Bluewood WA 02/18/2019

We left Sun Valley at about 3 PM and drove 5 hours to Pendleton OR.  We were left with about a 2 hour drive to the ski area the next morning.  We arrived shortly after the chairs started spinning.

Tickets at Bluewood are free for Mission Ridge pass holders so the price was right for a short day.  This ski area is another Mom and Pop spot located deep in the Umatilla National forest.  The mountains over here aren't quite as majestic as the Cascades, but it is still a beautiful spot.  The area has the second highest base elevation in the state at 4,550 ft.
It's a pretty rural location.  The closest city (?) within striking distance is Walla Walla.  Access is via a 20 mile forest road outside of the tiny town of Dayton.  1 main chair services about 1100 vertical feet.  The area is well known for spectacular tree skiing.  There are a lot of big old trees.  They had reported 36 inches over the past 5 days.  It was supposed to be a short stop on the way back to Wenatchee.   We had planned to depart for home around lunch time.
 That was until we discovered the Vitner's Ridge area.  $5 gets you unlimited cat rides up onto the ridge.  We took a few runs in the main area.  The snow was really nice.  Then we started riding the cat.  For all of the trips we shared the cat with the same 2 people.  Needless to say, the service is a bit underutilized.  We traversed from the drop spot to find untracked snow in the trees late into the afternoon.  It was a great way to closeout a fantastic trip.

Old School NFS Signage


As you would expect base amenities are Minimal


Free Ticket and a $5 Cat Pass


Trail Map


Main Chair... definitely not an "express" chair... it was undoubtedly the slowest chair of the entire trip.


Chair 2


Cat Pickup




Sweet Sidecountry






Easy Exit traverse back to the Ski Area


It's looking like it will stay good in the Blue Mountains of Southeast WA... they're supposed to get another 10 to 12 inches tonight.

Nice trip bub. It looks like you had a blast thanks for sharing

Those are some beautiful shots. Another place added to the wish list.  Thanks for the report.

Quite an amazing road trip btw.

Thanks guys.  It's always a pleasure sharing great experiences.

Just over 2000 miles on the road.  Skied 9 out of 10 days.  I can't wait to do it again!!  

Jackpot again.

BTW, I love these old-school ski area road signs out west -- aren't they from the forest service?