Winter Van Life: Mt. Hood Skibowl
When We Visited: February 2020, April 2023
Our first visit to Mt. Hood Skibowl was in February 2020. If you read Winter Van Life: Timberline Lodge & Ski Area, you’ll already know why. By that time, we were in our second winter season living on the road. I tried to recollect every ski area we had visited since van life began in August 2018 through February 2020, and I’m pretty sure I skied the steepest runs at Mt. Hood Skibowl, with the exception of Loveland.
At the time, conditions were soft enough to do the advanced runs in Upper Bowl, but some terrain was icy. I was terrified to go beyond the Outback Boundary by myself as I couldn’t easily see what was over there. Looking from the parking area, it appeared unforgivingly steep and potentially firm.
In March 2023, we returned to Mt. Hood Skibowl, but on the first day we wanted to ski/ride, it was snaining. Their base sits at 3,650 feet, so they’re more susceptible to rain than neighboring Timberline and Mt. Hood Meadows. The wetness and gloom demotivated us into working instead.
Then April came and that snain finally turned into powder. We were able to venture into the Outback Boundary and drop in from Hanna Ridge. Our first run over there was actually by accident, and we felt a little blind as we didn’t know where we were going to end up. We were happy to see the Lower Bowl chair when we popped out of a cat track at the bottom, but also excited about what we just discovered. We had to do it again.
There was still a lot of hike-to terrain that we didn’t have a chance to explore. Next time!
Plan Your RV/Van Life Road Trip to Skibowl
skibowl.com
87000 US 26, Government Camp, OR 97028
(503) 272-3206
Text Guest Services: (971) 351-2435
Pass affiliations: Mt. Hood Fusion Pass 2023/24, Powder Alliance 2023/24
Hours: Night skiing only Monday through Thursday. Day and night skiing is available Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and certain holidays. See their Hours page for more information.
Mountain Stats
- Average annual snowfall: 300 inches
- Terrain: 960 acres
- Vertical drop: 1,500 feet
- More stats
Driving to Skibowl
Mt. Hood Skibowl is located directly off of US-26 and is the closest ski area to Portland, Oregon. It’s about a 75-minute drive in the best conditions.
I don’t want to call a mountain highway easy, but US-26 isn’t the scariest road you’ll take to a ski area if you travel around. There are no switchbacks or crazy drop-offs with no guardrail.
For information on weather and conditions on Mount Hood, go here.
Parking at Skibowl
Mt. Hood Skibowl has two base areas: Skibowl West and Skibowl East.
An Oregon Sno-Park permit is required to park at either location and can be purchased at any ticket window at Skibowl. Otherwise, you can buy one at a number of locations throughout Oregon. For more information about where you can buy a permit, including pricing, go here.
Oregon accepts California and Idaho’s Sno-Park permit and those states accept Oregon’s Sno-Park permit. Read more about Neighboring State Permits.
Skibowl West has two entrances along the south side of US-26. We always park here. The parking lot is pretty small, so you don’t have to walk far to Guest Services or the lifts no matter where you end up. It didn’t fill up on the last Friday in February 2020 or the last Friday in March 2023. I notice more activity in the parking lot close to 4 pm when night skiing starts. It did reach capacity on the first Saturday in April which was also a powder day.
Skibowl East is for tubers and does not have lift ticket services. If you already have a lift ticket, you can access the mountain from here.
For more information, see Skibowl’s Parking page.
Using Your Powder Alliance Benefits at Skibowl
Powder Alliance grants you 3 days of skiing at each of its participating resorts. Free days may only be redeemable on certain days of the week on a non-holiday, including at Mt. Hood Skibowl. For the most current information, see the Mt. Hood Skibowl page on the Powder Alliance site.
Mt. Hood Skibowl’s hours are limited, so you’ll also want to check their Hours to make sure you can use your Powder Alliance benefits on your desired dates. I would also contact Skibowl to verify your benefits, so you’re not disappointed upon arrival. During our visit in February 2020, to ski during the day, we had to do it on a Friday. There were more options if we wanted to go night skiing.
To redeem your Powder Alliance benefits, you must go to Guest Services at Skibowl West. There are no ticket services at Skibowl East.
Tips for Skiing/Riding Skibowl
See Skibowl’s Trail Map to follow along.
Skating and poling will be inevitable when trying to reach all corners of Upper Bowl and the Outback/Hanna Ridge.
Also, Log Road at the bottom of the Outback is labeled as a black run, but it’s really a cat track. Snowboarders, if you’re being lazy about your speed, you’ll have to unstrap or hop your way over a couple of sections. If it’s ungroomed or not yet packed down on a powder day, you might find it to be more difficult.
Mt. Hood Skibowl’s lifts are antiquated. If you do the Outback, you’ll end up back at the base, which means taking the Lower Bowl and Upper Bowl chairs to get back to the top. Lapping the mountain happens slowly.
Since Mt. Hood Skibowl isn’t technically on Mount Hood’s mountain slope, you can get great views of it from the ski area. The photo below was taken somewhere around the Multorpor chairlift.
Working Remotely at Skibowl
AT&T cell service is spotty throughout the Skibowl West parking lot. It works best in the adjacent Mirror Lake Trailhead parking lot.
I’m unsure how well service works at Skibowl East.
AT&T cell service works really well along the main drag in Government Camp.
Where to Sleep in Your Van/RV
Overnight RV camping is not permitted at Mt. Hood Skibowl. There are signs posted throughout their parking lot and I’ve also confirmed this by calling.
However, with an Oregon Sno-Park Permit, you can park overnight in the Mirror Lake Trailhead parking lot directly adjacent to the Skibowl West parking lot.
For more camping options, where to locate conveniences, and sightseeing ideas, see our complete Mount Hood guide.
Other Ski Areas on Mount Hood
- Timberline Lodge & Ski Area (Mt. Hood Fusion Pass 2023/34, Powder Alliance 2023/24) – 1.4 miles / 5 minutes to Timberline Summit Pass, 6.7 miles / 15 minutes to Wy’East Day Lodge
- Mt. Hood Meadows (Indy Pass 2023/24) – 12 miles / 20 minutes
- Cooper Spur Mountain Resort (Indy Pass 2023/24) – 24 miles / 35 minutes
