Snowshoeing Mt Hood is the winter activity for the people in your group who do not ski, do not want to spend $150 on a lift ticket, or just want to walk through a silent snowy forest with the dog. If you can walk, you can snowshoe. The gear costs about $20 a day to rent, and some of the best routes on the mountain start at a parking lot 20 minutes from our cabin.
Here are the ones we send guests to, easiest first.
Before you go: permits, gear, and safety
- Sno-Park permit. Required November through April at all the winter trailhead lots. Daily, 3-day, and season permits are sold at gas stations and stores in Sandy, Welches, and Government Camp. The ticket is expensive if you skip it.
- Rentals. Several shops in Government Camp rent snowshoes and poles by the day. Sandy has options too. Reserve ahead on holiday weekends.
- Dress. Layers, waterproof boots, gaiters if you have them, and a hat. You will overheat within 10 minutes and freeze the moment you stop.
- Safety. Snowshoe trails share space with skiers and snowmobiles at some Sno-Parks. Stay off groomed ski tracks. Tell someone your route. The weather changes fast above 4,000 feet and whiteouts around Trillium and White River are real. Bring a map and a headlamp; sunset is around 4:30 in December.
Trillium Lake loop
The classic beginner route. Park at the Trillium Lake Sno-Park on Highway 26 just east of Government Camp. Follow the closed road down to the lake, about 2 miles, then loop the lake if conditions allow, for a total of 4 to 5 miles. The road is wide and gently downhill on the way in, gently uphill on the way out. Mt. Hood rises over the frozen lake at the far end, and on a clear day it is the best winter view on the mountain for the least effort.
Notes: this is the most popular winter trailhead on Hood, and the lot fills by 10am on sunny weekends. The route is shared with cross-country skiers; stay to the side of the groomed track. Do not walk on the lake ice.
White River West Sno-Park
On Highway 35 a few miles east of the Highway 26 junction. Park and head upstream along the White River canyon on either side. There is no formal trail; you follow the wide, open river flat toward the mountain, which looms directly ahead. Go as far as you like and turn around. Two miles round trip is plenty for a first outing. This is also the main sledding hill on Hood, so the lot area is chaotic and fun. Away from the sledders it gets quiet fast.
Caution: stay well back from the river channel, which undercuts the snow. Avalanche terrain begins higher up the canyon, so keep to the lower flats unless you have training.
Glacier View Sno-Park
Just west of Government Camp off Highway 26. A network of short loops through the forest, mostly flat, with occasional glimpses of the mountain. Less scenic than Trillium but far less crowded, and good on a stormy day when views do not matter. Two to three miles of easy wandering. Also a solid dog choice because it is away from the highway.
Mirror Lake
A step up. The trail starts at the Mirror Lake trailhead lot on Highway 26 near Skibowl. It climbs about 700 feet over 2 miles to the lake, with a few switchbacks and a couple of spots where the trail is narrow with a drop-off. The lake in winter is a frozen bowl under Tom Dick and Harry Mountain, and the mountain view from the far shore is worth the effort. Four miles round trip. Bring poles. Check the avalanche forecast; the route crosses a slope that can slide in high-danger conditions, and the Forest Service posts warnings when it does.
Salmon River Trail, in snow
Some winters, the lower Salmon River Trail near the cabin gets enough snow to snowshoe and most winters it is just a wet forest walk. Either way it is 10 minutes from Wildwood Basecamp, does not require a Sno-Park permit, and the old growth under snow is quiet in a way that is hard to describe. Our Salmon River Trail post covers the route.
A snowshoe day, start to finish
Coffee at the cabin, buy the Sno-Park permit in Welches on the way up, rent snowshoes in Government Camp, hit Trillium by 9:30. Two to three hours out and back with a thermos at the lake. Lunch at the Huckleberry Inn or Mt. Hood Brewing in Government Camp. Return the snowshoes. Home to the hot tub by 3, which is perfect because it is getting dark anyway. Total cost for two people, including permit and rentals, is less than one lift ticket.
For the rest of a winter weekend, our Mt. Hood things to do page has the ski areas, tubing, and lodge visits, and if you want to see the mountain without any effort at all, our post on easy Mt. Hood viewpoints includes a few that work in winter.
Dogs on snowshoes
Dogs are welcome at Trillium, Glacier View, and White River on leash or under control. They love it. Watch for ice balls forming between paw pads on long walks, bring water since eating snow does not count, and keep them off the Nordic tracks where skiers will not appreciate the paw prints. A tired dog after a snowshoe day is the quietest dog you will ever have in a cabin.
Snowshoeing is the least complicated thing you can do on Mt. Hood in winter. Strap in, walk toward the mountain, turn around when you are cold. It works every time.