adventure outfitter offering multi-day river trips; comparable in scale, product mix, and nature-tourist focus.
• Holiday River Expeditions: Utah-based operator of guided rafting and kayaking expeditions on Colorado and Green Rivers; comparable in multi-day river trip offerings and outdoor-adventure customer profile.
• Western River Expeditions: Utah-based outfitter running guided whitewater expeditions on Western US rivers including the Grand Canyon; directly comparable in service model, tiered trip portfolio, and target customer segment.
• Mad River Boat Trips: Vermont-based whitewater rafting outfitter offering guided New England river trips and tubing; similar in service mix (rafting plus tubing), family/group customer focus, and regional outfitter structure.
• Momentum River Expeditions: Colorado-based outfitter running guided whitewater trips on the Arkansas and other Western rivers; comparable in skill-tiered product mix and guided experience offerings.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/suncountrytours
• Instagraminstagram.com/mtbachelor
• Xx.com/suncountrytours
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sun-country-tours

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sun Country Tours