Deschutes
National Forest Fun
By
Alexa Meisler
At
a base elevation of 6,300 feet, Mt. Bachelor, located just outside of Bend in
Central Oregon, offers a 3,365 vertical foot drop, 3,683 skiable acres, 71 runs
and averages 370 inches of its famous dry snow each year. It has a beginner program
and several fun runs for those just starting out as well as lots of really fun
activities like tubing and snowshoeing. For a great weekend getaway of snowy amusement
this is one great place to visit. Mt
Bachelor is located in the Deschutes National Forest and sits atop a shield volcano
in the Cascade Volcanic Arc and the Cascade Mountain range, but no need to worry
as the last volcanic eruption happened over 8,000 years ago.
Mt Bachelor
13000 SW Century Drive
Bend, OR 97709
Reservations
& Information
(800) 829-2442
Snow Report
(541) 382-7888
Hours:
Mt Bachelor lifts operate M-F 9am-4pm.
Selected lifts will begin at 8am on
the weekends.
Services open a half an hour before the lifts.
***Always
call first, schedule and cost can change at any time.***
Mt
Bachelor Tubing Park: Open Thursday through Sunday 10am-4pm, Open Every day
March 20th-30th.
Sessions are as follows: 10am - Noon, Noon - 2pm, 2pm - 4pm.
Adult
(13 & over) $13- 2 hours/$26-all day.
Children (12 & younger) $10 -
2 hours/$20 all day.
Children must be at least 42" tall to participate.
Sled
Dog Rides by Trail of Dreams:
Operated and owned by Jerry Scdoris and his
daughter Rachael.
Standard Trip - Approximately one hour of orientation and
trail time, including an option to participate in the care, watering and feeding
of the dogs after the trip.
Adults (anyone over 80 lbs) $75
Children (under
80 lbs) $30 accompanied by a paying parent or guardian.
Marathon Trip - To
Elk Lake and back (26 miles) with lunch. Available weekdays (non-holiday) only.
Check-in time is 8:30am; return back to Sunrise Lodge by 1:30pm. $450 per couple.
Mt Bachelor Snowshoe Tours: Open weekends and holidays. Saturday,
Sunday and holidays from January to March. Time: 10 AM and 1:30 PM. Cost: FREE,
snowshoes provided. Participants must be older than 10 years old and wear snowboots
and warm winter clothing. | | Today
the entire cone of Mt. Bachelor is the famous ski area that offers endless long,
windy, curvy runs that seem to go on and on. In fact the longest run is just over
1.5 miles. For more advanced skiers, check out one of the many black diamond chutes
which offer up some real vertical thrills.
And if you are into snowboarding
Mt. Bachelor won't disappoint; Slopestyle park, located beside the pipe below
Pine Martin Express has the largest features on the mountain offering challenging
rails, a 65-foot table top, 45-foot step down and more. For those looking for
less extreme action check out I-5 Park; a mile long park covering 1200 vertical
feet. Just starting out? Then head to Sunshine Park, where the features are small;
five to 15-feet and offer a place to sharpen skills and try some new jumps. And
check out one of the many bowls - all blues and blacks- such as local favorite
Glade-iater located at the top of the Stella six-pack.
While Mt.
Bachelor knows how to serve up some top-notch downhill thrills, they also offer
really cool alternative adventures including tubing, snowshoeing and dogsled rides.
At Snowblast tubing park, grab a big round inflatable inner tube and hook onto
the tow, relax and enjoy watching other tubers propel down as you are pulled up
the hill. Once unhooked pick one of the groomed hills, center yourself in the
tube and push off for the 800-foot ride down. The ride is addictive, and most
likely you will run and not walk back to the tow bar over and over again.For
a no experience necessary snow adventure try the free 90-minute interpretive snowshoe
tour led by a US Forest Service Naturalist. Learn about the winter ecology and
geology of Central Oregon, the Deschutes National Forest watershed and the plants
and animals found throughout the area during this walk that averages between one
and one-and-a-half miles. Snowshoes are even provided free of charge.
For
a unique experience, try the Trail of Dreams Sled Dog Ride. Get bundled up and
cozy in the Iditarod Dog Sled as your musher and dog sled team take you on a scenic
ride with amazing views as you glide through the snow. Beyond
Mt Bachelor's abundance of activities, the Deschutes National Forest offers plenty
of other locations to check out for sledding, snowshoeing, cross country skiing
and snowmobiling.
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For a totally
fun sledding experience head to Wanoga Sno-Play area at milepost 15 on Highway
46 and veer left after entering to find a nice wide hill perfect for sledding.
You'll need to bring your own sled or tube, but this is great hill for both kids
and adults. A bit more tame than Slopestyle park at Mt. Bachelor, this hill still
brings plenty of smiles as you whiz your way down. For snowmobiling options simply
head right at the entrance to Wanoga where you will find a rental area and miles
and miles of open area to zoom around in.
For snowshoeing and cross-country
skiing head to milepost 14 on Highway 46 and the Virginia Meissner Sno-Park turn
off. Meissner was an Oregon native, who taught cross-country skiing for many years.
Several of the area's 30 kilometers of groomed trails are named after local native
plants, making for a fun way to learn about local horticulture. The area also
offers a warming hut- a perfect spot to enjoy lunch or a snack or just to relax
and defrost from the cold.
Whether you choose to ski or board on the mountain
or opt for a do it yourself experience at one of the many locations off highway
46, the Deschutes National Forest will not disappoint anyone looking for some
time in this scenic and snowy winter destination.
All
photos provided by Alexa Meisler
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