Mount Hood Express

Last updated
Mount Hood Express
MHX logo.jpg
ParentClackamas County Social Services
Commenced operation
  • 2004 (Sandy–Rhododendron)
  • 2013 (Sandy–Timberline)
Locale Mount Hood Corridor, Clackamas County, Oregon
Annual ridership72,130 (2019) [1]
Operator MV Transportation [2]
Website www.mthoodexpress.com
Mount Hood Express
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Timberline Lodge
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Government Camp/Summit Chevron
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Government Camp Loop/Collins Lake
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Mount Hood Skibowl West
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Rhododendron
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Dorman Center / Salmon Road BSicon PARKING.svg
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Welches Road BSicon PARKING.svg
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Hoodland Senior Center BSicon PARKING.svg
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Kirkwood Road / Alder Creek Road
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Shorty's Corner / SE Firwood Road
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BSicon mvBHF.svg
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BSicon KBHFa.svg
Sandy Transit Center BSicon BUS2.svg
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BSicon CONTf.svg
Forestry Center / SE 362nd BSicon PARKING.svg

Legend
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Mount Hood Express (All Days)
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Villages Shuttle (Monday-Friday)

The Mount Hood Express (formerly Mountain Express Bus) is a transit system serving Mount Hood Corridor communities in Clackamas County, Oregon, U.S.

Contents

The Mount Hood Express travels along Highway 26 from Sandy east to Timberline Lodge, serving multiple ski resorts and the communities of Government Camp, Rhododendron, Zigzag, Welches, Wemme, and Brightwood.

Service

The Mount Hood Express operates seven days a week, providing five round trips daily between Sandy and Timberline, with an additional two-round trips during the winter recreation season, December 1 through March 31. [3]

The Mount Hood Express is supplemented by the Villages Shuttle, which provides an additional three local service round-trips from Sandy to Rhododendron, Monday-Friday only.

At the Sandy Transit Center the Mount Hood Express interchanges with the Sandy Area Metro bus system, which can be used to connect with the Portland region transit system TriMet.

Multiple park and ride locations are available at the base of the mountain, in hopes of alleviating parking shortages at the ski resorts and reducing traffic safety concerns on the steep, twisting mountain roads.

Funding

From 2004 to 2013, the Mountain Express provided transportation service along Highway 26 between Sandy and Rhododendron, funded through Oregon's business energy tax credits, a program which ended in 2013. [4]

In 2013, the newly-renamed Mount Hood Express formed a public-private partnership with Timberline Lodge, Mount Hood Skibowl, and The Resort at The Mountain, which provided matching funds for federal lands access program grants, enabling the system to expand bus service up the mountain to Government Camp and Timberline Lodge. [4] [5] Also in 2013, the system received funding from the Paul Sarbanes Transit In Parks grant program to purchase new vehicles featuring specialized equipment for transporting skis and snow boards, mountain bikes and other types of recreational equipment. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Hood Village, Oregon</span> Unincorporated community in the state of Oregon, United States

Mount Hood Village is the name of a census-designated place (CDP) within the Mount Hood Corridor in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 census, the CDP had a population of 4,864. The Villages at Mount Hood is the name of the combined government of several of the communities encompassed by the CDP and is a separate entity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandy, Oregon</span> City in Oregon, United States

Sandy is a city located in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States, settled c. 1853 and named after the nearby Sandy River. Located in the foothills of the Cascade Mountain Range, the city serves as the western gateway to the Mount Hood Corridor, and is located approximately 27 miles (43 km) east of Portland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timberline Lodge</span> United States historic place

Timberline Lodge is a mountain lodge on the south side of Mount Hood in Clackamas County, Oregon, about 60 miles (97 km) east of Portland. Constructed from 1936 to 1938 by the Works Progress Administration, it was built and furnished by local artisans during the Great Depression. Timberline Lodge was dedicated September 28, 1937, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Hood</span> Stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc in Oregon, United States

Mount Hood is a potentially active stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc. It was formed by a subduction zone on the Pacific coast and rests in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located about 50 miles (80 km) east-southeast of Portland, on the border between Clackamas and Hood River counties. In addition to being Oregon's highest mountain, it is one of the loftiest mountains in the nation based on its prominence, and it offers the only year-round lift-served skiing in North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandy Area Metro</span>

Sandy Area Metro is a public transit system operated by the city government of Sandy, Oregon. SAM was created after the city successfully petitioned to be removed from the TriMet district in the late 1990s. The name was chosen in July 1999, and service began operating on January 4, 2000. The local transit provider gave its one-millionth ride on November 21, 2006 and began its twentieth year in January 2019. SAM maintains three routes, a dial-a-ride service called Sandy Transit Area Rides (STAR), and an Elderly and Disabled (ED) medical rides program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Hood Corridor</span>

The Mount Hood Corridor is a part of Oregon between Sandy and Government Camp, in Clackamas County. It is named after Mount Hood and has served travelers going in both directions since the days of Native Americans and Oregon Trail migrants. The area between Alder Creek and Government Camp is sometimes known as Hoodland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhododendron, Oregon</span> Unincorporated community in the state of Oregon, United States

Rhododendron is an unincorporated community in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. It is located within the Mount Hood Corridor, between Government Camp and Zigzag on U.S. Route 26. It is one of the communities that make up the Villages at Mount Hood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zigzag, Oregon</span> Unincorporated community in the state of Oregon, United States

Zigzag is an unincorporated community in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. It is located within the Mount Hood Corridor, between Rhododendron and Welches on U.S. Route 26. The community is part of a local type of government called a village as one of the communities making up the Villages at Mount Hood, which stretches from the border of Sandy to Government Camp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Hood National Forest</span> National forest in Oregon, United States

The Mount Hood National Forest is a U.S. National Forest in the U.S. state of Oregon, located 62 miles (100 km) east of the city of Portland and the northern Willamette River valley. The Forest extends south from the Columbia River Gorge across more than 60 miles (97 km) of forested mountains, lakes and streams to the Olallie Scenic Area, a high lake basin under the slopes of Mount Jefferson. The Forest includes and is named after Mount Hood, a stratovolcano and the highest mountain in the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Government Camp, Oregon</span> Census-designated place in Oregon, United States

Government Camp is an unincorporated community and census-designated place located in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States, on the base of Mount Hood and north of Tom Dick and Harry Mountain. It is the only town within 5 miles (8 km) of Mount Hood and therefore is the de facto "mountain town" or "ski town". It is the gateway to several ski resorts, with the most popular being Timberline Lodge and Mount Hood Skibowl. Government Camp also has its own, smaller ski resort, Summit Pass.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Hood Wilderness</span> Protected area

The Mount Hood Wilderness is a protected wilderness area inside the Mount Hood National Forest, in the U.S. state of Oregon. The area, covering 64,742 acres (26,200 ha), includes the peak of Mount Hood and its upper slopes, and ranges from temperate rain forests at the lower elevations, to glaciers and rocky ridges at higher elevations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banff Sunshine</span> Ski resort in Alberta, Canada

Banff Sunshine Village is a ski resort in western Canada, located on the Continental Divide of the Canadian Rockies within Banff National Park in Alberta and Mt Assiniboine Provincial Park in British Columbia. It is one of three major ski resorts located in the Banff National Park. Because of its location straddling the Continental Divide, Sunshine receives more snow than the neighbouring ski resorts. The Sunshine base area is located 15 km (9 mi) southwest of the town of Banff. By car, it is about a ninety-minute drive from the city of Calgary; the Sunshine exit on the Trans Canada Highway is 8 km (5 mi) west of the town of Banff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Hood Skibowl</span> Ski area in Oregon, United States

Mount Hood Skibowl is a recreation area on Mount Hood located near Government Camp, Oregon. It is the largest night ski area in the United States, and the total skiable area encompasses an area of 960 acres (388 ha). The resort is the closest ski venue to Portland, with an elevation of 3,600 feet (1,097 m) at the lodge, rising to just over 5,000 feet (1,524 m) at the summit. The average snowfall at the area is 300 inches (762 cm), with an average consolidated base around 100 inches (254 cm) and 65 marked trails. The area is also popular for summer recreation with mountain biking. An adventure park in the area includes alpine slides, zip-line, and bungee jumping. As well as other outdoor activities. Just across the highway is Government Camp, the focal point of Mount Hood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magic Mile</span>

The Magic Mile is an aerial chairlift at Timberline Lodge ski area, Mount Hood, Oregon, U.S. It was named for its unique location above the tree line and for its original length. When constructed by Byron Riblet in 1938, it was the longest chairlift in existence, the second in the world to be built as a passenger chairlift, and the first to use metal towers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timberline Lodge ski area</span> Ski area in Oregon, United States

Timberline Lodge ski area is the ski and snowboarding area of Timberline Lodge, a National Historic Landmark in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is one of a few ski areas in the United States with most of the skiable terrain below the main lodge. It is located on the south face of Mount Hood, about 60 miles (95 km) east of Portland, accessible via the Mount Hood Scenic Byway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snow Bunny</span>

Snow Bunny is a small snow play area in Mount Hood National Forest on the south face of Mount Hood in Oregon, United States, about 65 miles (105 km) east of Portland. Inner tubing, tobogganing and other snow sports are on a maintained 20-foot (6.1 m) to 30-foot (9.1 m) hill of snow, popular with young children and families. It was established in 1952 as Mount Hood's first snow play area for children.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timberline Trail</span> Hiking trail in Oregon, USA

Timberline Trail is a hiking trail around Mount Hood in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is mostly in wilderness but also goes near Timberline Lodge, Cloud Cap Inn, and Mount Hood Meadows ski area.

The West Fork Salmon River is a tributary of the Salmon River in Clackamas County in the U.S. state of Oregon. Beginning near Timberline Lodge at the base of Mount Hood in the Cascade Range, it flows generally south to meet the main stem Salmon near Red Top Meadow, slightly south of the intersection of U.S. Route 26 and Oregon Route 35. The entire course of the river, which has no named tributaries, lies within the Mount Hood National Forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Summit Pass (Oregon)</span> Ski area in Oregon, United States

Summit Pass is a small ski area located on Mount Hood, alongside the Mount Hood Highway in Government Camp, Oregon. Built in 1927, it is the oldest ski area in the Pacific Northwest. In addition to downhill skiing and snowboarding, Summit also offers snow tubing and Nordic trails. The resort has a double chairlift, called "Homestead Lift," and a rope tow.

References

  1. Allen, Brittany (December 31, 2019). "Mt. Hood Express expands services". The Sandy Post . Archived from the original on August 8, 2020. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
  2. Allen, Brittany (March 7, 2022). "Mount Hood, Sandy area transit services impacted by driver shortage". The Sandy Post . Retrieved 2022-08-30.
  3. "Mountain Express expanding services to Government Camp" (PDF). www.clackamas.us. August 20, 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
  4. 1 2 "Frequently Asked Questions - How is this service funded?". www.mthoodexpress.com. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  5. 1 2 Aaron Abrams (29 July 2013). "New grant funding expands transportation on Mount Hood" (Press release). Clackamas County. Archived from the original on 8 July 2017. Retrieved 13 August 2014.