Winter Outdoor Activities in Portland, Oregon

For some people, Winter is a time to hunker down and await warmer weather while sipping hot cocoa from the toasty comfort of an easy chair. For others, Winter is the time for outdoor sports and activities. Just an hour or so from Portland, Mount Hood and the surrounding areas are a Winter wonderland.

Sled

City kids who don't get to see the snow very often love spending the day tubing or sledding down a slope. Several ski resorts offer inner tubing hills, but there are several sno- parks were you can sled and tube for free, but will need a $3 for a day-use sno-park permit. The nice thing about the resorts including Summit Ski Area in Government Camp and Mount Hood Skibowl is that you get tubes or sleds with admission and don't have a bring your own. Prices vary, but are around $12 for 2 hours or $25 for all day.

Snowshoe

So you want to slow down and enjoy the winter scenery on a snow hike? There's no better way to do it than in a pair of snow shoes. Snow shoes allow for back country hiking and require no specific skills, other than walking. It also provides a great work out. Groomed trails are less challenging and require a smaller snowshoe, while hiking on powdery trails will require a bigger snow shoe and be much more challenging.

There are lots of sno-parks near Mount Hood with groomed trails for snowshoeing. Frog Lake is a one and a half mile trail near Government Camp that is great for families with little kids. It's popular with snowmobilers on the weekends, but if you visit during the week, you should enjoy a little peace and quiet. For a more challenging trail, try Mirror Lake near Government Camp.

Cross Country Ski

Many of the sno-parks near Mount Hood have groomed trails for cross-country skiing as well as snow-shoeing. The Trillium Lake Basin is one of the best cross-country ski trails, however, because of it's stunning views of Mount Hood from the Trillium Lake Dam. Beginning skiers will feel comfortable on most of the trails, however, a steep descent at the beginning of the trail may provide a bit of a challenge. And, since what goes down, must also come up, don't wear yourself out too much on this trail because you will have to ski or hike back up the hill when you are finished.

Ski

There are three downhill ski resorts on Mount Hood: Timberline, Mount Hood Meadows and Skibowl. Timberline ski resort has a grand WPA era lodge if you are interested in extending your day if skiing into several days. Mount Hood Skibowl is closest to Portland and has some of the most challenging terrain. It also boasts the United States largest night ski area. Mount Hood Meadows has a great ski-school with classes for first time skiers and snow boarders, children and adults. They even have private lessons and offer multi-lesson packages.

Skate

If you want to stay a little closer to Portland, but still want a fun wintery activity, check out the Lloyd Center Ice Rink, located in the Lloyd Center Mall. Lloyd Center is the rink where the infamous Tanya Harding trained for her Olympic competition. You can sign up for lessons to improve your skills, or just join an "open" skate. Lloyd Center Ice Rink is also available for parties.