15+ Places to Go Sledding and Tubing in Oregon
This post may contain affiliate links and I may be compensated for this post. Please read our disclosure policy here.
15+ Places to Go Sledding & Tubing in Oregon
*Updated for 2023- 2024 season!
Living here in the Northwest, I love that we have easy access to the mountains & snow within just a few hours for most destinations. This makes it so nice to not have to deal with the snow until you want to (for the most part) & you can head up to the mountain areas when you need your snow fix & want to enjoy some fun winter activities.
With teens, my girls’ favorite winter activity is definitely tubing or sledding. They just love the thrill & rush of flying down the hills in sleds & tubes. So, we love to seek out sledding & tubing hills whenever we head to the mountains to check out which are our favorite places to visit. And I have to say that we have found that Oregon definitely has the most variety and options of sledding & tubing hills around the Northwest – in fact, we often will choose to go to Oregon for winter fun just because of the wide variety of options they have to try out all within certain areas too, like Mt Hood, Central Oregon & southern Oregon. You don’t have to drive long distances between the locations as you do in many of the WA locations. Oregon also has a wealth of sno parks with safe sledding opportunities – I’m hoping that Washington will someday follow Oregon’s lead & offer more sno-park options for families since so many families want to head to the snow in the winter.
We have rounded up a big list of tubing & sledding options for you to check out around Oregon. And make sure to check out our list of 10 Places to Go Sledding or Tubing in Washington too!
We’d love to hear your experiences at these locations too, as we have only been to some of these locations, so would love to hear personal experiences & any tips you have!
Here are a few tips to know before you go:
- Make sure to check out all of the information about your location before you leave home to know about tickets needed, length of time you will be able to tube,, if you need to bring your own sled/tube or use theirs (I think the majority of all the tubing places require you use their tubes), if you need to get there early to purchase tickets or purchase online ahead of time, restrictions on type of sled to use, etc.
- Check if you need any sno park permits/passes before you go, especially if you are going to a sledding location. If it’s an Oregon sno park, you will need to get that before you go – sometimes you can purchase at the location, but most of the time you will need to purchase ahead of time either online or at a local sporting goods store or there are many other locations.
- You can also use a California or Idaho sno park pass in Oregon (sadly not Washington though). You can also move sno park passes between vehicles.
- Always have a backup plan in case it’s too busy & full (as some locations will close access if they are too busy
- Try to avoid holidays or beautiful sunny days if you want less crowds – these are going to be the busiest snow play days of the year. Of course, it’s a beautiful time to go if it’s a “bluebird” day in the mountains, but you may not be able to get in to your location unless you get there really early – or really late in the day.
- Be prepared for traffic heading to the mountains or leaving the mountains, especially if it’s a holiday weekend or beautiful day. (We had about a 30 minute traffic delay heading to Mt Hood one day last year)
- Always be prepared with traction tires and/or chains (many of the locations could change at any time as far as requiring traction tires/chains) so I suggest always being prepared for the possibility & have them in your vehicle at all times. {If you purchase chains at Les Schwab, you can return them at the end of the season if they are not used. }Better to have them in your trunk than not be prepared
- Always be prepared with emergency essentials in your car in case of issues of getting stuck in snow, winter weather (tow rope, cat litter for help in getting out of icy situations, extra clothes & warm blankets, extra food/water, etc). Here’s a great checklist of items to have in your car at all times for winter preparedness.
Make sure to check out these posts for more winter fun in Oregon:
10 Winter Activities for Kids at Mt Hood
5 Winter Activities for Families in Sunriver / Bend Area
We have included updates for the 2023 – 2024 season and make sure that you check their websites ahead of time for any restrictions, need for purchasing tubing tickets online ahead of time, etc.
Snow Tubing in Oregon:
Mt Hood Ski Bowl Snow Tubing – Get Ticket Info
Right in the middle of Government Camp below Mt Hood is the Ski Bowl Ski Resort, which not only has ski slopes for skiing/snowboarding (see our experience with ski lessons there), but they also have a number of fun activities for families. There is a tubing hill for both day & night time (Cosmic) tubing, as well as Frosty’s Playland & a Winter Adventure Park. This is probably our all-time favorite place to go tubing as my family absolutely loved the Cosmic tubing at night. They blast the 80’s & 90’s music & you can bring glow-in-the dark bracelets & more to make it such a cool experience for the whole family.
Another benefit is that they have a cozy lodge to warm up in & grab a hot drink or a meal. Plus, they had outdoor firepits as well. (We went a few years back now, so I’m not sure if they are offering that this season, but they do have an awesome lodge right next to tubing for parents to hang out in if you have older kids or to bring the younger kids in to warm up in between tubing runs.
This is the perfect place for all ages, too, as when you purchase the day tubing or cosmic tubing, you will also get access to the Frosty’s Playland & specific activities in the winter adventure park (such as a super play zone, kiddie carousel, kiddie tube hill). There are several additional activities which you can pay extra for, too, like kiddie snowmobiles which require individual tickets (although they are discounted if you purchase tubing as well).
Tubing tickets are sold in 1 1/2 hour time segments. There is a conveyor belt / magic carpet for you to ride to get up to the top of the tubing hill, so it makes it much faster for you to get more runs in during that time.
Update: Not open yet.
Timberline’s Summit Pass Ski Area Tubing Hill – Info on Tickets
Timberline’s Summit Ski Area is a small little ski area right at the edge of Government Camp near Mt Hood. They have one ski lift as well as a tubing hill with about 5-6 runs. You could literally walk to this ski resort if you are staying in town at Government Camp, it’s so easy to get to. There are no conveyor belts to bring your tube or you back to the top of the hill, so you’ll be getting your exercise. But it looks like a great, family friendly option right in town. You can buy your tickets right at the ticket booth.
Update: Not open yet.
Cooper Spur Ski & Tubing Hill (Mt Hood area)
This is a small ski resort at Mt Hood out near Mt Hood Meadows area. They do also feature one snow tubing run for kids (must be 42″ or taller) & a snow carousel for smaller kids, too (those under 42″). The kiddie snow carousel (a merry go round in the snow on an inner tube) is free for kids. For the tubing hill, you must use their tubes (no personal sleds allowed) & it is as weather permits.
Update: It looks like they may have closed their snow tubing hill, so I would call & ask about that.
Mt Bachelor “Snowblast” Tubing Hill
Mt Bachelor near Bend/Sunriver has 6 lanes for tubing & a specially designed tow that you can stay seated in your tube & it will take you to the top of the hill. So nice to ride in your tube to the top of the hill & relax after a fast run! The runs are 800 feet long & sure to be a blast for the whole family. Typically, they are open Fridays – Sundays with multiple tubing times from November – April.
Update: It looks like they may have closed their snow tubing hill too, but have lots of fun snow activities.
Sunriver SHARC Tubing Hill
Another option for tubing in Central Oregon is the Sunriver SHARC Tubing hill. This hill has changed quite a bit over the past couple of years. The hill is still available for your to sled down or enjoy some tubing, when enough snow allows. It is free to access, but you will have to bring your own equipment to use this hill now.
Autobahn Tubing Park at Hoodoo
The Autobahn Tubing hill at Hoodoo Ski Resort in the central Cascades offers a great tubing hill for families. They have several options. Their main tubing hill has a number of runs & they also have a lift to bring you up to the top of the hill, too, with your tube, so you can get in multiple runs. You can either pay for a full day rate or pay for a punch ticket with 10 runs (which needs to be used on that day). You will use their tubes for the tubing hill.
If you’d rather not try the tubing hill, they also have a small sledding hill next to the Autobahn tubing area. You can pay $5 for the whole day (just buy your tickets at the Autobahn Yurt). You will need you own sled for this area. The sledding hill opens when the ski area opens.
Update: Not open yet.
Diamond Lake Tubing Hill
The Diamond Lake resort near Crater Lake, OR, is a popular place to go tubing in southern Oregon as they have 7 sliding lanes & a “wonder carpet” conveyor. It is open Fridays – Sundays & holiday times. They say it’s one of the longest tubing runs in the state (more than 900′ at times) & steep for those of you who like a good thrill. Kids between 3 & 5 can tube free with a paid adult (kids under 3 are not allowed)
Update: Must purchase tickets online, not available onsite.
Sledding:
Northern OR Cascades:
White River West Sno Park
The Mt Hood area has multiple areas to go sledding, but honestly this area was the largest area for sledding we found, with a big parking lot & multiple areas you could find. It does get busy, but the great aspect of this location is that if you walk for a bit up the trail towards the mountain, there will definitely be fewer people & you can still find plenty of places to go sledding (with taller hills too) as you go further down the trail. This really is the perfect place to go for snow play, too, you can bring little ones for just playing in the snow.
To find the bigger hills, you’ll want to walk a half mile or so up the trail, but along the way, there are a lot of small hills for sledding too. The only caution with this location is that this is next to the White River and we saw many people playing way out near the river (or on top of the river in some parts). The river remains hidden by snow in areas, though, so I would not venture out too close to the river. There are plenty of snow play areas along the path & the other side of the path for fun.
Little John Sno Park
The Little John Sno Park is definitely an awesome sledding area especially for elementary & older kids, as well as adults. There are 2 big sledding hills at this park & they are great places to go if you want thrills as you will go fast on these. But, what we liked is that even if you are more low-key sledding folks like us, you can go up any distance on these to fit your comfort & speed level.
It will get busy as well, but if you go on a weekday or early or late, that’s the best way to beat the crowds. We went on a holiday weekend that was busy, but we went for the last few hours of the day & it never felt crowded.
An added bonus for this location is the warming hut which is stocked with food if you need a break to get warm. This location is a bit further out as it’s about 20 minutes from Government Camp, on the way to Mt Hood Meadows. But it most definitely is worth the drive out here for some old-fashioned sledding fun!
Snow Bunny Sno Park
The Snow Bunny Sno Park has several sledding areas you can enjoy and this location is just right outside of Government Camp at Mt Hood & across the street from the popular Trillium Lake parking lot (during winter). There is a main sledding area which you can see from the parking lot & then if you walk a little ways down the trail, you will find several longer, faster sledding runs. This is definitely a very popular place for sledding, though & the parking lot is not as big as White River, so we saw quite a few people parking along the road when we would drive by. We actually did not go sledding here (but walked around on a weekday to check it out). The website does say that there is a $15/day cost to go sledding here (it’s owned by Summit Ski Area). We went on a weekday last January to check it out, but we did not see an area to pay the fees & there was no one there collecting fees on the weekday (I’m not sure about on weekends, though).
Central OR Cascades:
Wanoga Sno Park
(the day we went there were blizzard like conditions which is why it’s difficult to see the sledding hill)
This sno park is near the Mt Bachelor area of central Oregon & we found this on a trip to Bend/Sunriver area a few years ago & it was definitely one of our favorite places to go sledding. This is a great place to go sledding or tubing (bring your own sleds/tubes) as it’s a very wide sledding area. There is a large parking lot & you will need an Oregon sno park permit in order to park here.
A big bonus to this location is that they have warming huts as well as vault toilets so you can stay for hours & get warm when you need to. My girls also loved that it was dog friendly as we saw dogs hanging out with their owners and enjoying the snow as the families were sledding. The sledding area was great as it seemed to have a variety of options for different skill levels too, from smaller sledding areas for the little ones & larger sledding hills as well.
My only caution would be to carry snow chains or have snow tires, especially for this location as it can get quite snowy being so close to Mt Bachelor. We went in late February & hit a significant amount of snow on the roads, so we almost needed to use those chains we had in our car.
Make sure to read our review of the Wanoga Sno Park, too, before you go.
Hoodoo Sledding Hill
We mentioned this above in the Hoodoo Tubing section, but if you are just looking for sledding, Hoodoo offers a small sledding hill right next to the tubing area. You will need to pay $5 to use this area for the day (pay at the Autobahn Tubing kiosk) & it will open when the ski hill opens.
Update for 2021 – 2022: We are not seeing updated for the sledding hill right now, so I would call &. ask.
Santiam Sno Park
This sno-park is located 5 miles east of the Santiam Junction on Highway 126/20, not too far from Sisters, OR (about 30 minutes away). This sno park offers tubing & sledding hills in the Santiam Pass area. While there are no costs to tube/sled & you will need to bring your own sledding/tubes to use. You will also need a Sno Park permit for parking at this sno-park, as you will need for most sno parks, so make sure you get this ahead of time.
I have not been to this sno park, but from reading reviews & seeing the pictures posted on the reviews, it looks like it is a large sno park, so should have quite a few areas for snow play & sledding. They also state that you can enjoy views of Hoodoo, the 3 Sisters, Mt Washington & 3 Fingered Jack from this location. It says there is quite a bit of parking & restrooms as well.
Ray Benson Sno Park
This is a sno park that is also near the Santiam Pass area. However, on their website it says that it’s primarily used for ski & snowmobile trails (& snowshoeing). However, this was a location that the Hoodoo Ski hill said they are recommending that those interested in sledding check out, so they may have a small area of sledding at the beginning of this sno-park, too (I have not been here to confirm this, though, so I’d try calling the ranger station or the Hoodoo ski area to ask more about it before you go). It does say there are 2 restrooms.
Southern OR Cascades:
Table Mountain Sno Park
The Table Mountain sno park at the Hyatt Lake Recreation area in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument (near Ashland, OR) has a sledding area. You can also do snowshoeing & cross-country skiing at this sno park as well.
Grouse Gap Sno Park
This sno park is located just up the road from the Mt Ashland Ski area in southern Oregon (or at the far end of the ski area parking lot). It is located within the Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest. This is a popular place for snowshoers & cross-country skiers but it sounds like there are some small sledding areas here as well. It does say that there is a more than 2000′ elevation gain going up Mt Ashland, so you will want to carry snow chains based on changing road conditions.
Page Mountain Sno Park
This is a beautiful sno park in southern Oregon located in the mountains above Cave Junction, OR with a great sledding area. They do caution that you should use caution on the slopes when the snow is not fresh & there are a lot of people sledding as the snow can freeze & crust quickly, creating unsafe sledding conditions or excessive speeds.
Update for 2021 – 2022: Unfortunately this area was hard hit by the fires in southern OR in September 2020, so it is still saying the sno park is closed for this season but keep checking back as that could change.
Annie Creek Sno Park
The Annie Creek Sno Park is located near Klamath Falls, OR (not far from Crater Lake National Park boundaries). It is also less than 10 miles from Fort Klamath, which was a military outpost on the Oregon Trail in 1863 & there is a park & museum there. This sno park offers more amenities than most sno parks with an interpretive kiosk & 2 vaulted toilets. There is also a log-style warming shelter with wood stove & benches.
They have a huge bowl shaped hill next to the warming hut which is perfect for sledding opportunities for the whole family. There are also trails for snowmobiles as well from this location. They will see snow from around late November through February as they are around 4400 ft elevation.
Farewell Bend Sno Park Snow Play Area
The Farewell Bend sno park is also located in southern Oregon as well, near the upper Rogue River & on the way to Crater Lake National Park. it is located in the midst of an old growth forest & near Union Creek, making it a picturesque spot to go sledding & enjoy snow play. They also have a warming shelter, a fireplace with firewood (stocked by rangers & volunteers so may not always be available). There are vault toilets as well, too.
