Winter Van Life: Mount Hood

If you ski or snowboard and are looking for road trip ideas to take your van or RV, Mount Hood should be on your bucket list. This stratovolcano in the Cascade Range is Oregon’s highest point at 11,249 feet, and has a high concentration of ski, snowboard, and other winter recreation and sightseeing opportunities. This area is also very friendly to van lifers and RVers. You could easily spend a whole winter season exploring this region in the Pacific Northwest.

To help plan your van life trip, we’ve put together everything we know after three visits to Mount Hood in February 2020, January/February 2022, and March/April 2023.

Where is Mount Hood located and what towns are nearby?

Mount Hood is located less than 2 hours east of Portland, Oregon.

Government Camp is the main town on Mount Hood, but it is very small with a population hovering around 100 people. It offers modest overnight accommodations for those that want to stay directly on the mountain. There is a single fuel station, small general store, and a few eateries.

There are several other communities that dot the base of Mount Hood, but the most notable are Sandy and Hood River.

Sandy is Mount Hood’s gateway town to the west. It’s typically below the snow line, but if it does snow, it melts quickly. It’s often gloomy and quite rainy in winter. Even when it’s not raining, it feels moist out.

Hood River is 30 miles north of Mount Hood. It’s a port town on the Columbia River and resides in the heart of the Columbia River Gorge. While this area of Oregon is also rainy, we find Hood River to be sunnier and warmer than the Sandy side of Mount Hood. It’s becoming one of our favorite year-round recreation destinations.

What ski areas call Mount Hood home?

A 20-mile stretch of highways on Mount Hood (US-26 and OR-35) is home to 4 ski areas, including:

Mt. Hood Skibowl – The closest ski area to Portland, it’s known as America’s Largest Night Ski Area. Skibowl might have a smaller footprint than its neighbors, but they have some of the steepest and most technical terrain on Hood, some of which is lit up for turns at night.

Timberline Lodge & Ski Area – Summit Ski Area was added to Timberline’s permit area in July 2021, giving them the most vertical in the US at 4,540 feet. Not only does Timberline have the longest vertical, but they also have the longest ski season at ten months. Their winter season typically runs from mid-November through the end of May, and their summer ski season usually extends from the 1st of June until early September.

Mt. Hood Meadows – Meadows has the most lift-served terrain on Hood at 2,150 skiable acres. Watch the weather and their conditions report, and you might be able to time the rope drops at Heather Canyon and Private Reserve for an unforgettable powder day. Not ready for advanced terrain? Enjoy mellow greens and blues at the Vista and Cascade Express chairs, as well as picturesque views of Mt. Hood and neighboring Timberline and Mt. Hood Skibowl.

Cooper Spur Mountain Resort – While we haven’t made it to Cooper Spur yet, from what I gather, it’s a great place for first-timers or perfecting your turns on a budget. Day tickets start at $10 and don’t exceed $49 depending on your age and desired access. Rentals and lessons are also affordable. Cooper Spur is only 35 minutes from Hood River, one of my favorite places to visit in Oregon.

Parking at Mount Hood ski areas and Sno-Parks

All Mount Hood ski areas operate on US Forest Service property and the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) maintains roads and parking areas throughout the region. An Oregon Sno-Park permit is required to park at all Mount Hood ski areas and Sno-Parks between November 1 and April 30 to help with the cost of keeping the roads open during winter conditions.

During the 2022/23 season, prices were as follows:

• Annual permit: $25
• 3-day (consecutive) permit: $9
• Daily permit: $4

State police patrol the ski resort parking lots and Sno-Parks, and they will issue a ticket if you don’t have a permit.

Oregon Sno-Park permits are sold at the ticket windows of all Mount Hood ski areas, but they can also be purchased at a variety of permit agent locations, including gas stations, convenience stores, outdoor retailers, and more. I find it easiest to purchase a permit before arriving at the ski areas. Go here to learn more about permits and where to purchase them.

Note: While there are three different types of permits (annual, 3-day, daily), you might not be able to purchase all three types at all permit agent locations. Most specifically the annual pass. If you want to purchase the annual or 3-day permit, I’d call ahead to the permit agent location to make sure they have them in stock.

Also, the Oregon Sno-Park permit is recognized by California and Idaho so that you can enjoy Sno-Parks in those states as well. Conversely, California and Idaho Sno-Park permits are recognized by Oregon. See more information about Neighboring State Permits.

Season passes you should consider

Depending on how many days you want to ski/ride on Mount Hood, which ski areas you want to ski, and if you plan on traveling to other ski areas around North America, you might want to consider purchasing one or more season passes. Here are a few to think about:

Mt. Hood Meadows All Access Season Pass – With an All Access pass, you get unlimited skiing and riding at Mt. Hood Meadows. Plus, you’ll be part of their Season Pass Exchange Program which gives you 3 free days each (with restrictions) at Baker (WA), Schweitzer (ID), and Whitefish (MT). And, since Mt. Hood Meadows participates in the Indy Pass, you’re eligible to purchase the Indy AddOn Pass, which saves you about 30% off the regular price. With Indy, you get 2 free days (plus a third day at a 25% discount) at each of 120+ ski areas across the US, Canada, and Japan.

Indy Pass – Even if you don’t get a Mt. Hood Meadows All Access Season Pass, you can still purchase an Indy Base Pass or Indy+ Pass for 2 free days (plus a third day at a 25% discount) at each of 120+ ski areas, including Mt. Hood Meadows.

Mt. Hood Fusion Pass – Get unlimited skiing and riding at Timberline and Mt. Hood Skibowl, plus Powder Alliance benefits. Powder Alliance gives you 3 free days each (with restrictions) at 20 other ski areas that participate in Powder Alliance.

Powder Alliance – You don’t have to purchase a Mt. Hood Fusion Pass for Powder Alliance benefits. Purchase an eligible season pass at any of 22 participating Powder Alliance resorts, and get 3 free days each (with restrictions) at 21 other ski areas, including Mt. Hood Skibowl and Timberline.

Otherwise, it might be most cost-effective for you to purchase day or multi-day tickets and to keep an eye out for special deals throughout the season.

When does Mount Hood have the best snow conditions?

This is a matter of personal preference. Some people love powder, some love groomers, and some are fair weather skiers. It’s also hard to predict the weather. However, if you want to plan based on historical data, here is some information to consider (based on data from onthesnow.com):

Mt. Hood Skibowl

• Most snowfall on average: February
• Most snowfall days: February
• Greatest average base depth: March
• Greatest average summit depth: March
• Our experience: Spring conditions in early February, powder days in early April

Timberline

• Most snowfall on average: December
• Most snowfall days: December
• Greatest average base depth: March
• Greatest average summit depth: April
• Our experience: Spring conditions in early February, powder days in early April

Mt. Hood Meadows

• Most snowfall on average: December
• Most snowfall days: December, January
• Greatest average base depth: March
• Greatest average summit depth: April
• Our experience: Spring conditions in late January/early February, powder days in late March

Cooper Spur

• Most snowfall on average: December
• Most snowfall days: December, January, February
• Greatest average base depth: January
• Greatest average summit depth: January, February
• Our experience: We tried to check it out in late March but they were already closed.

Am I allowed to camp at any Mount Hood ski areas?

Mt. Hood Meadows is the only Mount Hood ski area where you can camp in a van or RV overnight.

You can learn more about camping at Meadows here.

Don’t worry! There are several other camping options in close proximity to all the ski areas. Below is a table of places we’ve discovered that are open year-round, including how long it will take for you to drive to each in the most optimal conditions. It will take longer during adverse weather events and during peak traffic periods.

Keep reading on for our review of each camping location.

Oregon Sno-Parks – Sno-Parks are the closest option to all the ski areas if you don’t need amenities like RV hookups and showers. Typically, vault toilets are open and there might be a place to dispose of small amounts of trash. Please do not put your trash in any vault toilet. It is very difficult to remove.

As mentioned earlier, an Oregon Sno-Park permit is required to park at any Sno-Park on Mount Hood.

We don’t advise camping in Sno-Parks when snow removal conditions exist. However, if you do, please move when snow plows are clearing the parking area so they can keep it happy for everyone that wants to use the Sno-Park. Plows could show up at any time of night or in the early AM. They might even ask you to move without you doing so voluntarily.

There are several Sno-Parks on Mount Hood, but these are our favorites:

Mirror Lake Trailhead – While you can’t sleep in any Mt. Hood Skibowl parking lot, this parking area is directly adjacent to their Skibowl West parking area. It’s in easy walking distance of the lifts, and you can snowshoe or cross-country ski to Mirror Lake. It’s 4 miles roundtrip. This is a small parking lot and is probably best for vans and truck campers. It’s on a slope, so you might sleep awkwardly. The first time we stayed here in 2020, AT&T cell service was unstable. However, in 2023, we could stream entertainment without a booster.

White River West Sno-Park – This Sno-Park is our favorite and it has the best views of any on Mount Hood. I think it is also the largest and reasonably level throughout. We’ve seen rigs of all sizes parked here. AT&T and Verizon cell service is practically non-existent though. We can barely send and receive texts and emails. We didn’t try using a booster since we were only there for sleep, but it might’ve helped. Starlink should work great here as there are no obstructions.

Little John Sno-Park – We have not stayed here, but we drove through it in 2023. It is relatively large and level, and we could not get AT&T cell service. I would expect Starlink to work well. It is the best Sno-Park option if you’re going to Cooper Spur. While the Tilly Jane Sno-Park is closer, it isn’t more than a small pullout. Trailer parking is not allowed.

Tip: We recommend showing up closer to dark when the crowds have cleared out as most are very busy during the day with sledders, sightseers, and outdoor recreationists.

Roamer Sites – Roamer Sites is located west of the ski areas on US-26 in Sandy. We discovered this place on Hipcamp when we had to have our Winnebago Revel’s diesel heater repaired nearby in December 2021. I’m so glad to have found them! We like staying here for a hot shower and a quiet place to focus on work.

You must also take advantage of their unique amenities! The home of Roamer Sites is also the home of Wy’East Mountain Academy and snowboard, ski, skateboard, and mountain bike camps for young people. The grounds not only consist of buildings utilized by the academy for housing students and conducting classes, but it is also one big skatepark. There are hiking and mountain biking trails, and BOB, the Building Out Back, features a workout room, plus a 20’x20′ airbag and super trampoline for practicing tricks. Guests of Roamer Sites can use amenities based on a schedule provided at check-in.

Entering and exiting the facility requires opening and closing two gates. One to enter the grounds and one that separates the Roamer Sites from all other operations, including where the students live and learn.

We last paid $35, plus Hipcamp’s service fee, for a gravel electric site with a water spigot shared by the neighboring site. Roamer Sites is best for vans, truck campers, and smaller RVs under 30 feet. Dog-friendly glamping tents are also available.

There is no dump station at Roamer Sites, but trash cans are available for waste and recycling. If you happen to have a cassette toilet like we used to have in our Winnebago Revel, you can dump its contents in the vault toilet at Barlow Wayside Park. The park is only 1.2 miles away from Roamer Sites on the way to the Sandy Ridge Trail System.

Roamer Sites offers two private restrooms, each with a shower, toilet, sink, and thermostat for controlling the heat. They are located a short walk from the Roamer Sites on the student side of the gate. Be careful walking the concrete ramps to the restrooms. They are almost always wet, typical for winter in Oregon, and they can develop a hidden thin layer of ice.

Texting, emailing, streaming, and video conference calls work great using our AT&T and Verizon hot spots. No cellular booster is needed. Roamer Sites also provides fast WiFi.

To book a reservation, go here.

Mt. Hood Village RV Resort – This year-round, dog-friendly RV park is located west of the ski areas in Welches on US-26. It’s loaded with amenities, including showers, laundry facilities, a swimming pool, whirlpool spa and saunas, fitness center, and more. The Dragonfly Cafe & Bakery is also located on-site. We enjoyed eating breakfast there and would definitely go back.

This is a great option if you don’t wish to drive to Mt. Hood Skibowl or Timberline as the Mt. Hood Express picks up and drops off right outside the RV resort. See the Hoodland Senior Center stop on their schedule/map. (Mt. Hood Express does not pick up/drop off at Mt. Hood Meadows or Cooper Spur.)

We last stayed at Mt. Hood Village on three separate occasions in February 2020. They offer nightly and weekly rates, as well as extended stays (28 days or more) if you want a more permanent place to park it while you enjoy Mount Hood.

All RV sites are back-in with grass/gravel and run upwards of $60 per night. It’s the most expensive place we’ve stayed around Mount Hood. You can reserve full hookup sites or water and electric only. Primitive tent sites are also available, and I’d be curious if they would allow you to book these for a van since you’ll pay about $20 less per night. Some RV parks do depending on the layout. Cabins, tiny houses, and yurts are also available.

Mt. Hood Village is part of Thousand Trails if you have their Camping Pass. I looked into this option to lower our costs, but they didn’t have enough RV parks in places we would likely visit.

Notes about our stay in February 2020: The bathhouse closest to our site was very clean aside from the mud that is impossible not to track in from outside. It had a few toilets and showers, and each shower is within its own stall. The RV resort does not allow you to pay for their showers as a non-guest.

The laundry room was closed during our visit due to a water issue. I was bummed the front desk didn’t disclose this since we were a walk-in booking, and it was part of our reason for staying there. They were also constructing a new loop for more RV sites, so there was a lot of noise throughout the day.

Texting, emailing, and streaming worked fine using AT&T. No booster needed. I didn’t try an online video call, and I’m a little unsure how stable it would be. Several online reviews indicate that service is very poor when the resort gets busy. The resort wasn’t even close to half full when we were there. The resort also offers WiFi, but we didn’t use it. In reading their website, it sounds like you can only get WiFi from in the lodge.

If your rig is under 30 feet and you’re only in need of a shower, I would opt to stay at Roamer Sites to save money.

To book a reservation, go here.

Oxbow Regional Park – This campground is one of the furthest options west of Mount Hood in Gresham. We felt like we had a rainforest all to ourselves camping here in March 2023. There was only one other party on a Sunday night.

You can make reservations one day or more in advance but we decided to walk in. You cannot make reservations the same day. Signs say you can occupy any site that isn’t marked as reserved and to find park staff if you don’t have a reservation. There was no camp host but we were able to flag down a park ranger and give him cash for the site. Otherwise, you must pick a site and drive back up to the welcome center during regular business hours. The welcome center is not within a reasonable walking distance. If you arrive after their business hours, you can stop by their office the next day.

Note: The campground is set amongst dense trees and many sites had low clearance that would only be suitable for a sedan. You might not want to make a reservation ahead of time without confirming the overhead clearance if you have a tall vehicle/RV.

Sites 1, 2, and 3 were the only sites in an open area with no trees which was also great for using our Starlink. AT&T cell service was non-existent in the campground.

We paid $25 for a very large pull-through site (no hookups) and showers were included. There were two private showers available that were “clean enough” with strong water pressure. However, the hot water ran down pretty fast. It wasn’t freezing cold by the end of a five-minute shower but it was definitely lukewarm for both of us.

The park has a combination of flush and vault toilets and trash cans throughout.

To book a reservation, go here.

Memaloose Rest Area – This isn’t a place to camp, but if you’re traveling I-84 and need a place to rest before heading south to Mount Hood or north on your way out of the area, this is a great option. Signs in the rest area indicate you’re allowed to stay up to 12 hours.

There are actually two rest areas – one on the westbound side of I-84 and one on the eastbound side.

For more information, go here.

Memaloose State Park – The campground at this state park is seasonal and typically opens in mid-March, so it’s best for spring skiing at Mount Hood. The park is located north of Mount Hood at the Memaloose Rest Area (Westbound) exit on I-84 and is not accessible going east. You actually have to drive through the rest area to enter the state park.

You can choose a site with or without full hookups. You can reserve it ahead of time online, but we chose to walk in. There were plenty of sites to choose from. However, all the full hookup river view sites were taken. There were several sites with no hookups available with views.

Showers are included with your camping fee and they are clean. The water is technically hot. However, the spray is a finer mist, so it felt kind of cold, especially since the room didn’t feel heated. The shower head doesn’t extend far from the wall, so to rinse off, you have to get cozy with the wall. The water is on a push button, so water only comes out for about 5 seconds with every push. We were happy for showers but the experience was kind of odd.

If you’re sensitive to noise, the campground is in close proximity to the interstate and the railroad. There are definitely site options that are more sheltered from the noise than others. While there are beautiful views of the Columbia River, there is no direct access.

AT&T worked well enough for us to stream entertainment.

To book a reservation, go here.

Conveniences around Mount Hood

Government Camp has a Chevron fuel station, the small Govy General Store, and a few places to eat. If you need something more, head west toward Sandy or north toward Hood River.

If you head west, we like Safeway (Hwy 26) in Sandy for groceries and a water refill station. The easiest parking for larger rigs is on the east side of the building. Hoodland Thriftway in Welches also has a water refill station. If you want to eat out, we like pizza at Al Forno Ferruzza Pizzeria in Rhododendron.

If you need to do laundry, go to Cedars Laundromat in Sandy. We were surprised at the high level of cleanliness considering the amount of traffic going in and out. It’s one of the cleanest laundromats we’ve been to in the entire western US.

If you need service for your RV, we like Blue Lake Auto & RV Repair in Fairview. In early 2022, we were having issues with battery drain in our 2019 Winnebago Revel. Brad did his best to troubleshoot the problem with our three AGM house batteries and was highly communicative throughout the whole process. Blue Lake could also schedule an appointment sooner than other local RV repair shops that were booked solid for weeks and months.

If you have an Espar diesel heater in your van or RV that needs service or repair, or you want to install one, Rixen’s Enterprises is located in Sandy. Rixen’s helped Winnebago to integrate the Espar heater into the Revel. (Note: Newer Winnebago Revels no longer use the Espar heater like our 2019.)

If you head north, we like Safeway (Cascade Ave) in Hood River for groceries.

Tip: Oregon has a single-use bag ban. Be prepared to pay for bags at grocery and retail stores. Otherwise, bring your own reusable bags.

Will I be able to work remotely at the ski areas?

Maybe. We have AT&T cell service, an AT&T hotspot, a WeBoost cellular signal booster, and Starlink. Here is our experience:

Mt. Hood Skibowl – In March 2023, AT&T cell service was not working well for us in the Skibowl West parking lot. However, it worked fine in the Mirror Lake Trailhead parking lot only a few hundred yards away. We could stream entertainment without using our cell booster or Starlink.

Timberline – AT&T cell service has always worked really well for us in their Main Lot.

Mt. Hood Meadows – AT&T cell service works well for us in their Main Lot. In 2022, it didn’t work so well in the Sunrise Lot, but it worked just fine in 2023. It is unreliable in the HRM parking lot.

Cooper Spur – We weren’t able to drive all the way to the ski area when we tried in late March 2023. However, on the road to Cooper Spur, we didn’t have any AT&T cell service.

There are a lot of factors that will determine your ability to work. Your cell phone carrier, your devices, the number of people on the network, weather, the kind of work you’re doing (email, browsing online, video conference calls, etc.) and more. While we had some reliability at Mt. Hood ski areas, we found the most reliable AT&T cell service within the commercial areas of Government Camp, Sandy, Hood River, and Mosier.

Is there anything to see or do aside from skiing?

You can’t leave Mount Hood without also driving the Historic Columbia River Highway Scenic Byway and visiting the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. Save it for a day when ski conditions aren’t so great.

The Historic Columbia River Scenic Byway (Historic Highway 30) starts in Troutdale and ends in The Dalles if you’re traveling West to East. Along the way, you’ll pass through a few other Oregon towns, including Cascade Locks, Hood River, and Mosier. Each has something unique to offer, along with shops and restaurants.

The big attraction along Historic Highway 30 is the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area or the waterfall zone. Aside from perhaps Hawaii, I’ve never seen so many waterfalls along one stretch of road. There are short and long hikes to visit a number of the falls, but you can also see several from the comfort of your seat as you drive along.

Note: Parts of Historic Highway 30 are very narrow, most especially near the waterfall zone. As noted here, vehicles up to 35 feet are allowed. However, our Winnebago Revel was just under 20 feet long and a tad over 7 feet wide. It was a pretty tight squeeze when passing oncoming vehicles on our left while trying to avoid hitting tall curbs and other roadside obstacles on our right. Smaller vehicles rarely slowed down when passing us, and there were some close calls. If your van/RV is larger, you might run into trouble. You might also have difficulty finding parking spaces if you intend to stop along the way.

Aside from waterfalls, there are other spectacular views, such as the Vista House and the Rowena Crest Viewpoint.

We’re always looking for good Mexican food on the road having grown up in California. We were excited to stumble across La Vaquita Taqueria in Mosier right as our stomachs were growling for lunchtime on one of our drives along Historic Highway 30. There is a nice picnic area next to the food truck with views of the Columbia River and Washington state on the other side.

Small vans or truck campers can fit in the parking area directly in front of the food truck. However, if you’re in a larger rig, go east on the road past the totem pole and you’ll see a driveway that goes north toward the Columbia River. There is a huge dirt parking area on a lower level from the food truck.

If you want to burn off your meal, the Mosier Plateau Trail begins only a quarter-mile down the road heading east and just over the road bridge on the south side.

It’s a 3.5-mile out-and-back trail that gains several hundred feet in elevation. I didn’t do any reading about this trail before we hiked, so I had no expectations. I just knew it was close by and I wanted to earn my burrito. We passed through an old cemetery, a surprisingly large two-tier waterfall, and enjoyed views of the Columbia River and Mosier from the plateau.

Getting the perfect picture of Mount Hood

Mount Hood is often hiding in the clouds, but if you time it right, you can get a great photo from either the Jonsrud Viewpoint Park in Sandy or Panorama Point County Park in Hood River.

Note: Jonsrud only has a handful of small spaces that are best for short vans or petite truck campers. I’d say 20 feet or less.

What else do I need to know?

For weather and conditions on Mount Hood, go here.

Avoid traffic in the late afternoon on the weekend! If you’re traveling from Mount Hood toward Portland, you’ll be fighting with skier traffic heading home from three ski areas. There is far less traffic if you’re heading north toward Hood River.