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Where to sled and tube on Mt Hood |
As the snow starts falling on Mt. Hood, skiers, snowboarders and all sorts of other snow enthusiasts make their way to the ski resorts. If you're anything like me, however, skiing isn't your thing. Sure it's a great sport, but I fall a lot and I'm getting to the point where it takes a long time to recover from that. But the kids still want to play in the snow, and if I'm honest, so do I. Fortunately there are plenty of sledding and tubing options on Mt. Hood.
Mt. Hood Skibowl has an epic tubing hill. They even take the difficult part out of the equation: walking back up the hill for another ride. You can slide on down, then take the conveyor back up to the top, saving your legs for more runs. Weekend nights get even more amazing with Cosmic Tubing, a laser-lit rock show on the snow. Skibowl also has one of the most advanced snow-making systems out there, so even in low snow years the hill will still be open.
While Timberline Lodge & Ski Area is an iconic attraction on Mt. Hood, they don't allow tubing or sledding on their hills. Fortunately, Timberline does allow sledding and tubing at Summit Pass. Summit Pass is located at the eastern edge of Government Camp. Tubing tickets include a tube rental, making it as budget-easy as it is family-friendly.
Another popular spot is Snowbunny Sliding Area Sno-Park. Located in the Mt. Hood National Forest, they don't charge any day-use fees from November through May. You will need to have a valid ODOT Sno-Park parking permit, however. The entrance is located 2.5 miles east of Timberline Road, so it's pretty close to other options. It's also a popular starting point for a lot of snowshoe and cross-country ski trips into the Mt. Hood National Forest.
A little further east of Government Camp and Snowbunny is the White River Sno-Park. With one of the largest parking lots of any day-use recreation area on Mt. Hood, it's a great location for tubing and sledding. As the name would suggest, it's located along the White River. While you'll want to keep the sledding activity away from the river, the view does make for some truly gorgeous photos, so bring the camera when you bring the kids. You will need a Sno-Park Permit for this location.
