Living in an area that experiences four seasons is magical. Just when you think you can’t take another hot day or blustery night, the snow falls. Starting late October, early November and lasting through April or May, that timeline yields half the year to adventures in the snow.
Many winter recreation opportunities exist an hour out of town or less depending on the snowpack. Ski Bluewood is the closest ski resort to Walla Walla, just outside of Dayton, Washington and boasts roughly 400 acres of skiable area, including 24 trails, terrain parks, and lots of quality tree skiing.
If new to skiing, consider learning at Ski Bluewood, even if you are just visiting. The Easy Rider Lifts take newbies up the lower section of Country Road and provide a long, wide slope to gain confidence and take instruction from some of the most patient and knowledgeable folks in the business. The EZ 1-2-3 Package provides vital foundational skills for either skiing or snowboarding. For more advanced riders, Vitner’s Ridge shuttles offer a backcountry experience.
With an average of 300 inches of snow per year, Ski Bluewood is often open from December to April.
Cross country skiing, snow shoeing, and sledding are also favorite winter pastimes.
Heading south from Walla Walla toward Tollgate, Oregon, the Horseshoe Prairie Nordic Ski Area is across the highway from the Andies Prairie Sno-Park, which provides access to the only designated sledding area in the Umatilla National Forest.
The Horseshoe Prairie Nordic Ski Area was adopted by the Blue Mountain Land Trust. Their volunteer trail maintenance group, Blues Crew, grooms the trails for cross country skiing and has also put in a few snowshoeing trails, which all lead to a warming hut. The land trust posts grooming updates and keeps the map of the area meticulously updated. Check out our video showcasing this area.
Back across the highway is an epic sledding bowl. The sledding area is an old rock pit that has been shaped to provide sled runs. Pack your helmet as this is not your in-town hill. Check out our video about sledding at Andies Prairie.
On the weekends the sno-park is usually busy. If you can sneak a visit during the week, you just might have the place to yourself.
Be aware of other folks sledding. Because of the shape of the bowl, people end up sledding toward each other, meeting at the bottom. Make sure to take turns. The slopes toward the top of the bowl are long and steep, and it is really hard to put the brakes on once you get started.
Heading north from Walla Walla, the Jasper Mountain Reserve is a privately owned wildlife sanctuary managed by a nonprofit. Choose between a one-time pass or an annual pass to gain access to, and more importantly support, over 300 acres of pristine Blue Mountain habitat. Make sure to consult the website prior to venturing out as the reserve is not always open or groomed through the winter months as they are at the mercy of the weather.
Continuing north and past the exit for Ski Bluewood to the town of Pomeroy, Washington, the Rose Springs Sno-Park is just up the hill. There is a long slope adjacent to the plowed parking area that provides a gentle, family friendly sled hill. In an attempt to predict the quality of the snow, conditions at Ski Bluewood offer a decent hint. Skiing on compact, old snow is doable but trying to sled or tube is a different experience.
With a variety of snow sports possible spanning two states over half a year, don’t miss out on a winter adventure.
On average, less than ten inches of snow falls in the Walla Walla valley. When it does, there are a few wonderful spots to enjoy the fresh powder. The Whitman Mission National Historic Site and Bennington Lake are on opposite sides of town, but feature fantastic views and enough trails to warrant snowshoes. The Fort Walla Walla Park and Pioneer Park have prime sled hills. Area walking paths are also a simple and leisurely option.
Perhaps one of the most developed opportunities to explore deep into the Blue Mountains is on a snowmobile. The Outside Walla Walla team has experience with human-powered recreation, but it is worth mentioning the opportunity and those who have much more knowledge on the subject.
The Blue Mountain Snowmobile Club is based in Dayton, Washington. Since 1970, the club has supported events, including barbeques at Forest Service stations, and clean-up days. Its counterpart in Oregon is the Tollgate Trail Finders Snowmobile Club. For over 25 years, this club is primarily focused on grooming and signage. They also coordinate social events and educational opportunities.
Joining a tour is always a good idea to gain familiarity with an area, learn about the sport, and build community. Adventure Fit checks all three of those needs and provides the gear to explore. In the winter, Greg, owner of Adventure Fit, leads snowshoeing and cross country skiing tours. Sign up, load up in the van, and have a great time!
Dusty’s Ski and Snowboard Shop is the place to rent and purchase snow gear in Walla Walla. Rent skis, snowboards, and cross country skis for the day or season. Coats, pants, helmets, socks, gloves, wax, and more fill the shop and passenger railroad car—you’ll have to see it to believe it!
Another local option to rent is Whitman College’s Outdoor Recreation Program Rental Shop. While their mission is to facilitate adventure for students and staff, they do rent to the public.
Bluewood rents skis and snowboards on the mountain. Base4545 is their retail shop with a few necessities to resolve any forgotten gear as well as fun swag to promote the mountain. Make sure to consider a lesson or two as the instructors are always nothing short of miracle workers.
There are more than 120 sno-parks in Washington. This program is administered by Washington State Parks under the Winter Recreation Program. Basically, a sno-park is a parking lot cleared of snow near groomed or backcountry trails.
Before you sigh with disappointment, it’s actually a pretty interesting program so stick with us. The only non-motorized sno-park in our area is Fields Spring State Park.
With just under six miles of groomed, ski only trails, additional trails for snowshoers, and a hill suitable for tubing, the park checks off just about all winter recreation boxes.
In Washington, there are two snow play sno-parks in our area, which are Fields Spring State Park and Rose Springs (Pomeroy Ranger District). These areas allow general snow play. Both also have tubing hills.
At Rose Springs, there are 47 miles of groomed trails. These areas share trails with snowmobiles, so make sure to use your ears and share the trail responsibly.
Although a majority of the sno-parks are snowmobile sno-parks, those areas are also available for non-motorized winter recreation. So even though sno-parks are basically cleared parking lots, they allow for much easier access to snow sports and typically offer facilities.
A permit is required, which are available online only.
There is a similar program in Oregon. The money raised from the permits funds snow removal and maintenance efforts. Any remaining funds are carried over to the next year, and are potentially used to develop new sno-parks.
Most of the Oregon sno-parks easily accessible to Walla Walla are located around Tollgate, Oregon. Snowmobiling is the dominant recreation sport in this neck of the woods, but there are plenty of trails to go around.
The aforementioned Horseshoe Prairie Nordic Ski Area and Andies Prairie Sno-Park are across the street from each other near Tollgate.
With winter recreation possible over half the year, it makes sense to add a winter sport to the hobby list.
Some mornings it is hard to commit to a trip up the mountain if conditions are less than ideal. We have a few tips to help make that decision a little easier, although, typically, we vote go.
If heading to the Horseshoe Prairie Nordic Ski Area or Andies Prairie Sno-Park, the Tollgate webcam is a nice glimpse at conditions in the mountains. The webcam is updated frequently and is located just a few miles from Spout Springs Ski Area (which is currently not operating).
If heading north of town, perhaps to Ski Bluewood, simply follow them on your favorite social media platform. They post quite regularly and rightfully promote close to perfect conditions most of the time.
During the week, considering calling your local Forest Service office, and take advantage of both the Washington State Department of Transportation and Oregon Department of Transportation websites.
Always travel with emergency gear, including supplies to keep you warm and fed as well as an emergency kit. Definitely let family and friends know where the day’s adventure is taking you and when to expect your return.
Many times, winter and early spring are overlooked as less than ideal times to visit the valley. Locals might snowbird down south. While we’ve covered the basics, there are plenty more ways to enjoy the valley and mountains when it snows (hint–check out our Snow Sports section). Time to bundle up and enjoy some dry, east-side snow under blue skies.
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