Winter Fun in Portland
Portland is a great holiday/winter destination. The weather is usually relatively mild. There's occasional rain, but the average temperature high in December is 46, which can feel downright balmy when you're escaping cooler parts of the country!
Lolo Pass’ favorite Portland holiday traditions:
Portland's Hipster Santa in Pioneer Place Mall is distinctively Portland.
Portland's Zoo hosts Zoo Lights - the zoo decorates with over a million lights and keeps special evening hours for walking/driving viewings.
A residential neighborhood called Peacock Lane goes all out with holiday lights. They usually serve hot chocolate to folks strolling by. I think it's in their neighborhood bylaws that you have to participate!
The Christmas Ship Parade down the Willamette and Columbia Rivers is a spectacle to behold. Usually 50-60 boats decorated in lights host nightly parades to the delight of Portlanders and visitors.
Another wacky tradition is the Annual Tuba Christmas Concert (30 years running!) where 150 tuba players join together to play caroles in Portland's Pioneer Square.
Portland's Crafty Wonderland is our answer to the holiday market. Over 225 makers gather at the Portland Convention center in December for the ultimate arts and crafts gathering. It's a perfect opportunity for one of a kind holiday gift shopping!
Skiing and Outdoor Activities in Portland:
For skiing - check out Mt. Hood Ski Bowl, Mt Hood Meadows or Timberline Lodge. All make for an easy day trip from Lolo Pass - 60 miles or about 1hr and 20mins in the car.
Mt Hood Skibowl also has snow tubing, including a nighttime cosmic tubing option!
All the hiking trails in Portland at elevation turn into great snowshoeing opportunities. You can snowshoe to a glorious frozen waterfall at Tamanawas Falls.
There are dozens of official state "sno-parks" in Oregon where you can engage in all kinds of winter activities. Travel Oregon has a great write up about them here. Maps of them all can be found here.
