SUMMER IS ON AT MT. HOOD MEADOWS

Off-season operations include an expanded trail network and outdoor movies

story and photos by BEN MITCHELL

When most people think of Mt. Hood Meadows Resort, they think of winter — whether it’s carving beginner and intermediate groomers with killer views on a bluebird day, or venturing into the heart-pounding, double-black diamond terrain of Heather Canyon during an epic powder dump.

And while winter has been the prime focus of the Mt. Hood resort’s business for the bulk of its 53 years, that focus has since expanded.

After a hiatus in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the resort is resuming summer operations in 2021, which include a wide range of activities like hiking, geocaching, culinary festivals and other weekend events, scenic chairlift rides (which also provide a shortcut to the resort’s recently expanded network of hiking trails), games, and nighttime movies on the deck. The resort will also have food

and beverage service to help refresh hungry and thirsty hikers, and a gift shop for logo wear and more. Meadows’ summer season kicks off June 25 and runs through Labor Day, with the resort open Thursday through Monday.

While the kids camps and some of the larger events, such as the popular Adventure Van Expo, won’t be happening this summer, most of the resort’s usual warm-weather offerings will be available, according to Dave Tragethon, Meadows’s vice president of sales, marketing, and communications. He added that the resort is looking forward to welcoming visitors following a successful

Creeks, wildflowers and stunning views greet hikers at Mt. Hood Meadows during summer. Trails abound in the ski area, including a section of the Timberline Trail, opposite top, Umbrella Falls Trail, middle, and the new Beargrass Trail, bottom.

winter recreation season that saw no Covid interruptions nor any traceable workplace transmissions at Meadows or its sister resort, Cooper Spur.

“When we made the difficult decision to suspend winter operations in March of 2020 due to Covid, our entire focus was developing a plan to reopen safely and responsibly for the 2020-21 winter season, prioritizing the health and wellbeing of our team,” he said. “That consumed our attention and we opted not to operate last summer as we were still learning about the virus and how it spread. We expect to return to the same operational and event schedule that we planned for last season, possibly with some Covid restrictions –– wearing masks indoors –– and know that a lot of people will be heading to the mountain to get outdoors. We’re really focused on making this summer a premier experience for our hiking and riding guests.” The resort plans to resume summer kids camps in 2022, Tragethon said.

While the resort has had some occasional “off-season” events in the past, Meadows began its summer operations in earnest in 2014 after the U.S. Forest Service finalized a policy encouraging permitted ski areas to promote yearround activities.

For Meadows, it proved to be a timely decision. The 2014-15 winter ended up being one of the worst in the history of the resort, resulting in below average snowfall and fewer operating days than normal. Some other

SUMMER TRAIL MAP Mt. Hood Meadows/Ryan Law

resorts in the Pacific Northwest were hit so hard they couldn’t open at all. It gave Meadows and other resorts a glimpse of what the growing effects of climate change might look like in the future — with rising temperatures and lower snowpacks affecting winter seasons — and edified the importance of developing other recreational opportunities that aren’t reliant on snow.

But the expansion of summer operations has also had some more immediate benefits, namely attracting new visitors to the resort, and providing more year-round employment. While Meadows is known to occasionally park out on winter weekends and primo powder days, skiing and snowboarding are relatively niche sports, with only about 3 percent of the U.S.

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The Beargrass Trail, at left, is one of several new hiking trails that debut this summer at Meadows, many of which serve to connect popular existing trails. Above, visitors enjoy a scenic ride up the Stadium chair.

population actively participating in either discipline, according to data from the National Ski Area Association. They’re also less diverse and more affluent sports than other activities, such as hiking and biking, and while there is certainly some crossover with winter guests, many of Meadows’ summer visitors aren’t skiers or snowboarders.

“We want all visitors to the mountain and the forest to feel welcome and comfortable in their recreational pursuits,” said Tragethon. “Winter recreation often has barriers — the cost of equipment, access, clothing, even getting to the mountain in winter can be challenging. People can access our trails at no cost, or take the scenic chair ride to assist in their exploration. It’s much more affordable and welcoming to a broader community of mountain experience seekers.”

If you are someone who frequents Meadows in the winter but haven’t been up in the summer, it’s worth checking out, especially for the abundance of wildflowers and waterfalls that can be found along its expansive network of hiking trails. Meadows bills itself as “Mt. Hood’s premier liftserved, high elevation hiking experience,” and used last summer’s pandemic pause to improve that experience, constructing an additional 8.6 miles of USFS-approved trails that will officially debut this summer.

“The new trails we constructed serve as interconnectors to the existing

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and very popular Timberline, Sahalie Falls and Umbrella Falls trails that cross our permit area,” Tragethon explained. “In the past, you had to take a forest service road to access these trails from our base area. The new trails weave through meadows of wildflowers, in and out of the forest canopy and along mountain streams. They provide a much closer and intimate walk with nature.”

In addition to the interconnections, Meadows also built a trail through scenic Jack’s Woods — a popular ski/snowboarding run in Heather Canyon — and a spur to Picnic Rock, which Tragethon lauded as “one of the most magnificent overlooks on our mountain.”

To offer additional context to hikers about the natural areas they’re enjoying, Meadows plans this summer to install a number of large-format interpretive trail signs that will provide information and storytelling on the history of Mount Hood and Meadows, the resort’s important relationship with the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, glaciology, volcanology, flora and fauna found in the resort’s permit area, and more.

While some resorts have larger summer operations with go-kart racing, mountain bike courses, and bungee jumping, Tragethon said that Meadows’ officials feel that Mother Nature alone is reason enough to make a trip up to the mountain.

“Meadows is blessed with an abundance of nature that other areas may not have,” he explained. “We feel there is a great demand for this more natural experience and an opportunity to help us understand how we relate to this environment.”

For more information, go to skihood.com. Ben Mitchell is a writer/filmmaker who lives in Hood River. He’s a frequent contributor to The Gorge Magazine.

SUMMER OPERATIONS AND WEEKEND EVENT SCHEDULE

For the most up-to-date information, go to skihood.com/summer

June 25 - September 6:

Thursdays and Fridays*: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. *Stadium chairlift will be open until 7 p.m. on Friday nights that Meadows offers Movies on the Deck

Saturday, July 10: Luau Food Fest Sunday, July 11: Maker’s Market Saturday, July 17: Stargazing Dinner Saturday, July 24: Fiesta Food Fest Saturday and Sunday, July 31 and Aug. 1: Wy’East Howl Race Fridays, Aug. 6 through Sept. 3: Movie Nights on the Deck Sundays in August: Mushroom Hunt Series Saturday, Aug. 7: Kiddie Bike Race Saturday, Aug. 21: Mushroom Food Fest Saturday, Aug. 21: Stargazing Dinner Saturday, Aug. 28: Mutts on the Mountain

208 4th St Hood River, OR 97031 541-387-3276 hoodriverbicycles.com

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