Snowmobiling

09
Feb
2013
jloomis

Candlelighters Snowmobile Rides 2013 - Skyline Sno-Park, Oregon

Candlelighters Snow Day 2013 - Skyline Sno-Park, Oregon

February 9th, 2013 marks the 30th year the Mt. Hood Snowmobile Club has hosted the Candlelighters Family Snow Day on Mt. Hood. This all day event at Skyline Sno-Park includes sledding, snowmobile rides, games, hot cocoa, coffee, drinks, snacks, hot dogs and chili. It's a great way to give something special to families who are or have been touched by childhood cancer.

03
Feb
2013
jloomis

Lookout Mountain Hike and Flag Point Lookout Snowmobile Ride

Mt Hood from Lookout Mountain, Oregon

I finally got my snowmobile put back together and just in time for the weekend. It looks brand new again and runs great. Katie and I decided to spend Sunday before the Super Bowl exploring the area around Little John Sno-Park. It's located about 26 miles South of Hood River, Oregon off hwy 35 on the East side of Mt Hood. It is a lower elevation sno-park, so the conditions are not generally as favorable as some of the more popular sno-parks around Mt Hood.

27
Jan
2013
jloomis

Mt Hood Trifecta Snowmobile Ride

Taking a Break Snowmobiling on FS Road 48

I couldn't stand the wait any longer, so Katie and I planned a snowmobile trip on Sunday with just one sled. This was my first time back on a snowmobile since my crash at Bonney Meadows in December. I am still waiting on parts to fix that snowmobile, but luckily its twin is in tip-top shape. We didn't have a particular agenda besides having fun and being safe. We chose to unload at Frog Lake Sno-Park, which is about 7 miles Southeast of Government Camp off Hwy 26.

16
Dec
2012
jloomis

Snowmobiling and Snow Camping Near Bennett Pass Sno-Park

Picture of Snow Camping Near Bennett Pass Sno-Park, Oregon

Winter finally decided to arrive and snow continues to fall in the Northern Oregon Cascades. With a forecast calling for over a foot of new snow, my friend John and I decided to go snowmobiling and snow camping near Bennett Pass Sno-Park. This SnoPark is about 9 miles East of Government Camp, Oregon across from Mount Hood Meadows ski resort off Hwy 35. The trails at Bennett Pass are popular with cross country skiers and snowshoers.

01
Dec
2012
jloomis

Snowmobiling at Bennett Pass Sno-Park

Picture of Snowmobiling on Bennett Pass Road

I did some scouting for a place to snowmobile on my way home from Redmond on Friday. There is hardly any snow around pass level, but I found decent conditions at Bennett Pass Sno-Park. Bennett Pass SnoPark is about 9 miles East of Government Camp, Oregon across from Mount Hood Meadows ski resort off Hwy 35. The trails at Bennett Pass are mainly used by cross country skiers and snowshoers due to a point known as the "terrible traverse" approximately 2.4 miles in (see location on map below).

29
Apr
2012
jloomis

Snow Camping Near Bennett Pass Sno-Park

Snow Camping Near Bennett Pass, Oregon

It seems like we had a very short winter this year, with Spring now in full swing. I am not quite ready to say goodbye to the snow. Luckily we still have snow in the upper elevations, so my friend John and I decided to go snow camping one last time this season. We hitched up my snowmobiles, loaded up my gear sleds, and headed toward Mt Hood. Our original plan was to head to forest service road 44 and see how far we could drive before unloading the snowmobiles and continue on FSR 4410 toward Lookout Mountain (before entering Badger Creek Wilderness Area).

11
Mar
2012
jloomis

Hot Tent Snow Camping Near Surprise Lakes, Washington

Hot Tent Snow Camping

My friend Matt and I picked a snowy weekend to try out hot tent camping (tent heated with a wood stove). We left early Saturday morning for Flattop SnoPark, Washington (SE of Mt Adams). Our plan was to snowmobile 10-20 miles or until we found a good area to snow camp. Flattop SnoPark is situated in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest near Indian Heaven Wilderness and Yakima Indian Reservation. It's NW of Trout Lake, Washington on NF-88 road.

04
Mar
2012
jloomis

Snowmobiling to Timothy Lake, Oregon

Timothy Lake with Mt Hood in the Background

On Sunday Katie and I headed to Skyline SnoPark to ride our snowmobiles. The area is South of Mt Hood and popular with snowmobilers due to the many groomed trails. This particular day started off cool and overcast, but later became a beautiful sunny winter day. We arrived at the SnoPark early, but there were already several others including many motorhomes in the parking lot. There was still plenty of parking, so we quickly unloaded and set off on the recently groomed trails.

19
Feb
2012
jloomis

Snowmobiling to Bonney Meadows and Snowshoeing to Echo Point, Oregon

Mt Hood from Hwy 48

My friend Matt and I spent Sunday snowmobiling and snowshoeing around Bonney Meadows. We had been hoping to go climbing over the weekend, but the weather did not cooperate, so we chose snowmobiling instead. We set off early, arriving at Frog Lake SnoPark around 7:30 AM. We were the first in the SnoPark besides a few overnight vehicles. Our plan was to snowmobile about 18 miles to Bonney Meadows and then snowshoe about half a mile up to Echo Point. Bonney Meadows is on the Southeast side of Mt. Hood about 1.5 miles NW of Boulder Lake.

29
Jan
2012
jloomis

Snowmobiling and Snow Camping at Summit Lake, Oregon

Winter Sunrise at Summit Lake, Oregon

I have been eager to go snow camping this season and the opportunity presented itself this weekend. Since Katie is not fond of snow camping (she has a hard time staying warm), I went with my friend John. We packed up and left my house around 6 AM Saturday, destined for Skyline SnoPark (Mt. Hood National Forest). This SnoPark is off Hwy 26 SSE of Government Camp, Oregon. It's popular with snowmobiles, offering access to the areas around Clear Lake and Timothy Lake.

22
Jan
2012
jloomis

Snowshoeing to Clear Lake Lookout Tower, Oregon

Clear Lake Lookout Tower, Oregon

We booked two nights at the Clear Lake Lookout Tower six months ago as dates fill up very quickly. The Forest Service opens it up for reservations in the winter months only, as it is still an active fire lookout during the summer. Clear Lake Lookout is located Southeast of Government Camp, Oregon. The trail starts from the Skyline SnoPark. It's about 3.6 miles from the SnoPark along FSR 42 and then up the 240 spur road. It's popular with snowmobilers, snowshoers, and cross-country skiers, so be sure to share the road.

31
Dec
2011
jloomis

Snowmobiling at Frog Lake, Oregon

Snowmobiling Near Frog Lake, Oregon

Last night the weather finally turned colder and over a foot of fresh snow fell in the mountains. Our friends Tyler and Holli met us at our house Saturday morning a little late due to icy roads. We hitched up our snowmobiles and headed to Frog Lake SnoPark, which is about 7 miles Southeast of Government Camp off Hwy 26. Traffic was horrible and after about 2.5 hours we finally made it to the SnoPark. It was already quite busy, but we found a place to park and unload the sleds. It was partly sunny and temperatures were in the upper 20s.

04
Dec
2011
jloomis

Snowshoeing to Badger Butte, Oregon

Badger Lake from Badger Butte

December has been dry and sunny, but cool, so far. We haven't had any new snow in the mountains since our big storms in November, but thanks to colder temperatures, little has melted above 4,000 feet in elevation. Katie and I took advantage of the gorgeous weather on Sunday and headed to Bennett Pass SnoPark for a day of snowmobiling and snowshoeing. Bennett Pass SnoPark is approximately 9 miles East of Government Camp, Oregon across Hwy 35 from Mount Hood Meadows ski resort. The trails at Bennett Pass are mostly used by cross country skiers and snowshoers.

26
Nov
2011
jloomis

Snowmobiling and Christmas Tree Hunting Near Mt Hood, Oregon

Mt Hood, Oregon

After spending all day Friday driving to John Day, Oregon to buy a couple snowmobiles, Katie and I were anxious to take them for a ride on Saturday. We have a tradition of heading toward Mt. Hood the Saturday after Thanksgiving to hunt for Christmas trees, so we planned to test out the sleds before looking for a tree. We unloaded our snowmobiles at Frog Lake SnoPark, which is about 7 miles Southeast of Government Camp off hwy 26. We arrived early before the crowds showed up, so we had the trails to ourselves except for a few sled dog teams.

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