Master Plan Deep Dive: Timberline Lodge

A view of Mount Hood from Timberline’s Magic Mile lift.

Earlier this week, Mount Hood’s Timberline Lodge unveiled its new 2022 Master Plan, detailing a series of upgrades for the resort in the coming years. Planned investments include a gondola connecting the lower-elevation Summit Pass area to the main area of the resort, a new beginner area, and parking enhancements, among other proposals.

In this piece, we’ll be honing in on the proposed resort upgrades and assessing potential impacts.

For more information on Timberline Lodge as it currently exists, see our review here.

The lift, parking, and snowmaking upgrades put forth in Timberline’s 2022 Master Plan.

Upgrades

Lifts and Terrain

The proposed Timberline Express Gondola would extend from the Summit Base Area to the top terminal of the Jeff Flood lift, finally providing lift service from the Summit Pass area to the rest of Timberline (guests must currently take a bus to get back to the main area of the resort). The gondola would include a mid-station just above the top of the existing Summit Pass zone, where a new learning area with two carpets and tubing park are planned. Timberline proposes a few trail network improvements to go along with the new gondola, including a new intermediate trail down from Stormin’ Norman to the mid-station, as well as the widening of the existing Alpine Trail.

The biggest consequence of the gondola is the true linkage of Summit Pass and Timberline as one ski area. The two zones may be connected by trail, but with the lack of a current lift connection, they effectively operate as separate ski areas. The gondola looks finally provide this link, transforming Summit Pass from an unassuming beginner hill to a marquee entry for one of Oregon’s largest ski resorts. The gondola installation will also mean high-speed lift service for nearly 100% of lift-serviced terrain at both Timberline and Summit Pass. By the time all is said and done, Timberline will have the longest lift/cat-serviced vertical drop in the United States, at 4,540 feet.

The resort also plans some sort of upgrade to the existing Summit double lift, likely to a fixed-grip quad. The existing chair has been around since 1980, and with the expected traffic increase from the direct link to Timberline, a more modern lift and capacity upgrade for this pod probably won’t hurt.

Parking

The new Timberline Gondola is intended to shift parking patterns for Timberline guests, allowing those visiting the main resort area to park at the Summit base and free up the limited Timberline Lodge parking for hotel guests and sightseers. In addition, the resort plans to add capacity by building out 500 to 600 new parking spaces at the Summit Pass Lodge. If visitation demands, the resort also plans a completely new parking zone at the bottom of the Molly’s lift.

The proposed parking upgrades should markedly increase Timberline’s carrying capacity. Timberline’s current parking lots—all at the historic lodge—are limited in size and often fill up early. The new Molly’s Portal and lift access from Summit should allow considerably more people to access the mountain. The Summit Pass parking area will be much more convenient to access than the existing Timberline Lodge lots, allowing guests to avoid driving up the difficult Timberline access road; we wouldn’t be surprised to see these lots fill quickly on busy weekends and holidays.

Crowd Flow

At a first glance, a Timberline frequenter might ask whether increased crowds would be a good thing—after all, the resort suffers from some chokepoints in lower mountain areas that lead to long lines. However, the gondola should finally provide redundancy for the popular Stormin’ Norman and Jeff Flood lifts, which as of today, independently service their own pods and effectively offer no lift alternatives or ski-out access (guests are technically able to ski down to Summit Pass from these lifts, but there’s no lift access back up). This should help with crowd flow in lower mountain areas.

Facilities

To account for the increased demand, the resort plans a considerable base lodge upgrade at Summit Pass. The proposed new lodge would include a restaurant with both indoor and outdoor seating, as well as retail and rentals. The lodge would be designed with year-round operations in mind, with spaces for summer ski and snowboard camps to use during the off-seasons. The resort also plans a lodge at the proposed gondola mid-station with guest services and restrooms, as well as a small warming hut at the top of the gondola.

The new Summit Pass Lodge, along with the gondola upgrade, looks to have major implications for summer operations at Timberline. While the lifts below Magic Mile gradually close as the spring and summer snowpack melts, the proposed ski and snowboard camp space in the Summit base implies that the gondola will be utilized for summer operations, even if the terrain below it is not skiable during that time of year.

If visitation demands, Timberline also plans a day lodge at the proposed Molly’s Portal parking lot. This area would not serve food and drink but would offer indoor seating, storage and lockers. Given the lack of large facilities below the Wy’East day lodge, this could be a nice alternative for guests in lower-mountain areas to stop in for a break.

A detailed look at the lodge and parking upgrades proposed for Summit Pass.

Snowmaking

As of today, Timberline’s snowmaking coverage is extremely limited; snowguns are only installed at the diminutive Bruno learning area and some sections of Summit Pass. The plan proposes to considerably transforming Timberline’s snowmaking footprint, adding coverage from the top of the Pucci lift to the bottom of Summit Pass.

While only planned for a few trails, the investments in this category should allow Timberline to offer more consistent fall openings and longer seasons for the Jeff Flood and Pucci lifts. The snowmaking upgrades for two of the three trails linking the main Timberline zone to Summit will be crucial to maintaining reliable openings, as the zone’s low elevation makes for inconsistent natural snow and variable weather conditions.

If all upgrades are completed as proposed, Timberline’s snowmaking footprint should span 72 acres across 8 trails.

Final Thoughts

When Timberline officially annexed Summit Ski Area and rechristened it as Summit Pass last year, it was effectively a change in name only (some previously backcountry trails from Timberline to Summit became in-bounds, but they did not have any lift service). But with this master plan hopefully becoming a reality, visitors can expect significant transformations to the guest experience at Timberline in the coming years.

Perhaps the biggest open question on these considerable investments is the timeline. Despite the detailed proposals, no definitive dates have been released for their completion—or even start of construction. These projects will carry a lot more weight once they are confirmed as happening for certain.

Considering a trip to Timberline Lodge next winter—or next summer? Read our comprehensive mountain review here. Additionally, check out our Oregon and West Coast rankings.