HD

Review of Timberline Lodge

Did a day trip from Portland for skiing, this ski ...

Did a day trip from Portland for skiing, this ski resort is fantastic. Excellent snow conditions on the day we went, almost all the lifts were open except for the highest one (Palmer) which was under snow storm recovery. The slopes were not too crowded, but we arrived at 8:30, before the official start time of 9am. We were able to find parking easily, and the slopes were easily accessible from the parking lot. There are a good selection of runs and terrain parks, with runs divided into 50% intermediate, 25% beginner and 25% advanced. There are no expert only (double black diamonds) runs. On a good clear day, the view from the top of the Magic Mile lift is breathtaking. It can only be better at the top of the slopes. If you stop midday for lunch, between 11am and 1pm it can be hard to find tables and seats. Food is good, especially the 3-beans chili fries, and there are some healthier options. Expect to pay around $8-15/plate of food and they do take all major credit cards. Our drive to the resort from Portland ward just over 1.5 hours, but the return trip was much worse. Leaving the slopes at 5pm (after the daytime skiing ends), it took us 1.5 hours just to get to US-26 through the only 6 mile road out of the resort. We were stuck in nearly 2 hours of traffic before reaching normal US-26 driving speeds. Total return trip took nearly 3.5 hours. Next time, we'll either aim to leave before 4pm or stay for night time skiing. Overall, we had a great time skiing here and look forward to coming back. If you're new to the Portland area, make sure you get some snow chains or snow for your car. In snow zones, you can be turned away without at least having them in the car with you.