"The beginning of the 2025-2026 ORegon snow season has been, in a word, bleak. Ski resorts pushed their opening dates into late December-Mt. Hood Meadows fired up the lifts December 30, and then shut them off again later that week. And many of the sno-parks regularly buzzing with bundled-up tykes and bib-donning snowshoers by Christmas ended the year in quiet slush."
"Introduced in 1977 (when the fine for not displaying a permit was just $10), Oregon's sno-park permit system raises funds that go to plowing lots for public recreational use. The state started with 64 designated winter-recreation parking areas and now counts more than 100, which vary in size, amenities, and available activities. Some offer little more than a plowed parking area and a good-looking hill, while others feature warming huts, shelters, maintained trails, and more."
The 2025–2026 Oregon snow season began with scarce snow, delayed resort openings, and temporary closures as back-to-back atmospheric rivers brought mostly rain. Some sno-parks ended December in slush while a few locations have started accumulating fresh powder. A sno-park permit is required at designated parking areas from November 1 through April 30 or a $30 fine applies. The program, introduced in 1977, funds lot-plowing and now covers over 100 sites varying from simple plowed lots to facilities with warming huts, shelters, and maintained trails. Permits are available online, at DMV offices, and through vendors, with transferable and reciprocal options with California and Idaho.
Read at Portland Monthly
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