Randy L Rasmussen/The Oregonian

When the snow starts to fall, Mount Hood beckons. And no matter how you like to play in the snow, there’s a place on the mountain for you to do it.

The question of where to go depends largely upon what you want to do. Mount Hood’s five ski areas are well-established havens for downhill skiers, but for everything else you’ll need to head to one of the 20 sno-parks on the mountain.

A sno-park is a designated area for winter recreation, found all across the Pacific Northwest. The sno-parks on Mount Hood are managed by the U.S. Forest Service and are scattered across the mountain’s slopes. Each one is designated for one or more of five kinds of recreation: sledding, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling and mushing. When the snow starts to fall, Mount Hood beckons. And no matter how you like to play in the snow, there’s a place on the mountain for you to do it.

The question of where to go depends largely upon what you want to do. Mount Hood's five ski areas are well-established havens for downhill skiers, but for everything else you'll need to head to one of the 20 sno-parks on the mountain.



A sno-park is a designated area for winter recreation, found all across the Pacific Northwest. The sno-parks on Mount Hood are managed by the U.S. Forest Service and are scattered across the mountain’s slopes. Each one is designated for one or more of five kinds of recreation: sledding, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling and mushing.

Don't Edit

PARKING PASSES

Day-use passes for sno-parks cost $4 per vehicle, but you can also buy a three-day pass for $9 or an annual pass for $25. You can pick up passes at any outdoor retailer or most Bi-Marts (see a full list of retailers), as well as all DMV offices. Sno-park passes from California and Idaho (but not Washington) are honored in Oregon.

Don't Edit

GEAR

If you need some gear, you can rent it at Next Adventure, Mountain Shop or any REI in Portland. You can also stop by the outdoor stores in Sandy: Next Adventure, Meadowlark Ski & Snowboard and Otto's Ski & Mountain Bike.

Don't Edit

POPULAR SNO-PARKS

As to which sno-parks are the best, that's entirely up to your own preference. A few, however, do stand out as particularly popular spots: White River West, Trillium, Frog Lake, Little John and Teacup Lake (which is open to cross-country skiing only). Pick a few to check out this winter, and enjoy the snow on Mount Hood while it lasts.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Jim Ryan/The Oregonian

DOWNHILL SKIING

Downhill skiers are no doubt familiar with the five ski areas on Mount Hood. Timberline offers year-round skiing at the highest elevation, with Meadows just lower. Skibowl and Summit are both located near Government Camp, while Cooper Spur is on the other side of the mountain. The resorts offer access to other recreation as well – like sledding and snowshoeing – but their primary attraction is downhill skiing.

Don't Edit

Timberline

Mt. Hood Meadows

Mt. Hood Skibowl

Cooper Spur

Summit Ski Area

Don't Edit

Randy L. Rasmussen/The Oregonian

SLEDDING

When you want to do some serious sledding, hop up to one of the five sno-parks on Mount Hood designated for sleds. On winter weekends, you'll likely run into crowds, so show up early or try to go on a weekday if you can. Also make sure to take any broken sleds with you, instead of leaving them in the snow – after all, "leave no trace" doesn't go away in the winter.

Don't Edit

Government Camp Summit

Little John

Multorpor

Snow Bunny Sliding Area

White River West

Don't Edit

Dillon Pilorget/The Oregonian

SNOWSHOEING

Just like hiking, but a little more tricky, snowshoeing is a great way to get on the trails in the snow, and you can do it at virtually every sno-park on Mount Hood. Snowshoes can be expensive to buy, but rentals are affordable at outdoor retailers in Portland, Hood River and Sandy.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Barlow Pass

Bennett Pass

Billy Bob

Frog Lake

Glacier View

Don't Edit

Government Camp Summit

Government Camp Maintenance Station

Little John

Lolo Pass

Multorpor

Don't Edit

Dillon Pilorget/The Oregonian

Don't Edit

Pocket Creek

Skibowl

Skiway

Skyline Road

Snow Bunny Sliding Area

Don't Edit

Trillium

White River BSA

White River East

White River West

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Jamie Francis/The Oregonian

CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING

Cross-country skiing combines the swiftness of downhill skiing with the leisurely sightseeing of snowshoeing, and is a great way to access the natural splendor of Mount Hood. You can cross-country ski at every sno-park on the mountain, including Teacup Lake, where that’s the only activity allowed.

Don't Edit

Barlow Pass

Bennett Pass

Billy Bob

Frog Lake

Glacier View

Don't Edit

Government Camp Summit

Government Camp Maintenance Station

Little John

Lolo Pass

Multorpor

Don't Edit

Jamie Francis/The Oregonian

Don't Edit

Pocket Creek

Skibowl

Skiway

Skyline Road

Snow Bunny Sliding Area

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Teacup Lake

Trillium

White River BSA

White River East

White River West

Don't Edit

Stephanie Yao/The Oregonian

SNOWMOBILING

If you want to get your snowmobile on, head to one of seven sno-parks on the mountain where it's allowed, or sign up to go on a snowmobile tour courtesy of Mt. Hood Adventure. Just be sure to stay out of wilderness areas that run adjacent to some of the snowmobile trails.

Don't Edit

Bennett Pass

Billy Bob

Frog Lake

Lolo Pass

Skyline Road

Trillium

White River East

Don't Edit

Torsten Kjellstrand/The Oregonian

MUSHING

Who says humans get to have all the fun? Take your doggos up to the mountain with you and go mushing at one of the six sno-parks where it’s allowed. Mushing is any kind of dog-powered transport over snow, including dog sledding and skijoring (skiing, pulled by dogs).

Don't Edit

Bennett Pass

Billy Bob

Frog Lake

Pocket Creek

Skyline Road

White River East

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Flickr/Mt. Hood Territory

Don't Edit

Randy L. Rasmussen/The Oregonian

Don't Edit

Brent Wojahn/The Oregonian

Don't Edit

Courtesy of Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce

NORTHWEST TRAVEL GUIDES

Holiday travel guide: Take a road trip this holiday season to one of these Pacific Northwest getaways.

Winter rentals: From yurts on the coast to fire lookout towers in the mountains, here are 45 winter rentals in Oregon.

Best Oregon state parks: Oregon has a lot of beautiful state parks, but these are the 20 best.

Don't Edit

--Jamie Hale | jhale@oregonian.com | @HaleJamesB

Don't Edit