Team building in Bend that people actually look forward to
Ten kinds of team outings, from a quiet pottery class to four Class III rapids, with 28 local outfitters, real prices, seasons and how to book each one. Start with how hard you want the day to be.
Seated and socialTap a stop to jump to itSwipe the trail, tap a stopBring it
Find your team’s match
Three questions, then we point you to the activities that fit. Nothing is saved or sent. Planning the whole offsite? Pair this with our corporate event venues guide.
This is the easiest team day to plan in Bend, because you only make one phone call. A local outfitter picks the activity for the season, picks everyone up at the hotel, feeds them and gets them back on time.
Group size
10+ for custom trips
Time
Half day to full day
Cost
By quote, or from $99 a person
Season
Year-round
Effort
Easy movement
Wanderlust Tours is the go-to for corporate groups. Any group of 10 or more can get a custom day, and their GPS Eco-Challenge runs year-round: teams chase clues across untracked high desert or Cascade forest, and it works for any fitness level because the challenge is solving, not sprinting. For a smaller team that wants a short taste of a few things, Adventure Tours Bend runs two to three hour sampler trips.
Who to book
Wanderlust Tours
Custom corporate days for 10+, the GPS Eco-Challenge, lava caves, canoe and snow trips. Van pickup and drop-off included.
Two to three hour small-group samplers: paddleboarding on the Deschutes ($99) or a Cascade lake ($125), a Smith Rock hike or e-bike tour ($109), a brewery tour ($99).
Nothing bonds a team faster than paddling as one boat into a Class III rapid. Big Eddy packs four of them into a quarter mile on the upper Deschutes, right outside town.
Group size
Any size, by the raft
Time
1 to 3 hours door to door
Cost
From $64 a person
Season
Summer only
Effort
Active
Sun Country Tours has run Bend’s signature raft trip since 1978: three miles with about 90 minutes on the water and a bus from its Bend or Sunriver office. Seventh Mountain Rafting runs the same rapids in a shorter trip, about an hour on the water with five departures a day, if your group can get itself to their base on Century Drive.
Who to book
Sun Country Tours
The Big Eddy Thriller: three miles, four Class III rapids, about 90 minutes on the water, with a bus from Bend or Sunriver. Ages 6+.
Planner’s note. Guides seat paddlers by weight, not by team. Mix departments on purpose and it becomes the story everyone tells at dinner.
Low pressure, high fun
Paddling a mountain lake or floating the Deschutes
Our photo
On a hot afternoon, half of Bend is floating the river through the Old Mill. It’s the most local team activity there is, and nobody needs to be athletic to enjoy it.
Group size
Any size
Time
2 to 4 hours
Cost
Free to float, $130 for a guided lake tour
Season
Late spring to early fall
Effort
Easy movement
For a hosted version, Tumalo Creek Kayak & Canoe runs private group events on its back deck and lawn right on the Deschutes, with boats and paddleboards for anyone who wants on the water and the option to bring in catering. For something more scenic, Wanderlust drives groups up the Cascade Lakes Highway to canoe or kayak under the peaks, and its moonlight canoe trip is a special one.
Who to book
Tumalo Creek Kayak & Canoe
Private groups on a riverside deck and lawn, paddling lessons and rentals of kayaks, canoes, boards and float tubes.
About four hours canoeing or kayaking a mountain lake, with the drive up the Cascade Lakes Highway included. No experience needed. A moonlight version is $140.
Bend has hundreds of miles of singletrack, and a guide knows which ten fit your group. If the team ranges from never-ridden to races-on-weekends, e-bikes level the field.
Group size
Best under 25
Time
90 minutes to half day
Cost
From $75 a person
Season
Spring to fall, fat bikes in winter
Effort
Active
Cog Wild runs guided mountain bike rides with a shuttle up, so you ride more down than up, with routes matched to skill and e-bikes available. In winter it runs fat bike rides on groomed snow. For a mellow ride that shows off the town, Let It Ride and Wheel Fun Rentals lead e-bike tours along the river and through the Old Mill.
Who to book
Cog Wild
Guided mountain bike rides with a shuttle, e-bikes available, and winter fat bike rides on groomed snow (mid-December to late March, $149 each for two or more).
Belaying a coworker up a wall is the original trust exercise, and Smith Rock is one of the most famous climbing areas in the country, 40 minutes north of Bend.
Group size
Best under 20
Time
Half or full day
Cost
Per person, drops as the group grows
Season
Spring and fall outdoors, gym all year
Effort
Bring it
Smith Rock Climbing Guides work seven days a week with every age and ability, handle all the ropes and gear, and pick routes first-timers can actually finish. The price per person drops as your group grows. For a weather-proof or shorter version, Bend Rock Gym in southeast Bend has auto belays, bouldering and rental gear.
Who to book
Smith Rock Climbing Guides
Guided climbing for all ages and abilities, half or full day, with all gear. Spring and fall are best.
Most companies plan Bend offsites for summer. Come in winter and you get snowy forests, empty trails and experiences visiting teams have never done before.
Group size
Any size
Time
2 to 4 hours
Cost
From $130 a person
Season
December to March
Effort
Some effort
A guided snowshoe is the safest bet for mixed fitness: if you can walk, you can do it, and Wanderlust handles the snowshoes, the Sno-Park permit and the drive. Its Bonfire on the Snow ends at a fire waiting in a snow amphitheater after dark. For a thrill, snowmobile into Newberry Caldera, which is closed to cars all winter, or ride fat bikes on groomed trails.
Who to book
Wanderlust Tours: snowshoe + bonfire
About four hours snowshoeing with a naturalist, December to April. Bonfire on the Snow is an evening version with a fire and warm drinks ($165).
When smoke rolls in, snow piles up or the team just wants to win something, an indoor challenge is the reliable play. These all run in any weather and most have food and drinks.
Group size
6 to 100
Time
1 to 3 hours
Cost
By package
Season
Year-round
Effort
Easy movement
Unofficial Logging Co. downtown coaches axe throwing for up to 90, with 18 taps, a full kitchen and a separate event space for 100 so non-throwers have somewhere to hang out. Puzzle Effect runs escape rooms year-round for smaller teams. K1 Speed has electric go-kart racing, and Lava Lanes does bowling packages for work groups with the 300 Club VIP room.
Who to book
Unofficial Logging Co.
Coached axe throwing, 18 taps and a full kitchen. Up to 90 in the main venue, 100 in the event space. Closed-toe shoes and a waiver required.
Building something together is quiet team building. People who never speak up in meetings tend to shine at a workbench or a stove.
Group size
Best under 20
Time
2 to 3 hours
Cost
By class
Season
Year-round
Effort
Seated + social
DIYcave, Bend’s makerspace, runs private instruction and group classes in welding, woodworking, blacksmithing and glass. Freshfields Farm teaches hands-on farm cooking classes, including private groups, and Ingredient Studio brings a chef to your kitchen, which is perfect for a team in a vacation rental. Studio Create does paint-your-own pottery.
Who to book
DIYcave
Private instruction and group classes in welding, woodworking, blacksmithing, glass and more.
Bend is famous for its breweries, and a guided tasting gives the evening structure while somebody else drives.
Group size
Up to 14 per vehicle
Time
1 to 3 hours
Cost
From $79 a person, or $220 a group
Season
Year-round (pedal pub March to October)
Effort
Seated + social
Cycle Pub’s pedal-powered pub tour is two hours of laughing at each other on a 14-seat bike. Yellow Brew Bus picks the group up at the hotel and goes wherever you want. Wanderlust’s Local Pour stops at three pour houses with tastings and appetizers. For a non-alcohol option that’s just as fun, take the bean-to-bar chocolate tour at Seahorse Chocolate.
Who to book
Cycle Pub
A two-hour pedal pub tour. Big bike seats 8 to 14 ($440), small bike 4 to 6 ($220), or an electric tuk tuk for 6 ($250).
Planner’s note. Always plan an equally good non-alcoholic option, and ask each stop what they pour for non-drinkers.
For teams that are running on empty
Yoga, spa time and a slower day
Our photo
Sometimes the most useful thing you can do for a team is let them breathe. Bend is good at that.
Group size
Any size
Time
1 hour to a full day
Cost
By quote
Season
Year-round
Effort
Seated + social
Resorts can bring wellness to the agenda: Tetherow offers group yoga, golf clinics and a heated outdoor pool, and Juniper Preserve has a spa and culinary classes. The simplest version costs nothing: a guided walk on the Deschutes River Trail or in Shevlin Park between meeting blocks, with phones in pockets.
Who to book
Tetherow
Group yoga sessions, golf clinics, custom team trainings and a heated outdoor pool, on a west-side resort.
Plan for your least outdoorsy person. A great easy day beats a hard day half the team dreads.
Check the season
Rafting is summer only, snow trips are December to March, and late summer can bring wildfire smoke. Use the calendar above.
Send two outfitters the same email
Group size, date, a backup date, how long you have and whether you need transportation. The builder below writes it for you.
Lock the backup before you sign
Ask what happens if weather cancels. Good outfitters have an indoor plan or a reschedule policy, and you want it in writing.
Write my booking email
Fill this in and copy the email into your inbox. Nothing here is sent anywhere. Still need a meeting room, retreat resort or dinner for the group? See the Bend corporate event venues guide.
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Questions planners ask
What are the best team building activities in Bend, Oregon?
It depends on the season and the group. In summer, Big Eddy whitewater rafting and paddling are the classics. In winter, guided snowshoeing and snowmobiling into Newberry Caldera stand out. Year-round, Wanderlust Tours’ GPS Eco-Challenge works for any fitness level, and Unofficial Logging Co.’s axe throwing handles up to 90 people indoors.
How much does team building cost in Bend?
Published prices we found start around $64 a person for a Big Eddy raft trip with Seventh Mountain Rafting, $75 for a guided e-bike tour, $99 for an Adventure Tours Bend sampler and $130 for a guided snowshoe or Cascade Lakes canoe tour. Group vehicles run $220 to $440 for Cycle Pub and $500 for three hours on the Yellow Brew Bus. Custom corporate days are quoted.
What team building works for people of different fitness levels?
Pick activities where the challenge isn’t physical: a GPS Eco-Challenge, an escape room, a cooking class, axe throwing, a snowshoe walk or an e-bike tour. E-bikes in particular let fit and unfit riders do the same ride together.
What can a team do in Bend when it rains, snows or the smoke rolls in?
Book an indoor backup: axe throwing at Unofficial Logging Co., escape rooms at Puzzle Effect, go-karts at K1 Speed, bowling at Lava Lanes, indoor climbing at Bend Rock Gym, or a class at DIYcave. Many outdoor outfitters also have a weather plan, so ask when you book.
How far ahead should we book team building in Bend?
For summer rafting, custom Wanderlust days and any group over 25, start four to eight weeks out. Holiday weeks and summer weekends fill first. Indoor activities and smaller groups can often book one to two weeks ahead.
Is there team building for large groups in Bend?
Yes. Wanderlust Tours customizes trips for groups of 10 and up and can split a large group into rotating activities. Unofficial Logging Co. holds up to 90 in its main venue and 100 in its event space. For more on hosting a big group, see our corporate events guide.
