Timberline Lodge ski area facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Timberline Lodge
Timberline Lodge Ski Area, showing the Magic Mile and Palmer chairlifts with Silcox Hut at right center
Timberline Lodge Location in Oregon Show map of Oregon Timberline Lodge Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	Mount Hood, Clackamas County, Oregon, US
Nearest city	Government Camp 5 miles (8 km) south, Portland 60 miles (100 km) west
Coordinates	45°20′N 121°43′W / 45.33°N 121.71°W / 45.33; -121.71
Vertical	3,620 ft (1,103 m)
Top elevation	8,540 ft (2,603 m)
Base elevation	4,850 ft (1,478 m)
Skiable area	1,430 acres (579 ha)
Runs	35
Longest run	3.12 mi (5 km)
Lift system	7 chairlifts, 1 rope tow, 1 magic carpet
Lift capacity	8,100 persons per hour
Terrain parks	Yes
Snowfall	yearly snowfall: 45 ft (14 m) average pack: 15 ft (4.6 m)
Night skiing	Yes, 3 chairlifts
Website	Timberline Lodge

Timberline Lodge ski area is a super cool place to ski and snowboard in Oregon, USA! It's part of the famous Timberline Lodge, which is a special National Historic Landmark building. What makes it unique is that most of its ski slopes are actually below the main lodge. You can find it on the south side of Mount Hood, about an hour's drive east of Portland.

History of Timberline Lodge

The main lodge building was constructed between 1936 and 1938. This was during a tough time called the Great Depression, and the project was part of the Works Progress Administration to help people find jobs. In 1938, Timberline opened as Oregon's first big ski resort, starting with a simple rope tow.

The very next year, the amazing Magic Mile chairlift opened. This lift was the longest chairlift in the world at the time! Also, Silcox Hut was built about a mile (1.6 km) above the main lodge. It was originally the place where people got off the lift and warmed up.

Summer skiing and special summer training camps for racers started at Timberline in 1956. Before the Palmer chairlift was built in 1983, you could usually ski from November through July or August. With the Palmer lift, you can now ski all year round! Timberline is the only ski area in the United States where you can use lifts to ski and snowboard every single month of the year. Because of this, thousands of people come for ski and snowboard camps in June, July, and August.

New Lifts and Long Runs

The original Palmer chairlift opened in 1978 for summer skiing. The current Palmer chairlift was finished in 1996. It's built super strong to handle winds over 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) and lots of snow. It was built very quickly, in less than six months, because of the tough mountain weather.

In 2007, the Jeff Flood Express chairlift opened. This new lift added a lot more skiable area lower down the mountain, called the Still Creek Basin. This extra space is really helpful on windy days or when it's hard to see, because the Magic Mile and Palmer lifts might not be able to open. The Jeff Flood lift also makes it easier to get to other lifts from the lower part of the mountain.

Thanks to the Jeff Flood lift, if the Palmer lift is open, you can ski a non-stop run that's over 3.5 miles (5.6 km) long! This run drops about 4,000 feet (1,200 meters) in elevation. There are also plans for a gondola to connect Summit Ski Area to Timberline Lodge in the future.

Ski Area Statistics

Vertical Drop

• In winter, the vertical drop is 3,620 feet (1,103 meters).
• In early summer (April to July), it's about 2,500 feet (762 meters).
• In late summer (July to October), it's around 1,530 feet (466 meters).

Terrain Types

Timberline describes its slopes like this:

• 20% are for beginners.
• 50% are for intermediate skiers and snowboarders.
• 30% are for advanced riders.

Lifts at Timberline

Timberline has a great lift system to get you up the mountain:

• 7 chairlifts, including 5 fast, detachable quad chairs, one triple chair, and one double chair for the bunny slope.
• 1 magic carpet for ski school students.

Here's a quick look at some of the main chairlifts:

Summer Skiing Fun

Timberline is the only ski area in North America where you can ski all year round! It usually closes for just two weeks in September for maintenance.

Skiers, snowboarders, and even people who just want to see the views ride the Magic Mile chairlift up to the Palmer Glacier. Most of the summer skiing happens here, especially later in the season. Unlike winter, the lifts are busiest during the week in summer, mostly because of all the ski and snowboard camps. Besides organized camps, anyone who is an intermediate or advanced skier or snowboarder is welcome to come.

Summer skiing hours are usually from 7 AM to 1:30 PM. In summer, there isn't much terrain for beginners. After about mid-June, you might have to walk a little bit to get back to the Magic Mile lift. On warm days, most skiers leave by late morning because the snow gets very soft and wet.

Summer Camps

Timberline hosts many summer camps with thousands of athletes throughout the summer. On a busy day in the middle of summer, there can be as many as 1,500 riders! Almost every type of snow sport is offered in these camps. Ski racing is the most popular, but snowboard and freeski camps are also very popular. Mount Hood Summer Ski Camps have been a big part of summer fun since the 1970s.

These summer camps are usually week-long sessions. They have on-snow activities in the morning and lots of other fun things in the afternoon. These might include river rafting, mountain biking, hiking, trampoline, or wind surfing.

Cool Events

• The Golden Rose Ski Classic is a super old ski race that started way back in 1936! It's the oldest known organized ski race in America. It usually happens in early June as part of the Portland Rose Festival and brings in some of the world's best skiers.
• The Masters Summer Fun in the Sun is another ski race held in mid-July.

Images for kids

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  The Palmer chairlift below the summit of Mount Hood

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  The upper terminal of the Palmer chairlift buried in snow

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  Late summer in the lower ski area brings wildflowers. The upper lifts still have skiable snow.

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  View from top of Magic Mile Ski Run, August 2020

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  Loading area for the Skiway, an aerial tramway which connected Government Camp and Timberline Lodge from 1951-1956

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  Skiway departs from the lower terminal

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  Rope tow on bunny hill with hotel visible at top.

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  Bunny slope with chairlift. The top and the bottom are both visible as well as the wide, gentle slope.

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  Front of Timberline Lodge in winter with 202 inches (5.1 m) snow

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  Silcox Hut near the top of the Magic Mile sometimes provides hearty lunches and overnight accommodation for small groups

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  Lower terminal of Magic Mile

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  The Bruno's chairlift is a favorite among kids and parents alike

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  Children from 4 to 8 enrolled in Timberline ski school's Bruno's Kids Club often start on this magic carpet

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  The first three jumps of the easiest of the terrain parks at the top of Conway's Corner

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  Timberline offers convenient access for search and rescue teams setting out on December 17, 2006 to search for three missing mountain climbers.

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  The Pacific Crest Trail passes through Timberline's ski area