9 hills in Oregon, most of them run by a national forest

Sledding Hills in Oregon: Every One an Agency Names

Q: How do you know whether a hill in Oregon is open?

3 of the 9 hills publish a conditions page of its own, linked below. The season runs on the permit requirement, not snow depth: the state runs the Sno-Park parking permit across those dates and the forests print the same window.

Q: What does Oregon say about sledding on its own hills?

7 of the 9 pages carry guidance from the agency that runs the hill. USDA Forest Service, Mt. Hood National Forest writes: Sledding inherently comes with safety risks. Please take care and assess conditions before recreating. Each of those sentences is reproduced whole on the hill it belongs to.

Q: Which state has the most designated sledding hills?

New York, with 14. Across the country 202 hills are named by the agency that runs them, spread over 35 states, and 15 states name none at all.

Every hill below was named for sledding by the Oregon agency that runs it, on a page linked beside it. What it costs, whether it runs tubing, a tow or lights, and the agency's own words.

Hills a public agency names

in 0 towns

A national forest

Most of them named by

0 local, 0 state, 9 national forest

That print no charge

Sno-Park Parking Permit may be needed to park

0 / 0 / 0

Tubing, tow or lights

4 publish hours, 3 a conditions page

The answer

Whose website to open first in Oregon

Oregon has 9 hills that a public agency has named for sledding in writing, and all of them are run by a national forest.

National forest: 9

Most of what Oregon designates sits on national forest land, where the published thing is usually a plowed winter parking area with a run beside it.
Every Oregon hill below prints a charge or a parking fee of some kind.
Oregon sells a Sno-Park Parking Permit, and where one is required it is a parking permit rather than a charge for the hill.
The season runs on the permit requirement, not snow depth: the state runs the Sno-Park parking permit across those dates and the forests print the same window.

Grouped by who named it

All 9 Oregon hills

Each card opens with the agency’s own words, because that sentence is the reason the hill is on the page. Everything under it is an attribute the same agency published on the same page. Where an agency adds guidance of its own, it is quoted whole and nothing is added to it.

Named by a national forest9 hills

Snow Bunny Sno-Park/Sledding Area

National forest

Mt. Hood National Forest, Zigzag Ranger District. Mt. Hood National Forest, Zigzag Ranger District. Run by USDA Forest Service, Mt. Hood National Forest

There are several hills for sledding and tubing.

Snow Bunny Sno-Park/Sledding Area, Mt. Hood National Forest, USDA Forest Service, read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source

Oregon State Sno-Park Permit required November 01 - April 30: $4 per vehicle per day, $9 per three day (consecutive), $25 per annual

Oregon Sno-Park permit is required in designated sno-parks from November 1 through April 30.

USDA Forest Service, Mt. Hood National Forest publishes this with the hill: “Sledding inherently comes with safety risks. Please take care and assess conditions before recreating.”

Conditions from the agency · Snow Bunny Sno-Park/Sledding Area, Mt. Hood National Forest, USDA Forest Service

Little John Sno-Park & Campground

National forest

Mt. Hood National Forest, Hood River Ranger District. Mt. Hood National Forest, Hood River Ranger District. Run by USDA Forest Service, Mt. Hood National Forest

Sledding/Tubing

Little John Sno-Park & Campground, Mt. Hood National Forest, USDA Forest Service, read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source

Oregon State Sno-Park Permit required November 01 - April 30: $5 per vehicle per day, $30 for an annual pass

Oregon Sno-Park permit is required from November 1 through April 30.

USDA Forest Service, Mt. Hood National Forest publishes this with the hill: “The snow play hill is limited to inner tubes and sliding discs only. No sleds, toboggans, snowboards, skis, snowmobiles, etc.”

Conditions from the agency · Little John Sno-Park & Campground, Mt. Hood National Forest, USDA Forest Service

Wanoga Snow Play Area Sno-Park

National forest

Deschutes National Forest, Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District. Deschutes National Forest, Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District. Run by USDA Forest Service, Deschutes National Forest

This increasingly favored sno-park provides access to both motorized and non-motorized dog-friendly trails, as well as opportunities for sledding and tubing.

Wanoga Snow Play Area Sno-Park, Deschutes National Forest, USDA Forest Service, read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source

Sno-Park Permit required November 1 - April 30

Sno-Park Permit required November 1 - April 30.

USDA Forest Service, Deschutes National Forest publishes this with the hill: “The Wanoga Snow Play Area is intended as a sledding hill and is not designed for snowboarding, skiing or building jumps.”

Conditions from the agency · Wanoga Snow Play Area Sno-Park, Deschutes National Forest, USDA Forest Service

Salt Creek Snowplay Area

National forest

Willamette National Forest, Middle Fork Ranger District. Willamette National Forest, Middle Fork Ranger District. Run by USDA Forest Service, Willamette National Forest

Salt Creek Sno-Park is best known for the snow play area located there. In addition to Willamette Pass Ski Resort, the Salt Creek Snowplay Area is currently the only other recommended tubing site on Highway 58.

Salt Creek Snowplay Area, Willamette National Forest, USDA Forest Service, read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source

Sno-Park Permit Required

USDA Forest Service, Willamette National Forest publishes this with the hill: “The tubing hill is cleared of trees for your safety.”

Salt Creek Snowplay Area, Willamette National Forest, USDA Forest Service

Tubing Hill at Santiam Sno-Park

National forest

Willamette National Forest, McKenzie River Ranger District. Willamette National Forest, McKenzie River Ranger District. Run by USDA Forest Service, Willamette National Forest

Santiam Sno-park is best known for the snow play area located here. This is the only recommended tubing site at Santiam Pass.

Tubing Hill, Willamette National Forest, USDA Forest Service, read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source

SnoPark Permit Required

USDA Forest Service, Willamette National Forest publishes this with the hill: “Use only inner tubes or saucers on this slope.”

Tubing Hill, Willamette National Forest, USDA Forest Service

Starr Bowl Snowplay Area

National forest

Malheur National Forest, Blue Mountain Ranger District. Malheur National Forest, Blue Mountain Ranger District. Run by USDA Forest Service, Malheur National Forest

The Starr Bowl Snowplay area provides for a day of fun on the sledding hill and a small warming cabin built during the Civilian Conservation Corps era with a big stone fireplace, along with primitive outhouse facilities.

Starr Bowl Snowplay Area, Malheur National Forest, USDA Forest Service, read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source

Oregon State Sno-Park Permit required November 01 - April 30: $4 per vehicle per day, $9 per three day (consecutive), $25 per annualDay use only: open 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Oregon State Sno-Park Permit required November 01 - April 30

Starr Bowl Snowplay Area, Malheur National Forest, USDA Forest Service

Farewell Bend Snow Play Area

National forest

Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, High Cascades Ranger District. Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, High Cascades Ranger District. Run by USDA Forest Service, Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest

These two sledding hills are a popular winter destination for families and friends.

Farewell Bend Snow Play Area, Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, USDA Forest Service, read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source

Oregon State Sno-Park Permit required November 01 - April 30: $4 per vehicle per day, $9 per three day (consecutive), $25 per annualOpen 24 hours/day

You must have a valid Sno–Park permit displayed near the lower left corner of the windshield of your vehicle if you park in a designated winter recreation parking area (Sno–Park) between November 1 and April 30.

USDA Forest Service, Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest publishes this with the hill: “Use caution on the slopes when the snow is not fresh and there a lot of visitors. The snow can freeze and crust quickly at this elevation, creating unsafe sledding conditions or excessive speeds.”

Farewell Bend Snow Play Area, Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, USDA Forest Service

Mark's Creek Sno-Park

National forest

Ochoco National Forest. Ochoco National Forest. Run by USDA Forest Service, Ochoco National Forest & Crooked River National Grassland

For those that are not interested in sledding, there is a large communal fire ring near the trees at the base of the hill.

Mark's Creek Sno-Park, Ochoco National Forest, USDA Forest Service, read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source

Oregon State Sno-Park Permit required November 15 through April 30Open 24 hours/day

All Sno-Parks on the Ochoco National Forest require a valid Oregon State Sno-Park Permit from November 15 through April 30.

USDA Forest Service, Ochoco National Forest & Crooked River National Grassland publishes this with the hill: “No motorized recreation is authorized in this Sno-Park.”

Mark's Creek Sno-Park, Ochoco National Forest, USDA Forest Service

Walton Sno-Park

National forest

Ochoco National Forest. Ochoco National Forest. Run by USDA Forest Service, Ochoco National Forest & Crooked River National Grassland

Additionally, there is a small hilly area next to the upper parking area that is good for sledding and tubing.

Walton Sno-Park, Ochoco National Forest, USDA Forest Service, read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source

Oregon State Sno-Park Permit required November 01 - April 30: $4 per vehicle per day, $9 per three day (consecutive), $25 per annualOpen 24 hours/day

All Sno-Parks on the Ochoco National Forest require a valid Oregon State Sno-Park Permit from November 15 through April 30.

Walton Sno-Park, Ochoco National Forest, USDA Forest Service

Cost and parking

What sledding costs in Oregon

Every Oregon hill below prints a charge or a parking fee of some kind. Nationally 140 of the 202 hills print no charge at all, and the ones that do are nearly always the two things that cost an agency money to run: a tubing operation that rents the tube, and a tow that carries you back up.

Oregon sells a Sno-Park Parking Permit, and where one is required it is a parking permit rather than a charge for the hill. That distinction matters at the gate: the permit is sold for the plowed lot rather than for the slope, which is why a state can require one and still publish that the sledding itself is free.

A yellow road grader with tyre chains clearing deep snow from a forest car park beside a small concrete restroom building carrying a green permit required sign, under a low grey sky with heavily laden conifers behind — What a winter parking permit buys. Nineteen states sell one, and on almost every hill that needs it the money is for the lot being graded here rather than for the slope, which is why a state can require a permit and still print that the sledding itself is free. The sign on the building is the whole transaction, and it is posted at the entrance rather than at the hill. “Plowing the Sno-Park on OR 58”, OregonDOT, CC BY 2.0

Oregon sledding questions

Are there designated sledding hills in Oregon?

Who runs the sledding hills in Oregon?

Does sledding cost anything in Oregon?

How do you know whether a hill in Oregon is open?

What does Oregon say about sledding on its own hills?

Which state has the most designated sledding hills?

Sledding hills in other states

Oregon first snow datesWhen the first measurable snow has historically arrived, which is when a hill starts to be worth the drive.Oregon snowpackHow much snow is actually on the ground right now, from the automated stations that measure it.Oregon plow trackerWhether the road to the hill has been plowed, from the state that plows it.Oregon cross country skiingThe groomed trail systems, which is what most state agencies publish instead of sledding.

Oregon read September 23, 2026 from the agency pages linked beside each hill. Hours, fees and winter parking permit prices are set season by season and a hill opens on snow rather than on a date, so the agency page linked beside each one is the thing that governs on the day. Every state is on the sledding hills hub.