Oregon, Usa
Mt Hood Meadows
2,150 acres, 85 runs on Mount Hood. Largest of the mountain's resorts, an hour from Portland.
Season 2025 - 2026
Opens
12 Dec 2025
Closes
2 May 2026
Days open
141
Annual snow
38ft
The Overview
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
Mt Hood Meadows' summit reaches 7,300 feet, dropping 2,776 vertical feet to a base at 4,524 feet across 85 runs spread over 2,150 acres on the southeastern face of Mount Hood, Oregon. Terrain splits 50 per cent intermediate, 20 per cent advanced, 15 per cent expert and 15 per cent beginner, with average annual snowfall of roughly 454 inches. The resort operates independently without major multi-resort pass affiliation and is the largest of Mount Hood's several ski areas. Twelve lifts, including seven quad chairs and four double chairs, serve the mountain alongside one surface lift.
Mt Hood Meadows' 2,150-acre footprint makes it substantially larger than the mountain's other ski areas, giving it the most varied terrain on Mount Hood's slopes, from open alpine meadows to timbered runs. Its exceptional snowfall total, exceeding 450 inches annually, ranks among the highest of any resort in the contiguous United States. The resort's independent operation, without a major destination pass, has kept its focus on the Portland metropolitan area's day-trip skier base.
In 1964, the US Forest Service began a feasibility study for a new ski area on Mount Hood's eastern side, with a group of Hood River businessmen incorporated as Hood River Meadows, Inc. raising 3,500 US dollars to help finance the study. Local businessman Franklin G. Drake became captivated by the site after a 1966 Forest Service prospectus caught his eye, drawn by the terrain's variety, its alpine meadows and its expanses above the treeline.
Skiers began using the resort, named Mount Hood Meadows, in December 1967, with one of two original lifts opening in January 1968. In 2001, Mt Hood Meadows purchased the nearby Cooper Spur Ski Area, expanding the company's presence on the mountain. Adult daily tickets run from 99 to 149 US dollars using dynamic pricing, with a season pass at 1,139 dollars.
2,776ft
Vertical
85
Runs
2,150 acres
Skiable
38ft
Annual snow
The Terrain
85 runs across 2,150 acres skiable
Mt Hood Meadows spreads 85 runs across 2,150 acres skiable of terrain. It leans intermediate at 50%, with 13 beginner runs to find your feet and 30 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.
Terrain split
85
runs
85 runs across 4 grades
Beginner13 runs · 15%
Intermediate43 runs · 50%
Advanced17 runs · 20%
Expert13 runs · 15%
Time it right
When to visit Mt Hood Meadows
The 2025-26 season at Mt Hood Meadows ran from 12 December 2025 to 2 May 2026, one of the longer seasons in the Pacific Northwest at roughly twenty weeks. Average annual snowfall of around 454 inches, among the highest totals of any resort in the contiguous United States, supports this extended operating window well into spring. Season dates can shift depending on early and late-season weather.
Midwinter, from December through February, typically brings the most consistent conditions across the resort's varied terrain. As Portland's premier mountain resort, Mt Hood Meadows draws heavy weekend traffic from the metropolitan area, roughly an hour's drive away, with holiday periods bringing particularly heavy crowds. Weekday visits generally remain considerably calmer.
The resort's dynamic pricing structure rewards advance booking, a pricing approach that has become increasingly common across the industry. Given the resort's independent operation without major destination pass affiliation, its visitor base skews heavily toward the Portland metropolitan area rather than national destination traffic. School holiday periods and spring break bring particularly strong demand given the resort's late-season snow reliability.
Specific event programming beyond standard operations is not confirmed in available resort information. The 2001 purchase of Cooper Spur Ski Area expanded the company's presence on Mount Hood without altering the core Mt Hood Meadows operation itself. The resort's status as the largest of Mount Hood's ski areas, combined with its exceptional snowfall, continues to define its identity as the mountain's primary destination through the season.
Season 2025 - 2026
12 Dec 2025
Opens
2 May 2026
Closes
141
Days open
38 ft
Annual snow
Getting there
Getting to Mt Hood Meadows, and where to stay
Mt Hood Meadows sits on the southeastern face of Mount Hood, Oregon's highest peak, with a base elevation of 4,524 feet and a summit at 7,300 feet across a 2,776-foot vertical drop over 2,150 acres. This places the resort within the Mt. Hood National Forest, roughly an hour's drive from the Portland metropolitan area.
The town of Hood River, known for its wine country and outdoor recreation along the Columbia River Gorge, lies to the north, while Government Camp offers closer lodging on the mountain's southern side. Portland, Oregon's largest city, supplies the majority of the resort's weekend and day-trip visitor base given the relatively short drive. The broader Mount Hood corridor includes several other ski areas alongside Meadows.
US Route 26 and Oregon State Route 35 provide the main routes to Mt Hood Meadows from Portland and Hood River respectively, both climbing into the mountain's forested slopes. Winter driving conditions on these routes can include snow and ice, and chains or traction tyres are often required during storms. There is no direct public transport service to the resort, though seasonal shuttle options operate from the Portland area.
Portland International Airport is the nearest airport with extensive commercial service, roughly 90 minutes from the resort depending on conditions. This makes Mt Hood Meadows readily accessible for visitors flying into Oregon's largest city, reinforcing its role as Portland's primary mountain resort despite its independent, non-destination-pass operation.
Where to stay
Search all stays →Hotels and lodges near Mt Hood Meadows, powered by Stay22.
Latest News
From the SnowStash desk
Spain Moves to Ban Smoking at Ski Resorts Under New Tobacco Law
Spain's government has approved a draft tobacco law that would ban smoking across a wide range of outdoor spaces, including sports venues - a category Spanish winter sports media expect to cover ski resorts, potentially extending to slopes and lifts themselves. The rules would also apply to e-cigarettes and vaping devices, even nicotine-free ones. The bill still has to clear the Spanish parliament before any ban, signage, or fines can take effect.
22 July 2026
South Tyrol Approves New 16-Person Ciampinoi Gondola in Val Gardena
South Tyrol has approved a full rebuild of the Ciampinoi cable car in Selva di Val Gardena, replacing the current 12-person gondola with a 16-person cabin and a new mountain-station restaurant. Capacity is capped at 3,200 people an hour rather than the 3,600 the operator wanted, and 250,000 euros must go toward compensatory measures. No construction or opening date has been set, though the upgrade is partly aimed at clearing bottlenecks before the 2031 Alpine Ski World Championships.
22 July 2026
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21 July 2026
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21 July 2026
The Remarkables Adds Scarpa Bowl to Its Inbounds Terrain
The Remarkables is adding new inbounds terrain for winter, bringing the Scarpa Bowl - known locally as the Toilet Bowl - into its lift-accessed network after years as backcountry-only ground. The roughly 500 metre run is reached by bootpacking from the top of the Sugar Bowl chairlift, with a shuttle picking skiers up from the road at the bottom. It's a smaller, faster addition than the resort's planned Doolans expansion, though the new terrain hasn't opened yet due to a lack of snow this season.
21 July 2026
Ski Portillo Cut Off After Storm Dumps More Than 4.5 Metres of Snow
Ski Portillo remains isolated after an extended storm buried the Chilean resort under more than 4.5 metres of snow, with both ground and air access suspended since Tuesday while crews monitor avalanche hazards and worsening weather. Resort officials say further snowfall is expected in the coming days and haven't set a timeline for reopening the mountain road. Once access resumes, the scale of the snowpack could set up a strong season at one of the Southern Hemisphere's most historic ski resorts.
21 July 2026
Resort Spotlight: Lotte Arai - Japan's Corporate Ski Anomaly With 22 Metres of Annual Snowfall
Lotte Arai receives 22 metres of annual snowfall - exceptional even by Japanese standards - but its corporate ownership model and limited terrain create an unusual cost-benefit equation. Here's what the numbers actually mean on the ground.
19 July 2026
Resort Spotlight: Banff Sunshine Village - Nine Metres of Snow and a Season That Runs Until May
Banff Sunshine Village sits at 1,660m base and receives 9.27m of snow annually. Inside Banff National Park, it offers a six-month season and terrain split that skews heavily advanced - though the crowds and lift infrastructure tell their own story.
18 July 2026
Lift system
Mt Hood Meadows runs twelve lifts: four double chairs, seven quad chairs and one surface lift, serving 85 runs across 2,150 acres on Mount Hood's southeastern face. The seven quad chairs provide substantial uphill capacity across the resort's varied terrain, from open alpine meadows to timbered lower-mountain runs.
The lift network has grown from the resort's original two lifts, one of which opened in January 1968 alongside the first skiers using the newly named Mount Hood Meadows resort. Investment has continued steadily since, including expansion following the resort's 2001 purchase of the nearby Cooper Spur Ski Area, broadening the company's overall footprint on the mountain.
The quad chairs distribute skiers across the resort's full terrain range, from beginner-friendly lower slopes through to steep upper-mountain expert terrain. The four double chairs and single surface lift round out access to additional zones. There is no gondola or high-speed six-pack chair, though the overall twelve-lift network is substantial relative to many single-mountain Pacific Northwest resorts.
Specific recent lift replacement or expansion projects beyond the current twelve-lift network are not confirmed in available resort information. As an independently operated resort without major destination pass affiliation, lift investment decisions remain with Mt Hood Meadows' own management rather than a larger multi-resort parent company. This independence has kept the resort's focus on serving Portland-area skiers directly.
12lifts across 3 types
7
Quad Chairs
4
Double Chairs
1
Surface Lift
Mt Hood Meadows lift system
Mt Hood Meadows is served by 12 lifts, listed here by type. Check which lifts are turning against the live conditions before you plan your first laps - early lifts and high-speed chairs get you to the best snow fastest.
More Mt Hood Meadows intelligence: trail map, snow report, webcams, resort overview.