Snowshoeing on Mt. Hood with Waterfall Shuttle Tour Operators
Snowshoeing on Mt. Hood is one of the best ways to enjoy the winter season in Portland. And itās been on my Winter Bucket List for several years now, but I really didnāt know where to even begin.
Location and route, equipment and permitsā¦.no clue. In fact, I may have had this misguided notion that I would be hiking with the equivalent of tennis rackets on my feet! (Spoiler Alert: We did not wear tennis rackets on our feet.)
So instead of trying to stumble my way through snowshoeing, I booked a tour with Waterfall Shuttle Tour Operators. And I was so glad I did. They made the experience fun and effortless, handling all the details, down to lunch and transportation.
So if snowshoeing on Mt. Hood is on your Winter Bucket List too, keep scrolling for my full review of Waterfall Shuttleās Snowshoe Tour. Plus, Iāll share a discount code you can use to save on your own booking!
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. However, all opinions are my own. Also, this post contains affiliate links. I may earn a small fee from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Waterfall Shuttle Snowshoe Tour Review
The Drive There
Our morning started out with a pick up point in Portland and an assortment of Portlandās iconic Voodoo donuts for breakfast, compliments of our guide Branden. At first, the hour and 45 minute drive up the mountain seemed it would be long. However, Branden, asked if we preferred music or historic and geologic facts about the Columbia Gorge for the drive.
We chose the facts. And the drive simply flew by! Branden was extremely knowledgeable, with an infectious passion for the area. And it helped me see the surrounding landscape through a new lens, even having lived here for years myself.
Half way there, we stopped at Treebird Market, an absolute hidden gem. It doesnāt look like anything special on the outside, but you step inside to a wall of bright, fresh organic produce, unique and healthy snacks, and an array of local beverages and microbrews. A quintessentially Portland market.
We each chose our own lunch, soup and a baguette, or a pasta bowl, with vegan options available. Lunch was covered by our guide, anything else we wanted we covered ourselves. I grabbed a few drinks for the day and even one to take home for later.
āļøClick here to book your snow shoe tour with Waterfall Shuttle. Use my code CLEVERWW10 to save 10%! āļø
Snowshoeing on Mt. Hood
At the trailhead, Branden showed us the equipment, how to put it on, and gave us a few safety tips. The snowshoes took some getting used to, and although they kept me from sinking with each step, it was a bit more tiring than I expected.
We hiked about 3 to 4 miles up a gentle grade, admiring the various fauna and landscape along the way. Moving at our own pace, we threw snowballs at each other, made snow angels, and stopped for photos of the scenery and each other.
Branden told us which pine cones belonged to which trees, as we held the small seeds up against the back drop of their potential. He told us about the lichen and moss, and the rugged rock formations along the way.
The snow on Mt. Hood glistened, reflecting the sunlight from above. While the wind was biting, we were mostly protected by the trees, and we hiked up the mountain till we had had our fill. It was everything I had hoped for in a snow day.
We began heading back to Portland a little after mid day, with a stop along the river for our picnic lunch. Our soup stayed good and hot in its insulated bag, and it warmed us all the way through after playing in the snow and cold.
āļøClick here to book your snow shoe tour with Waterfall Shuttle. Use my code CLEVERWW10 to save 10%! āļø
Waterfall Shuttle Tour Operators
There are at least a couple of companies that offer guided tours for snowshoeing on Mt. Hood. However, one of the things that sets Waterfall Shuttleās Snowshoe Tour apart from the others is they were the only one I saw online that included transportation from Portland.
Not having to deal with ice and chains was a big selling point for me. And I can see the provided transportation being equally beneficial for both local Portlanders and visitors from out of state alike.
There are other factors that make Waterfall Shuttle Snowshoe tours stand out too, though. For one, they offer some of the smallest, most intimate tour group sizes, which allows them the flexibility to meet each tour groupās unique needs and interests.
They also include lunch in the tour price. (Although I saw other tours offering this service, lunch was tacked on as an additional cost.) Plus, our tour guide Branden surprised us with donuts for breakfast, a bonus not included in the tour description!
All things considered, Waterfall Shuttle goes the furthest to make snowshoeing on Mt. Hood fun, easy and convenient, making them my top choice.
āļøClick here to book your snow shoe tour with Waterfall Shuttle. Use my code CLEVERWW10 to save 10%! āļø
Convenient pick up locations
The pick up locations included hotels in Portland and Waterfall Shuttleās location in Gresham, making it convenient for both tourists and visitors from out of town as well as Portland locals. As a visitor, thereās no need to take a taxi or an Uber just to reach the tourās pick up point.
As a local, it gave me peace of mind knowing they had safe and secure parking available at their Gresham location. And, this was a big one for me, I loved that I didnāt have to drive up the mountain in snowy or icy conditions to reach our tourās starting point.
How large are the tour groups?
The tour group size is small, 2 to 10 people max. And this was amazing, as it allowed our tour guide to tailor our day to fit our preferences and needs.
What if thereās no snow?
This year (2026) has been a particularly light year for snow on Mt. Hood, and the season started significantly later than other years. This was definitely a problem I ran in to, trying to snowshoe.
Unfortunately, when you plan outdoor adventures, Mother Nature doesnāt always get the memo and is likely to do whatever she pleases, regardless of your plans. It is what it is, and you learn to be flexible with those plans.
In my case, Waterfall Shuttle actually had to cancel my first booked tour due to a lack of snow! However, the tour company was very responsive, with great customer service (I handled my bookings and re-bookings by email), and was able to rebook me pretty quickly.
And when I did go on the tour, our guide was prepared for every situation on the mountain. Where snow shoes are best in deep snow or a good powder, yak tracks are better in icier conditions. Luckily, he planned ahead and had it all!
Other Waterfall Shuttle Tours
Waterfall Shuttle Tour Operators offer several other tour options, including day trips to the Oregon Coast, hiking at Silver Falls State Park, and of course, multiple options to see Multnomah Falls and Waterfall Alley.
Both Silver Falls State Park and Multnomah Falls are two of the best day trips from Portland, and I highly recommend fitting at least one in to your Portland itinerary! Multnomah Falls is the tallest waterfall in Oregon, and Silver Falls State Park boats a total of ten breathtaking waterfalls, some of which you can walk behind. Whichever one you choose, you canāt go wrong!
Iām excited to try out some of their other tours, and I canāt wait to see what new tours they may have in the future. Thereās so much to see and do up the Columbia Gorge and within an hour or two of Portland, Iām sure whatever Waterfall Shuttle dreams up next will be just as exciting as snowshoeing on Mt. Hood.
āļøClick here to book your snow shoe tour with Waterfall Shuttle. Use my code CLEVERWW10 to save 10%! āļø
Final thoughts on snowshoeing on Mt. Hood with Waterfall Shuttle Tour Operators
The evergreens, the glistening white snow, and the mountainside lodgesā¦itās just a whole vibe. Winter can be a magical time of year, if you know how to savor it.
Snowshoeing on Mt. Hood is certainly one of the best ways Iāve found to enjoy and experience winter in Portland. And as fun and convenient as Waterfall Shuttle made our experience, booking our snowshoe adventure with them was the best choice we made.
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