Great powder snowmobile ride to Bonney Meadows, Oregon

We had a couple good snow storms on Mt Hood this week. The latest happened overnight and came down as low as my house! I was really excited when I saw it snowing at home as I was loading the snowmobiles to leave. It was going to be a great trip with my friend John. About a foot of snow fell overnight.

Download route (one-way) as shown in map above in Keyhole Markup Language (KML) format or GPX format for use with GPS units and mapping programs. Disclaimer.

We arrived at Frog Lake snopark around 7:30 AM. There was already another group of snowmobilers just heading down the trail as we arrived. It was beautiful with a temperature of 18°F and cloudy skies. We decided to head to Bonney Meadows.

   

No one had been up to Bonney Meadows yet, so we broke trail. There was probably about 2 feet of powder and maybe 4 feet total. I had a couple minor mishaps and rolled my sled part way over on the steep trail. I finally got into a grove and cut a trail into the side of the hill riding most of the way on one side of my snowmobile.

   

We made it to Bonney Meadows and relaxed in the campground for a bit. We decided not to venture out into the meadow as the creek crossing looked ominous. It was about 15°F,
but luckily not much wind.

   

On our way back we stopped at Barlow Crossing campground for another break. This was one of the few times I have stopped here where the snow has been decent. Usually its thin and melting at this elevation, but not today.

   

Frog Lake snopark was packed when we returned. Someone even had the audacity to park in front of me, effectively blocking us from leaving. Luckily there was an opening to our right that I managed to get through after some careful maneuvering. Just a heads up to any non-snowmobilers that visit snoparks. Please do not park in front of or behind trucks with snowmobile trailers or sled decks. You will block them from leaving or loading their sleds. Not cool.

2017/18 Mileage

Trip: 42 miles
Season: 70 miles
Total Days: 3

2016/17 Season: 239 miles, 8 days

2015/16 Season: 408 miles, 15 days

Gear List

2014 Polaris 800 Pro RMK Snowmobile
2013 Polaris 800 Switchback Assault Snowmobile
Up North Technologies PRO SERIES Snowmobile Cargo Rack
P-700-B Low Profile Powder Keg
HMK Summit V16 Pack
GMAX GM76X Helmet
Smith Phenom Turbo Fan Goggles
Columbia Men’s Bugaboot Max Electric Boots
HMK Hustler 2 Snowmobile Pants
Columbia Titanium Hightail II Softshell Jacket
HMK Cascade Snowmobile Jacket
Columbia Powerfly Down Puff Jacket
Head Digital Sport Liner Gloves
Outdoor Research Ambit Gloves
Columbia Men's Fast Trek Fleece Hat
Balaclava
HighGear ATF8 Altimeter
Petzl TIKKA XP 2 Headlamp
Olympus Tough TG-1 Camera
Lifeline Aluminum Sport Utility Snow Shovel
Fiskars POWER TOOTH Softgrip 10" Folding Saw
Kel-Tec P-3AT .380 Auto
First Aid Kit
SPOT Gen3
Samsung Galaxy S6 Active w/BackCountry Navigator
Suunto A-10 Compass