Many full-time team members live on either side of the mountain with a fairly even split to either side with perhaps 55% living on the eastside and 45% living on the westside. A team member shuttle bus has pickup locations starting in Sandy, OR (westside) and Hood River, Oregon (eastside) with additional stops along the way.
A shuttle bus schedule will be posted on our Team Site, with times and locations. That information can be found at the link below on our Meadows Team Member website called, “The Team Site.” There is no login required. The Team Site serves as a resource for all Mt. Hood Meadows team members.
https://team.skihood.com/transportation-parking/
Some things to consider when choosing your preferred housing location – how far is it to the resort?
Mt. Hood Meadows is located about 40 miles from Sandy, Oregon on the westside of the mountain on Oregon State Hwy 26 to Oregon State Hwy 35 and is 35 miles from Hood River, Oregon on the eastside of the mountain on Oregon State Hwy 35.
View map on Google
The “Eastside”
When leaving the mountain and heading east, then North, you’ll be headed towards Hood River, Oregon on State Highway 35. Hood River is a popular outdoor sports destination so housing prices are perhaps higher than other communities – we have seen rooms and houses for rent posted on the local classifieds for between $800 and $1300 per room per month depending on what is included in the rent price.
Here is a link to the above map on Google: Hood River to Mt Hood Meadows
There are a few communities between Hood River and Mt. Hood Meadows like Odell, Dee, Parkdale/Mt. Hood which also have some limited housing options. Parkdale has a grocery store. Odell also has a small market. Hood River has 2 grocery stores, restaurants, bars, drugstores, etc. with a population of around 10-12,000 and closer to 20,000 if you include the greater Gorge communities in Washington state.
Some team members live in communities east and west of Hood River like Mosier and The Dalles to the east and Cascade Locks to the west. The Dalles is 19 miles from Hood River, which adds another 20 minutes to your daily commute, which is quite a lot, but a few instructors own homes there. Peter Gavinski, the MLC Program Lesson Manager lives in The Dalles, among others. A few instructors and other team members live in Cascade Locks, which is 19 miles west of Hood River.
Hood River is also a “border town” which means it’s on the border with Washington State. Housing can be a little less expensive in the Washington communities like White Salmon, Bingen, Underwood, Husum, Lyle, etc. This will add to your commute time and to catch the shuttle would require you to drive to a Hood River shuttle bus pickup location.
Hood River Toll Bridge
The Hood River Toll Bridge that crosses the Columbia River charges a $1.75 toll each way with a transponder available from the Port of Hood River or $3.50 each way with cash/credit card – if you live in Washington you’ll want the transponder which automatically charges a credit card on file a certain amount (like $20 to charge your fund), then automatically withdraws the toll charge each time you cross until your balance is low, then recharges your balance the chosen amount.
Link to Port of Hood River for getting a transponder
When considering your housing location in Washington, be sure to account for the cost of the toll bridge and drive time to Hood River. If you cross twice, 5 days a week, that’s an extra $80 to $100 per month in tolls. The Hood River Toll Bridge has maintenance from time to time causing lane closures and overnight closures, so keep this in mind.
Hood River has a great sense of community, lots of after work social activities with restaurants, bars, etc. Many instructors live year round in Hood River and teach water sports or work in other outdoor recreation offerings in the summer on the Columbia River like windsurfing or kiteboarding schools. Some are raft guides on the White Salmon river. Hood River is busier in the summer than the winter with tourist and service industry jobs.
The “Westside”
When leaving the resort, and heading west towards Portland, initially on OR Highway 35, then on OR Highway 26, you’ll be heading west. The west side of the mountain is more populated and has more housing options since the further you get from the resort the closer you are to Portland, which is Oregon’s most populated city.
Sandy is the furthest team member shuttle bus stop from the mountain. There are communities between Sandy and Mt. Hood Meadows like Brightwood, Mt. Hood Village, Welches, ZigZag, Rhododendron and Government Camp.
Here’s a link to the above map on Google: Sandy OR to Mt Hood Meadows
Welches has good services like a few grocery stores and some restaurants. Sandy, Oregon has a population of around 13,000 people and has all the services of a medium sized city. Sandy is also about halfway between downtown Portland and Mt. Hood Meadows, making it a convenient location for enjoying some big city life on your days off. There are other communities just outside of Sandy like Kelso, Boring, Estacada and Gresham which also have housing, but would require you to drive to the Sandy employee bus stop.
One thing to consider about the west side is the commuting traffic. On the weekends and holidays, all of Portland is coming up Highway 26 to recreate on Mt. Hood which includes skiing, snowboarding, backcountry skiing, sledding, etc. with 3 resorts on Mt Hood including Mt. Hood Meadows, Timberline Ski Area, and Mt. Hood Skibowl. Some drivers are on their way to Bend, Oregon – so there is added traffic on Hwy 26 during these days. That said, you will likely be arriving earlier than the majority of guests either by catching the 6:00AM shuttle or driving up early.
Team Site Housing Resources Page
https://team.skihood.com/housing-resources/
Team Member Housing
We have secured some limited employee housing on the East side of the mountain and it is our long-term plan to provide additional team member housing in properties we own and manage. At this time we have a master lease agreement on some properties and sub-rent rooms to full-time team members. Information and applications for this type of housing can be found on the Mt. Hood Meadows Team site at the link below.
https://team.skihood.com/housing-resources/
The Turns 4 Tenants (T4T) program
The T4T list includes pre-approved landlords who have applied to list their rentals to Mt Hood Meadows and Cooper Spur employees. This program is available to full-time Mt. Hood Meadows team members only.
https://team.skihood.com/housing-resources/t4t/
To access the Turns 4 Tenants list you’ll need a password which we provide to those who have accepted an offer.
Gorge Rentals (Eastside)
https://gorgerentals.com/columbia-gorge-lease-rental-listings/
This is also posted on the Team Housing Resource page but had a 404 error so the link is updated above.
Craigslist
https://Portland.Craigslist.org
Choose “grg” for The Columbia River Gorge Area or use the map feature to center on the west side communities of Sandy, Welches, Rhododendron, etc.
Columbia River Gorge Area Rental Housing Classifieds
https://classifieds.bluemountainnet.com/search-results/?cat_id=3170&ad_title=rental&country_id=3200
Van Life? Car Camping?
There are a number of people who stay in their various vehicle setups often or occasionally when avoiding a long commute home. There are many Oregon Sno-Parks within just a few miles of the resort where many people stay in their vehicles overnight.
Because most Sno-Parks near Mt. Hood Meadows are on USFS land then the Code of Federal Regulations: Title 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property applies and specifically Chapter II: Forest Service, Department of Agriculture, Part 261. Prohibitions and the language as related to “Developed Recreation Sites” (like Sno-Parks) reads, “The following are prohibited: (a) Occupying any portion of the site for other than recreation purposes.” If your job is “recreation” does this apply? What if you recreate at your place of employment? What if you are staying at a disbursed campsite which is NOT a “developed recreation site”?
Know your rights as a U.S. Citizen and your use of your publicly owned lands. The rules governing use of public lands may be found here: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-36/chapter-II/part-261
As you have heard, Mt. Hood gets a lot of snow of various types from (light and fluffy to heavy and dense), so personally equipped to handle deep snow while driving is important. In order to park in Oregon State Sno-Parks, a Sno-Park permit is required. They may be purchased locally at various shops and stores or on-line here: https://www.oregon.gov/odot/dmv/pages/vehicle/sno_park_permits.aspx
Sno-Parks within a few miles of Mt Hood Meadows are:
Bennett Pass – small parking area at the bottom of the main access road
White River – Large off-highway parking area 4 miles west towards Portland on Hwy 35
Pocket Creek – Roadside pullout parking 5.5 miles east towards Hood River on Hwy 35
Little John – Medium sized, off-highway parking area 9 mites east towards Hood River on Hwy 35
Closest services westside: Government Camp (9 miles from Meadows). Gas, Groceries, Restaurants
Closest services eastside: Parkdale (21 miles from Meadows), Gas (24 hours), Groceries, Pub
Snap Fitness Hood River- They have a shower and gym. Membership required
Mt Hood Athletic Club – They have a shower, pool, and gym. Membership required
Team Member Overnight Car Camping – Pilot Program
New this season, we will be piloting a Team Member overnight parking area in the Hood River Meadows parking lot. There will be limited spaces available, and will incur a fee to stay overnight. Details about this program will be available soon.