Hop on the Bus – Let’s Go Skiing!
January 19th, 2010
Some skiers prefer bars, but in Portland, we power up with Voodoo Doughnuts. (Photo by Kimberly M. Lawson via Flickr)
All energized by a New Year’s Eve trip to Mount Bachelor, I returned to Portland psyched to hit the slopes of Mount Hood. Now that the mountain’s got a good layer of snow, my only dilemma is transportation. I’m a non-driving Portlander. I commute to work by public transit, ride my bike all over in the summer, and take in my urban surroundings on foot. So, it’s just my luck (and yours) that this season, TWO companies kicked off new Mount Hood shuttle routes.
One is the Greasebus, a super-cool black shuttle van that takes off from Voodoo Doughnut Too and runs you up to Mt. Hood Meadows and back for ten bucks! The bus only runs if enough people reserve seats that day, but it’s available every day of the week, so tell your friends. And one of the coolest things about it (besides the fact that you can pick up a Dirty Snowball doughnut for the ride up) is that their bus runs entirely on vegetable oil.
For a more posh trip up to Mount Hood, you can reserve a comfy seat on the new full-size coach service from Gray Line. This bus goes all the way to Timberline, so you can use the historic lodge as your base camp. Warm up by the fire with a mug of hot cocoa when you need a break, or enjoy their fireside brunch. With Gray Line, you can add lift tickets at a pretty good discount. I think both rides sound like fun ways to get out of the city and into the snow.
Tags: bus, mount hood, shuttle, skiing, transportation
January 20th, 2010 at 1:16 am
Just moved to Portland and really want to head to Mount Hood. Any suggestions for activities in addition to skiing?
January 20th, 2010 at 5:54 pm
Yes! Welcome to town. The ski resorts (Timberline, Mt. Hood Meadows, Skibowl) up on Mt. Hood offer a variety of activities, such as tubing, sledding and snowmobiling. I would recommend a tour or lesson at one of the resorts. Once you know the terrain, you can also rent snowshoes, skis and other snow gear at Portland outdoor stores such as Next Adventure and REI. http://www.mthoodterritory.com is a great resource as well.
January 30th, 2010 at 7:42 am
This is exactly the information I ahve been looking for…except that I will be visiting Portland in May. We will not be renting a car, but want to see Mt. Hood and Columbia Gorge….will these services be running in May? If not, are there other alternatives to renting a car and driving ourselves?
Thanks again!
February 1st, 2010 at 12:12 pm
May is a wonderful time to visit Greater Portland. Because the Greasebus is a ski/snowboard shuttle, I’m not sure that they will be running up to Mt. Hood after the spring ski season. I recommend contacting them closer to your arrival.
If not, no need to rent a car. There are some great tour companies here that run tours through the Gorge, to Hood River and up to Timberline Lodge and back to Portland in a day. I’d check these two out and call them regarding spring/summer schedules and pricing. http://www.skitosummit.net, http://www.ecotours-of-oregon.com
February 3rd, 2010 at 12:55 am
The Greasebus sounds great! I had been looking for a way to get to Mount Hood. Although I’m curious, are there any hiking trails at Mt Hood Meadows?
February 3rd, 2010 at 1:12 pm
Mt. Hood Meadows does not have any snowshoeing trails, but for those who don’t want to downhill ski, they do have cross-country ski rentals and lessons on the weekend. Go to http://www.skihood.com/The-Mountain/Nordic-Center for more details on that. For hiking options without a car, I would recommend joining a tour that leaves from Portland for the Gorge or Mt. Hood in the late spring and summer months, such as http://www.martinsgorgetours.com.