Winter Van Life: Hoodoo Ski Area

When We Visited: Martin Luther King, Jr. Weekend 2022, February 2023

Hoodoo is near Bend and Sisters in Oregon, which happens to be two of our top places to visit in the western United States.

We’re not fans of huge populations and are most comfortable in small towns with a couple thousand or fewer people. The Bend area has over 100,000, but it is a well-planned city. Many curse roundabouts, but in Bend, they are everywhere, and they help keep traffic flowing (mostly). I hate when I manage to hit every stoplight on a long stretch of road.

Aside from my enthusiasm for their traffic flow, Bend has abundant sunshine and access to almost every outdoor activity possible. Perhaps the only thing missing is ocean surfing. The city is also very walkable. You can be hiking a dirt trail along the Deschutes River one minute, and the next, you’re on city sidewalks checking out local shops and eateries. If you’re looking for fellow van lifers, you won’t have a problem meeting like-minded people here.

Sisters is Bend’s tinier neighbor but equally cute. You can find the best bear claw we’ve ever had at the Sister’s Bakery on their main street, along with other hard-to-resist goodies.

Most people probably associate Bend and skiing with Mt. Bachelor, but only 45 miles and approximately an hour northwest from Bend on Highway 20 is Hoodoo Ski Area. If you’re traveling from Bend, you’ll pass through downtown Sisters, less than 25 miles and 25 minutes from Hoodoo. Hoodoo sits in the Willamette National Forest at the top of Highway 20’s Santiam Pass.

What We Love About Hoodoo

Easy parking and short to non-existent lift lines. We don’t have to wake up early to beat crowds. We’ve never seen the parking lot fill up, even when we were there during the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend.

The vibe. There are a lot of local riders just there for some fun turns and good times with friends in the parking lot.

The expansive views. There is so much to see in every direction, including Mt. Washington.

Plan Your RV/Van Life Road Trip to Hoodoo

skihoodoo.com
27400 Big Lake Road, Sisters, OR 97759
(541) 822-3799
Send a message

Pass affiliation: Indy Pass 2023/24

Operating hours: Typically open daily at 9:00 am. Open for night skiing on certain days. Check their Hours of Operation for the most up-to-date schedule.

Mountain Stats

• Skiable terrain: 800 acres
• Vertical drop: 1,035 feet
• Average annual snowfall: 450 inches
• More stats

Driving to Hoodoo

Hoodoo is located only one mile off US Highway 20 at the top of Santiam Pass. Regardless of which direction you’re coming from, you’ll be traveling two-lane mountain highways with passing lanes.

You might notice that snow plows use a red gravel to help with traction when roads are slick. Apparently, this part of Oregon crushes red cinder rock, which seems to work great. However, we find the gravel pieces to be quite large compared to other states that sand their roads in winter. They sound like they have the potential to crack a windshield, so keep your distance from the person in front of you, which should probably go without saying anyway.

Note: OR 242, also known as the McKenzie Highway, is closed seasonally, typically November to mid-June. It’s supposed to be a gorgeous drive if you’re in the area during summer or fall.

Parking at Hoodoo

You do not have to have an Oregon Sno-Park permit to park at Hoodoo like other Oregon ski areas.

There is only one very large parking lot. If you park to the far left of the lodge across from the RVer overnight camping spots without hookups, you’ll be closest to the Ed Chair. If you park to the right, you’ll be closest to Big Green Machine for upper mountain access and Hoodoo’s beginner runs.

Using Your 2022/23 Indy Pass at Hoodoo

You can redeem a ticket at any main ticket window. Have your photo ID handy. You’ll receive a wicket and an adhesive-backed ski lift ticket. Each day you plan on riding with your Indy Pass, you must pick up a new ticket.

Tips on How to Ski/Ride Hoodoo

See Hoodoo’s trail map to follow along.

During spring conditions in January 2022, most everything to the left of the Midway chair (if you’re looking at the trail map) stayed pretty soft all day. Gripper run was slushiest.

If you like ungroomed terrain and some mild steepness, Crater and Face are our favorites. While they are black diamond runs, if you’re a solid intermediate skier trying to go a little steeper in off-piste terrain, this is probably a good area for you to get started during spring or fresh snow conditions. From the tops of these runs, you can easily pick an entry point most comfortable to you. You’ll meet a cat track at the bottom that will guide you to the Ed Chair.

Todd’s Trees don’t get a lot of sun, so without fresh snow, they look pretty firm. However, we found this is one of the best area’s on a dust-on-crust kind of day like we had in February 2023. We also liked Grandstand, Big Dipper, and Headwall. We weren’t hitting crust underneath like other areas of the mountain.

Working Remotely at Hoodoo

Every place mentioned in this guide had reliable AT&T and Verizon service without using our cellular signal booster, including at the ski area. We could send and receive texts and emails, stream entertainment, and participate in online video calls without a problem.

Where to Sleep in Your Van/RV

Hoodoo Ski Area – Electric and non-electric sites are available for a fee. We last paid $20 plus tax for a non-electric site. There are no water and sewer hookups, no on-site dump station, and no place to dump trash. Pack it out!

Reservations are required. Sites for Friday and Saturday nights get booked pretty solid. Weeknights seem to stay wide open unless there is a holiday or special event. There is a waitlist option if your desired date is unavailable when you go to make your reservation online.

Restrooms are available 24/7 in the lodge, including two quarter-operated showers in both the men’s and women’s sides. It’s a little awkward because the showers are located just beyond several toilets and sinks that skiers use during the day. If you’re looking for privacy, you might consider showering after skiers have gone home for the day or before they arrive.

When you reserve a space online, you’re assigned a site number. However, non-electric sites are unmarked. When we arrived, we were unsure where to find our site because non-electric spots appeared to be regular parking spaces. If the ticket windows are still open, you can start there for guidance. Otherwise, look for a Hoodoo employee hanging out in a vehicle near the overnight camping area to guide you.

Most spaces are unlevel. We tried to put our van on levelers, but there was so much ice the levelers kept sliding out of place each time we drove the tires on top.

Santiam Sno-Park – 1.2 miles / 5 minutes on US-20 – An Oregon Sno-Park permit is required to park or stay overnight. We last paid $25 for an annual permit at Oliver Lemon’s in Sisters in February 2022. For more information about Oregon Sno-Park permits, including where to purchase yours, go here. The Oregon Sno-Park permit is recognized by California and Idaho so that you can enjoy Sno-Parks in those states as well.

Two vault toilets were open during our visit. We used them to dump our cassette toilet.

The parking lot is relatively flat. Not many people stayed here overnight, so it was quiet aside from a group that started their midnight skinning adventure behind our van. The Ray Benson Sno-Park on Hoodoo’s side of the highway had a lot more overnighters.

Bend/Sisters Garden RV Resort – 26 miles / 30 minutes in Bend – This is one of our favorite RV parks in the west for the showers and beautifully maintained grounds. There is a pond in the middle of the park with a fountain that remains lit at night.

If you visit in Spring, there are many goslings, each gaggle in its own stage of growth.

Full hookup sites are available, but some water spigots are winterized during winter. You’ll want to verify the type of site you are getting when you reserve your space with resort staff. If you get a site without water, resort staff can point you to the closest water spigot to top off your freshwater tank or water jugs. Cabins are also available.

The last price we paid was $45 plus tax for a back-in site along the highway in January 2022.

Showers are available at no additional cost. In both the men’s and women’s restrooms, a couple of toilets and sinks are in one room, and two showers are in another room with shower curtains for privacy. They are tiled, extremely clean, and spacious. It seems the staff often cleans the showers mid-afternoon if you want to plan your shower after the most recent cleaning. The only thing I didn’t like about the showers was the lack of hooks, but there were a couple of chairs and a table. Also, my shower products had to go on the floor, which I typically don’t like. However, since the showers were so clean, it wasn’t such a big deal.

Top-loading washers and dryers are available and you can pick up quarters from the front desk during their business hours. If I recall correctly, there are only four washers, which can become quickly occupied. I would try to get in there before 8:00 am if you can manage it.

A walking path almost circles the entire park for walking yourself or your dog. There are workout stations along the way that were perfect for incorporating into our MAX Workouts by Shin Ohtake. Sisters Rodeo is also next door and is easily accessed from the RV resort through a gate. There is a huge field for tiring out your dog off-leash.

Beware of road noise! The park sits next to Highway 20. Even though it is a rural two-lane highway, there is heavy traffic. If you’re sensitive to road noise, this might not be the place for you. It doesn’t bother us.

Tumalo State Park – 38.2 miles / 45 minutes in Tumalo – We love staying here because there is direct access to the Deschutes River Trail, which is great for hiking and trail running. It’s also dog-friendly until you reach the Riley Ranch Nature Reserve. Watch for slick mud and ice!

Full hookup, no hookup/tent sites, and yurts are available.

There is no dump station so if you need to dump, you’ll want to occupy a full hookup site.

Flush toilets are available, as well as a couple of sinks. The state park does a good job of keeping them clean.

Showers are available and free if you’ve paid for a campsite. Non-campers can no longer pay to shower as we discovered in 2023. There are signs everywhere!

Each shower is private with an exterior door. While I wouldn’t call the showers luxurious, they are cleaned daily, the water is hot, and the water pressure is strong. A heater turns on as soon as you step in the shower too.

Dumpsters are available, including recycling bins. They even accept stove fuel canisters.

We always recommend reserving a site ahead of time. However, it seems like tent sites (no hookups) are always available during winter if you show up before 1 pm. Hookup sites are very popular, so I would definitely book one ahead of time if you need hookups.

While Tumalo is at a much lower elevation than Hoodoo, it is not immune from snow.

The Camp – 43.7 miles / 60 minutes in Bend – We found this place when we couldn’t get a site at Tumalo State Park after 5 pm on a Monday in April 2023. It was a last-minute decision to drive to the Bend area after a half-day at Timberline on Mt. Hood and we didn’t arrive early enough.

We were lucky that The Camp’s manager picked up my phone call because the office was technically closed for the day. I was in the mood for a hot shower and not for driving around looking for a place to park our van for the night. You’re supposed to be able to book a site online up until the last minute, but for some reason, I was having trouble.

This RV park has been a fixture in Bend since the 1950s, but it became The Camp in 2019. It’s the only place with RV accommodations in the heart of Bend giving campers quick access to hot spots by foot or bike. New RV park developments are banned within city limits, but fortunately, The Camp is grandfathered in.

They’ve renovated the property to meet city standards, so they might not have features you’ve come to expect of modern RV parks like angled sites for easier parking. But the sites are clean and spacious with privacy walls/planters between sites. They accommodate all types of rigs from vans to Class As. Plus, you can rent vintage trailers and a tiny home.

All RV pads, trailers, and the tiny home are around the perimeter of the property, leaving extra parking and a patio area in the middle. Coffee is served every morning, so you can enjoy a cup around the community fire pit and meet fellow skiers and other travelers.

The Camp has a trailer with a few private restrooms, each with their own toilet, sink, and shower. There is another trailer for your laundry needs.

If you’re there in the winter and want to spend extra time at Hoodoo and Mt. Bachelor, ask them about their monthly rates.

Conveniences Near Hoodoo

There are no conveniences in the immediate vicinity, but there are numerous places in Sisters (25 minutes) and Bend (1 hour) to buy groceries and stock up on most anything else you might need. 

When we arrived in Bend in January 2022, we came across Highway 20 heading west from Idaho. As soon as you arrive in town from that direction, you’ll run into Costco (membership required), Whole Foods Market, and Safeway (NE Hwy 20).

I also like Safeway (Century Blvd) in Bend and Oliver Lemon’s in Sisters. 

Oliver Lemon’s sells Bend Soap Company products, my new favorite for bar soap and body lotion. They also offer sushi, prepared salads, sandwiches, and dinner meals, including chicken pot pie, if you like grab-and-go options. The pot pies even come in a ceramic ramekin for you to keep!

If you need a pet store, we like Mud Bay Colorado Crossing in Bend. I’m so thankful for this store. During our May 2021 visit, I left our dog’s K9 Sport Sack at a trailhead. When we went back to retrieve it, it was no longer there. When I originally purchased that backpack, it was a rare item. Fortunately, Mud Bay had it in stock. Had they not, our hiking and biking adventures would’ve been over until we could locate a replacement.

If you’re looking for a ski shop, we like Powder House Ski & Patio in Bend.

The buckles on my 2012 Full Tilt Soul Sister boots were coming undone with every run. At over a decade old, it was time for new boots that were destroying my knees anyway. Powder House’s expert boot fitters helped me pick out my next pair, as well as new skis and bindings.

I also had to say goodbye to my 2010 Volkl Aura skis because my Salomon bindings were not compatible with the new boots I selected. I was able to demo a few pairs of skis and apply the demo cost to my purchase. Fortunately, it was late enough in the season (February 2023) that my skis and boots were substantially discounted, especially since a brand new set up was not in my budget this season.

After breaking everything in, I was able to go back to Powder House a couple of months later in April to tune my boots again for the most optimal fit at no cost (except materials).

Every time we walk into Powder House, someone has been quick to greet us and make sure we get the help we need in a timely manner, even though they are a very busy place. A lot of people rent equipment that are skiing Mt. Bachelor. While you can make an appointment for a boot fitting, I never had to make one. Our timing was very lucky. There were also nice enough to expedite the mounting of my new bindings to my new skis.

There isn’t enough room in our van for me to keep two pairs of skis, so I needed to do something with my Auras before leaving town. I wasn’t interested in making money off of them, but I was hoping somebody could make use of them. They were perfectly good skis that I was extremely sad to part with. Latitude 44 Sports was recommended to us, which was just down the street from Powder House. Their business is consignment but they were happy to take my donation. Apparently, there are a lot of triathletes in Bend that recycle equipment annually, so Latitude 44 is a great place to find equipment and gear that is barely a year old.

Where to Eat Near Hoodoo

Aside from eating at the ski area, there isn’t anything near Hoodoo.

If you don’t mind driving back down to Sisters (25 minutes), we love Sisters Bakery. Did I mention how much we love their Danish almond bear claws already? A line forms down the street in the early AM during summer. Fortunately, there aren’t too many tourists to compete with during a winter visit. Of other baked goods we’ve tried, we also like their famous sourdough bread, cinnamon roll with cream cheese icing, chocolate bar donut, and sour cream old fashioned chocolate iced donut. There is still so much more to try, I can’t wait to go back!

We also got a tip from a couple at Willamette Pass to try Fika Sisters Coffeehouse. We haven’t been there yet, but in addition to serving coffee, pastries, and lunch, they have coworking space in their loft.

We never visit the Bend/Sisters area without also stopping at The Bite food carts in Tumalo (40 minutes). I love the Pine Marten Pizza food cart and their wood-fired pepperoni pizza. I had my first sushi burrito at NorthFresh Sushi which is a whole meal in itself. I thought a sushi roll was a “burrito” until I ate at NorthFresh.

It’s a somewhat interesting story of how we learned about The Bite. We had a riverside site at Tumalo State Park in May 2021. (Note: Riverside sites are not available during winter.) Our van’s slider was open, so I could gaze at the Deschutes River while cooking, and a fly fisherman came out of the water and up into our site. He felt awkward as I stared straight in his direction, stirring our dinner. There was nowhere for him to go except directly past our van. He apologized for intruding, and we got to talking. He and his wife had lived the van life once and settled in Bend after deciding to go back to school. He shared his favorite places for mountain biking around Bend and suggested we eat at The Bite. It’s now a ritual to eat there anytime we are in the area.

If you want to check out more of the food cart scene, go to The Lot in Bend (1 hour). We’ve only tried A’ la Carte so far, but we can’t wait to try the other options. It’s located directly across from a very clean laundromat – Washable Laundromat. I love when I can eat while getting chores done.

Our favorite burger place is Bend Burger Company. A local could tell I was struggling to make a choice and recommended the Broken Top burger with bacon, bleu cheese, and dill pickles. I normally just like a basic cheeseburger with the typical fixings, but the extra toppings on the Broken Top didn’t overwhelm the burger patty. It was perfect! This place is in walking distance of The Camp if you happen to stay there.

Closest Ski Areas to Hoodoo

• Mt. Bachelor (Ikon Pass 2023/24) – 65.2 miles / 90 minutes in Bend
• Willamette Pass (Power Pass 2023/24) – 113 miles / 2 hours in Cascade Summit
• Mt. Hood Meadows (Indy Pass 2023/24) – 136 miles / 2.5 hours in Mt. Hood
• Timberline Lodge & Ski Area (Mt. Hood Fusion Pass 2023/24, Powder Alliance 2023/24) – 135 miles / 2.5 hours in Mt. Hood
• Mt. Hood Skibowl (Mt. Hood Fusion Pass 2023/24, Powder Alliance 2023/24) – 132 miles / 2.5 hours in Mt. Hood

Other Winter Activities

Deschutes River Trail – Every time we visit Bend, we do a different section of this trail. During the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, we had the easiest time finding parking at Riverbend Park.