Every summer, thousands of people flock to the shores of Central Oregon’s most majestic lakes to spend time on the water with friends and family. Now, we that have a pontoon boat for rent at Sunset Lodging, we thought it would be a good time to highlight some of our favorite lakes that allow motorized boats. Central Oregon is filled with hundreds of lakes big and small, but these are the big lakes that will allow you to cruise around in a pontoon boat or on WaveRunners.

Central Oregon Lakes Allowing Motorized Boats

Whether you’re planning on renting a pontoon boat and WaveRunners from Sunset Lodging this summer, or you’re simply doing research for your own boat trip, we gathered together our favorite Central Oregon motorized boat-friendly lakes.

Lake Billy Chinook

This popular lake North of Bend was created by Round Butte Dam filling the canyons of the Crooked, Metolius and Deschutes Rivers. These three rivers come together to create three large arms with 72 miles of shoreline. If your group likes fishing, you’ll love casting out your line to reel in large and smallmouth bass, rainbow, brown and bull trout, Kokanee, salmon, whitefish and a variety of other fish. Lake Billy Chinook is an excellent place to take out the pontoon boat or the WaveRunners for miles and miles of open water.

Wickiup Reservoir

Technically, a reservoir and not a lake, but Wickiup is one of our favorite bodies of water close to Sunriver to take our boats. You’ll love being able to see various types of Central Oregon’s native wildlife species, including a variety of nesting and migrating birds. The relatively warm water and cooler deep channels help make Wickiup one of the best fishing spots in Central Oregon. With Twin Lakes Resort right next door at South Twin Lake, you can easily restock on chips and beer or grab an entire hot meal in their restaurant.

Elk Lake

It’s no surprise that Elk Lake is one of the most popular lakes in the region. Elk Lakes is surrounded by the Three Sisters mountains and Mt. Bachelor, giving you a breathtaking view no matter what direction you’re facing. Additionally, Elk Lake Resort has a store and restaurant on shore in case you need to stock up on snacks while out at the lake. If you plan on fishing, the kokanee in Elk Lake measure around 7 to 10 inches, but they are abundant. Imagine cruising around on a pontoon boat with Mt. Bachelor in the background. It’s possible at Elk Lake. Note: the speed limit on Elk Lake is 10 MPH, which means pontoon only.

Cultus Lake

We’ve mentioned fishing in some of the other lakes, but Cultus takes the cake when it comes to trophy-sized trout in Central Oregon. In addition to the mackinaw trout, you can also catch stocked rainbow trout and occasionally brook trout near the mouth of Winopee Creek. Take in the picturesque views of the Cascade Mountains while you cruise at high speeds on a WaveRunner. Dock your pontoon boat and enjoy swimming in this beautiful lake.

Paulina Lake

We love visiting Paulina Lake, which is located within the Newberry Caldera. This lake relies on rain, snowmelt and hot springs for water. If you’re bringing a boat to Paulina, the boat ramp can be found within a campground on the southwest side of the lake. This area also includes docks and a fish cleaning station. This is one of the closest lakes to Sunriver, which means you’ll be out on the water enjoying the sunshine and water-skiing spray from the boat in no time. Paulina also has a lodge onsite where you can stock up on the essentials.

Rent at Pontoon Boat From Sunset Lodging

Last summer, we added a pontoon boat and two WaveRunners to our business in order to offer our guests and visitors to Central Oregon convenient boat rentals. Learn more about our water toy rentals and check current availability for your vacation dates. We look forward to seeing you on the water this summer!

Looking for Sunriver vacation home rentals for this summer? Browse our homes and book your vacation home in Sunriver today!