The approach to Mount Hood in winter.

Winter Sports on Mount Hood

You'll find many ways to enjoy the snow on Portland's nearest peak.

Updated Jan. 18, 2022 1 min read

Just a 90-minute drive from downtown Portland, Mount Hood sits right in the city’s backyard and makes for a heck of a winter playground. In fact, there are a number of different ways to enjoy the mountain’s wonderland of snow.

Cross-country and snowshoe trails zigzag the mountain, letting outdoor enthusiasts reconnect with nature while traversing the well-maintained paths.

For skiing and snowboarding, Mount Hood Meadows, Mt. Hood Skibowl and Timberline can’t be beat. Meadows, with 11 lifts, 85 runs and a three-mile stretch of uninterrupted downhill, has a trail for every level of skier. Skibowl, with the largest night ski area in the country, keeps snow-hungry riders shushing for hours. And Timberline, a national historic landmark, is as popular for its relaxing lodge as for its runs.

Cross-country and snowshoe trails zigzag the mountain, letting outdoor enthusiasts reconnect with nature while traversing the well-maintained paths. Mt. Hood National Forest keeps an exhaustive list — bet you can’t ski (or shoe) them all! The Forest Service also maintains the mountain’s 10 snowmobile trails, some of which run parallel to wilderness boundaries and provide breathtaking sights.

Snowshoeing on Mount Hood

Snowshoeing is a peaceful way to enjoy Mount Hood with friends and minimal gear and expense.

Meanwhile, downhill daredevils may prefer to sled or tube down the mountain. All of the areas offer fast-paced thrills, but nothing competes with the black-light bedazzlement that is cosmic tubing at Skibowl’s Snow Tube & Adventure Park. The course is perfect for frosty frolicking — especially when they cap it off with fireworks, ensuring that on Mount Hood, everyone has a blast.

Attractions, Outdoors, Winter