NW SnowSports: Backcountry Skiing
Mt. Hood Backcountry Skiing with Cascade Huts
Story and Photos by Amy Whitley
Photo at right: Navigating the terrain on Barlow Road.
The first thing backcountry skiers notice upon setting forth along the historic Barlow Road in the heart of the Mt. Hood National Forest is the absolute quiet of a snow-blanketed wilderness. The second thing they notice is that the beautiful scenery whizzes by as their skis start to pick up speed.
Just 65 miles east of Portland, the trailhead is within easy reach for the urban outdoors enthusiast. Upon arrival at the trailhead on a misty February morning, I assembled my kids (Nate, 12 and Calvin, 10) for our customary pre-trek photo op. “Cheer up,” I told them, to dispel their grumbling at our delay. “It’s all downhill from here!”
The author and her kids at the Barlow Road trailhead at Mt. Hood.
Nate looked at me in surprise. “But we haven’t even started!”
I spread out our topographical winter ski trail map for his perusal: our route into the Barlow Butte region was an impressive one that included small creek crossings, fallen obstacles, deep powder, and yes, 1,000 feet of elevation loss before the trail deposited us at our destination of the White River Hut.
Instantly, both boys were grinning.
The trek down wasn’t easy. Laden down with parkas and overnight backpacks, we fell multiple times navigating the terrain. The grueling climb of that same 1,000 feet on our return nearly did us in.
In the time between, however, we found our rhythm.
Compared to the advanced black diamond trails spurring from the same trailhead, the Barlow Road is considered easy to moderate to navigate: skiers and snowshoers simply follow the primitive road following Barlow Creek for a distance of 4.7 miles before reaching an intersection of forest service roads. Here, turning south takes overnighters another 1.2 miles through dense forest, occasional open spaces, and eye-catching views of Barlow Ridge to the promised shelter for the night.
Home Sweet Home
The White River Hut, operated by Cascade Huts: our destination.
The White River Hut is operated by Cascade Huts, a system of cabins situated throughout the region accessible only by ski or snowshoe in winter and by foot or mountain bike in summer.
After hiking more than five hours, I won’t lie: our first glimpse of our home for the night was a welcome sight. Including 256 square feet of backcountry comfort, the White River Hut comes equipped with propane heaters, lanterns, stove-top, padded bunks and sleeping bags for eight, table space for meals and evening entertainment, and a harder-to-reach-than-you’d-like outhouse.
What isn’t included: running water, electricity, or cell phone service.
After unburdening ourselves of the weight on our backs (we always overpack!), the boys busied themselves building a snow fort in three feet of unspoiled powder while the two adults made coffee and hot chocolate on the propane stove.
We cranked up the heat (cracking several of the six upper windows to ward against CO2 poisoning), brought in buckets of snow to boil for cooking, and prepared a gourmet dinner of freeze-dried goodness. After dark, we hung flashlights from the ceiling with bungee cords and lost (Monopoly) money to each other playing poker.
Family skis, in adult and kid sizes, lined up on the hut’s wall.
Even after turning off the heat for the night, we stayed cozy in our bags, waking to a light snowfall (and promise of pancakes if we braved the cold).
Between giddy exploration and outright exhaustion (I think Calvin was asleep in his bag in five seconds flat following lights out), the kids embraced their wintry adventure with open arms.
They indulged in occasional complaints, of course—a sore toe here, cold hands there. But as any outdoor-enthusiast-turned-parent can attest, there’s magic to be found in the act of plucking children out of their usual surroundings and depositing them, skis and all, into the heart of something so real and vast as the Mt. Hood backcountry that the minor complaints take a back seat.
If we had moments when we wondered if the arduous six-mile trek in had been worth it, the answer was easily found upon turning 360 degrees in every direction and taking in the endless expanse of pristine wilderness.
Amy Whitley is a travel writer and web editor of the family travel review site Pit Stops for Kids. As an Oregonian and life-long lover of the outdoors, Amy and her family can often be found hiking, backpacking, skiing, and river rafting across the Pacific Northwest. Read her Northwest Kids column in each edition of Outdoors NW starting in January.
