Mt. Hood is a popular place
for Oregon residents as well as visitors from around the
world. The Mt. Hood ski area has six different areas for
skiing, which include Timberline,
Mt. Hood Ski Bowl, Cooper Spur, Snow Bunny, Summit and
Mt. Hood Meadows. Together, the ski areas cover 4,600
acres of terrain. The Timberline ski area offers year
round skiing with an operable chair year-round; the only
run of its kind in North America.
After Timberline, the Mt. Hood Ski Bowl is perhaps the most popular area on the mountain for skiing. The lift at Mt. Hood Ski Bowl is open year round, and during the summer people travel to the area to enjoy a number of summer mountain sports. Known as the Mt. Hood Ski Bowl Action Park, visitors can bike, hike, or even ride down the alpine slide found on the mountain, which is a bobsled ride of sorts in the summer. To ride the alpine slide, take the chair lift from the bottom of the mountain near Timberline Lodge to the the Ski Bowl Action Park. Tickets for the slide are sold at the bottom of the mountain, so be sure to buy yours there. Your ticket works like a skiing day pass, and you will be able to take multiple rides. Biking on Mt. Hood through the Mt. Hood National Forest is also popular. Biking is free and you may enter the trail near Timberline Lodge. Hikes to Mirror Lake from Ski Bowl are very popular, and the beautiful lake is named for the pristine quality of the lake water and the mirror-like reflections it produces.
Although summer is a popular time to visit the mountain, winter is when the Mt. Hood ski area becomes one of Oregon’s biggest attractions. Many skiers and snowboarders come to snowboard or ski Mt. Hood thanks to the high amount of snowfall experienced in the area as well as the excellent conditions and great runs. The Mt. Hood ski area maintains groomed runs at all of the various ski areas.
Along with the groomed runs, travelers who come to ski Mt. Hood for the back country terrain will also not be disappointed. To ski at Mt. Hood in the back country, travelers need only take one of the farthest reaching chair lifts to the top of the mountain. A number of backwoods trails to ski Mt. Hood can be found all over the mountain, with the highest number being concentrated near Timberline.
Although the west side of the mountain is where the most popular places to ski at Mt. Hood will be found, the east side can also be nice by providing a break from the crowds. To ski at Mt. Hood on the east side of the mountain, look into the Mt. Hood Meadows ski area. Prices for lift tickets and accommodation will be less expensive at the meadows, and often crowds will be very much diminished. The east side does not experience the same amount of snow as the west side throughout the year, but it is still a great place to ski and one of the best places, according to many skiers and snowboarders, for skiing and snowboarding in the country.
