Home » Travel » Oregon » Winter Sports in Oregon

Winter Sports in Oregon

© Sue Barton

Growing up in the mountains of Central Oregon, I have very fond memories of the fresh, clean smell of new snowfall on pungent Ponderosa Pine trees. This powdery snow is perfect for building snowmen, snow forts, and snowballs. If you enjoy outdoor winter recreation, Oregon is your destination and now is the time to visit! Whether you prefer skiing, snowboarding, snow-mobiling, or snow shoeing you can spend a pleasant holiday enjoying the outdoors.

Oregon has great winter recreational possibilities throughout the state, though these six ski areas afford the most variety and services:

Mt. Ashland Ski Area

Mt. Ashland is in the Siskiyou Mountains of Southern Oregon. The annual snowfall is a delightful 300 inches of powder. Unfortunately, the weather hasn't cooperated yet and they are still waiting for enough snow to open the lifts. In spite of this, the motto for Mount Ashland is, "Home of Gemutlichkeit - a Warm, Friendly Atmosphere." Maybe their German warmth is keeping the snow at bay? Seriously, check out their website. You'll find out about lodging in the area, the 23 trails, and the chute skiing in a glacial cirque. To get there, fly in to the Jackson County International Airport (in Medford), or drive I-5. Ashland is almost exactly halfway between Sacramento, California (301 miles) and Portland, Oregon (310 miles).

Mt. Bachelor Ski Area

Located in the Cascade Mountains, near Bend. Get there by flying in to the Redmond International Airport, or driving East from Portland on Highway 26 or from Eugene on Highway 58 to Bend and then follow the signs to Century Drive and Mt. Bachelor. The powder falls at the average rate of 350 inches each year and affords visitors the opportunity to ski, tube, snow shoe, snowboard and even ride on a dogsled!


Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Area

Several lifts are operating at the Meadows and last nights overnight snowfall of 3 inches is very encouraging. The Nordic trails and snow shoeing aren't yet ready. To get there, head East from Portland on either I-84 or Highway 26, then take Highway 35 to Mount Hood Meadows. From Bend, take Highway 26 west and then Highway 35. The average snowfall is 430 inches. They boast 87 trails with a good mix for every ability, 15 kilometers of Nordic trails, and night skiing on 22 runs.

Mt. Hood Ski Bowl

Get to the Ski Bowl from Highway 26. They have both Nordic and Alpine skiing, tubing, snowboarding, snow shoeing, and for those of us who can't stand on our

The copyright of the article Winter Sports in Oregon in Oregon is owned by Sue Barton. Permission to republish Winter Sports in Oregon in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.