Snow Bunny

Snow Bunny is a small snow play area located in Mount Hood National Forest on the south face of Mount Hood in Oregon, United States, about 65mi east of Portland. Inner tubing, tobogganing and other snow sports are on a maintained 20ft to 30ft hill of snow, popular with young children and families. It was established in 1952 as Mount Hood's first snow play area for children.HistoryThe East Leg Timberline Road—the road through Snow Bunny—was the original road to Timberline Lodge since its construction in 1936. In 1949, Timberline Highway opened and obsoleted winter use of East Leg Road and the Timberline Lodge garage at its foot at Route 26. In 1952, George W. Jackson led about 150 volunteers from East Side Commercial Club to convert the garage to a snow lodge intended as a safe place for children away from congested and dangerous ski areas.The lodge opened February 1, 1953, with meals, a children's playroom, and warming rooms on weekends during snow months. The Commercial Club sponsored a nonprofit organization called Snow Bunny Lodge Incorporated that operated the lodge from 1977 until 1992. During the week, it was available for youth groups. The lodge also offered overnight accommodations for up to 66 people, while it could hold 300 during the daytime.In the early 1990s plans were made to renovate the lodge. The building had developed dry rot, plus the fire suppression system was inadequate and the building contained the known carcinogen asbestos. The U.S. Forest Service received a federal grant of $250,000 to remodel the structure, but returned the grant after estimates for repair exceeded $700,000. In October 1992, the Forest Service tore down the lodge due to those safety concerns and burned the remnants. The non-profit group operating the tubing area, which is on public land, stopped operating the area when the lodge was demolished, but Northwest Nordic acquired a lease from the Forest Service in 1992 and began operating Snow Bunny. At that time the area drew 25,000 visitors each year.