Do you ever let your kids skip school to go have a fun day? I decided to keep my kindergartner home from school one Monday and take him skiing up on Mt. Hood. I was thinking it would be a great opportunity to spend some quality time with him one on one. He’s the youngest of three.We got all suited up, loaded the car and proceeded to drive an hour up to the mountain. When we got there the parking lot was empty. There wasn’t a person in sight. Ski Bowl was completely empty. I made a few phone calls and found out that they didn’t open until 3 PM. I needed to be one the road back home by 2 PM to get the other kids, so there was no way we were going to get to ski at Ski Bowl.
We drove on towards Summit ski area only to find out that they are closed all day on Mondays. Who would have thought in the middle of February during ski season there would be no where to actually ski. (I later found out that Timberline is open everyday of the week. Timberline is close to Ski Bowl and Summit, but I didn’t know.)
We didn’t drive all that way for nothing, so, we went to a store in Government Camp and bought a sled and took him sledding at Glacier View Sno Park and Trailhead. It turned out to be a great day, but it will be the last time we head out without checking the hours of operation.
Where to go Sledding on Mt. Hood
Lucky for us there are multiple places you can sled on around Mt. Hood. You just need an ODOT Sno-Park permit to park at one of the parks. You can buy a day pass, three-day, or an annual permit from many places around the mountain. I bought our annual pass at Joe’s Donuts in Sandy.
Glacier View Sno Park and Trailhead is right behind Government Camp, back behind the Huckleberry Inn area. It’s not really designated for sledding, but we had a lot of fun sledding here.
Snow Bunny is the one we go to the most, especially if we are going as part of a larger group. Unfortunately, you have to pay to snow tube here now, $15 per person age 5 and up. You cannot use your own sled. Snow Bunny is located two miles east of Summit and only open on weekends and holidays. There are no restrooms here.
Little John Sno Park is free, so now that is our go to. 30 miles south of Hood River off of Oregon 35. There is a warming shelter and vault toilet at this sno park. You will need to bring your own tubes and sleds. They have a no wooden or metal sleds allowed rule.
White River Sno Park is 4 miles north of US 26 on Oregon 35 near Mt. Hood Meadows. White River Sno Park is another place you can sled for free. It has vault toilets are on site. You will need to bring your own sleds or tubes.
