Mt Hood Forest 2-Day
August 30 - Sept 1, 2025
Enjoy this end-of-summer romp through Cascade mountain forests and east slope meadows
Two National Ranking Events (NRE sanctioning in progress) with standard OUSA Competitive and Open Classes
These are classic distance events as defined in the Orienteering USA Rules of Competition
For competitive and recreational participants
Saturday August 30: Model events and recreation activities
Sunday August 31: Skyline Sno-Park, hosted by Mt Hood Orienteering
Monday September 1: Billy Bob Sno-Park, hosted by Columbia River Orienteering Club
You will find outstanding natural beauty in a patchwork of alpine meadows, mature Ponderosa forest, and denser pockets of smaller tree species, with very few roads and trails. Advanced courses will require thumbing along the map and using vegetation boundaries and rock features as collecting features. Passing through areas of 406 Vegetation, slow and 407 Vegetation, slow, good visibility will be unavoidable on the advanced courses.
The Billy Bob map was created in 2024 by Yves Nager in a project managed by Tony Pinkham. It conforms to the ISOM 2017-2 International Specification for Orienteering Maps Revision 6.
The climate on the east slope of Mt Hood is usually very pleasant at the end of the summer. There is a risk of smoke from wildfires, even from very distant fires. There is a risk of excessive heat. The probability of rain is very low.
Registration Information
The standard Orienteering USA competitive classes will be offered across 7 courses according to the Orienteering USA Rules of Competition.
National Ranking Event Races:
| Adult | Junior age 20 and under | |
|---|---|---|
| Regular registration ends August 10, 2025 at midnight PDT |
$50 / $46 OUSA member | $34 / $32 OUSA member |
| Late registration ends August 28, 2025 at midnight PDT |
$60 / $56 OUSA member | $40 / $38 OUSA member |
Monday Event Details
On Monday you will park at Billy Bob Sno-Park where you will find the welcome center and check-in table.
Walk about 1 km to the Start
The Finish will be near the parking
Please note that the area east of Billy Bob Sno-Park and south of FS-44 is under embargo for this event. Please remain west of Billy Bob Sno-Park if you visit the area before September 1.
GPS Coordinates: 45.4038, -121.4517. See the event bulletin for driving directions and parking information
Schedule
Registration open: 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Assigned starts: 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Courses close: 2:30 PM
Event Staff
Director: Mike (electro) Bruns (contact form below)
Registrar: Debby Wenzel
Course setters: Jill McBee, John Crowther
Course vetter: Neal Barlow
OUSA course consultant: Nik Weber
Photos from the 2024 Mt Hood Daze NRE at Billy Bob Sno-Park
Accommodations and camping information
You can use the contact form below to ask questions about accommodations if they are not covered here.
Camping
Approaching from the west, there are a number of Forest Service campgrounds along Hwy 26. Unfortunately these appear to be 100% reserved already for our dates except for one which has a number of sites available as of June 8
Still Creek campground . Potable water, pit toilet, no shower, close to Trillium Lake.
Approaching from the north there are a number of Forest Service campgrounds along Hwy 35. The following have 1/3 first-come-first-served sites and 2/3 reservable. These two have reservations available as of June 8
Nottingham campground. No potable water but it is on Upper Hood River.
Sherwood campground. No potable water but it is on Upper Hood River.
Other non-reservable National Forest Campgrounds can be seen on Google Maps, search for "camping". These are generally good, but with no potable water. Note that Pebble Ford Campground is within the embargo area and should not be used by Day 2 competitors.
Most of the National Forest land is open for dispersed camping. Turn onto any road or gravel track, find a pullout, and camp. No facilities, bring your own water. If using Forest Service land for dispersed camping, please be aware of the embargo area for the Billy Bob NRE. If you are camping south of Dufur Valley Road, please avoid the 2 miles west of Billy Bob Sno-Park. Any dispersed camping North of Dufur Valley Road is fine. For example, there is a nice pullout on Dufur Valley Road just 100 m west of Billy Bob Sno-Park that would be fine for camping.
Further to the north and highly recommended are two county parks with excellent camping, water and showers. They are both 100% first-come-first-served. These are big parks and landing a site at one of these may be possible even on Labor Day weekend if you arrive early enough. Check their websites for current fullness, updated every few hours.
Toll Bridge Park, Parkdale, https://www.hoodrivercounty.gov/tollbridgepark2 located 12 miles north of the turnoff for Billy Bob Sno-Park.
This park features 4 group campsites that might appeal to groups of families. Only one person is needed to arrive early and occupy the site.
Please note the park rules: “Fees allow for a maximum site occupancy of four (4) persons per site, excluding children. Each site is permitted either one (1) tent, one (1) RV, one (1) Sprinter Van, or one (1) vehicle with trailer; plus one (1) additional tent and non-sleeping vehicle”. You can check with camp host if you have any special requests and they can sometimes accommodate.
Using the July 4 weekend as a reference, we think there is a good probability that those arriving Friday mid-day would find a site. Chances are still good after that with increasing probability of the campground becoming full between noon and 8 pm on Saturday. Check the current fullness on the website even if you are arriving after this time because it is possible that there will still be sites available.Tucker Park, Hood River, https://www.hoodrivercounty.gov/tuckerpark2 located 23 miles north of the turnoff for Billy Bob Sno-Park. This park tends to fill up more quickly than Toll Bridge Park due to its being closer to Hood River. Same rules as Toll Bridge Park.
Jill and Rick McBee are offering camping on their property which is essentially next door to Tucker Park, south of Hood River. RVs and Tents. Contact Jill and Rick for details. You can also use the contact form below and we will forward your inquiry.
Hotels
The Best Western in Government Camp offers a good hotel experience with breakfast included.
The historic Balch Hotel in Dufur is a destination unto itself. It is a 25 min drive to Billy Bob Sno-Park and 60 min to Skyline Sno-Park.
AirBnB/VRBO
Many options. Try looking in Government Camp and for better value (and more driving) check out the towns to the west: Rhododendron, Zigzag, Welches.
Restaurants and Dining
Saturday model courses
A link to download the map for the Day 2 - Billy Bob Model Course will be posted here andy by email to registered participants in late August. The model course will be open during daylight hours on Friday, August 29 through Sunday, August 31.
Park at Billy Bob Sno-Park. There is a toilet but no potable water at this location.
The model course map will be provided in 1:7500 scale (White, Yellow, Brown) and 1:10000 scale (Orange, Green, Red, Blue).
Please plan your visit with a friend to ensure safety. The model course will include rugged terrain with no cell phone service, so you will rely on your buddy in case of injury or other emergency.
Saturday no-host social, 3:30-5:30 pm
Please join us at Mt Hood Meadows, 8 miles NE from the junction of US Hwy 26 and Oregon Hwy 35, in late afternoon on Saturday, August 30.
On the deck of the main lodge there will be music, food, beer and wine, and games all in close view of Mt Hood rising enormously to the west.
Kerry Williams, a longtime Gorge musician and guitar/mandolin virtuoso will be performing from 2:30-5:30.
Games include cornhole, ladder toss, and jenga.
For food we have the ski lodge restaurant. Order at the counter and bring your tray onto the deck to eat. Choose from the usual burger and pub fare options, including daily specials. These are the best fish tacos within 10 miles. You can see photos of the menu in our Mt Hood Visitor’s Activity Guide.
Note: restaurant closes at 5:30 pm
Activities Guide
The Mt Hood and Columbia Gorge area is a treasure of natural beauty and history, and late summer can offer clear skies and pleasant weather.
As your local guide, we will put together a list of our favorite amazing places to consider visiting while you’re here this weekend. There is more than can fit on this web page, so we are collecting them in our Mt Hood Visitor’s Activity Guide. (This link will go live when we have actually written something.)
Consider arriving on Friday or earlier and spending the extra time before your race to enjoy this beautiful area.
Souvenir hat
Enjoy a high quality, lightweight run hat. Based on our award-winning design from Deschutes Daze 2021, updated for Mt Hood Forest 2-Day. Extensive field testing has shown that these hats will stand up to years of frequent use and are machine washable. $18
To order, include the hat in your registration. Already registered? Contact the registrar to add the hat to your registration.
Contact
This form will send a message directly to the meet director for Mt Hood Forest 2-Day - Day 2 Billy Bob