Skip to main content
Mt. Hood Meadows has shut down summer operations a month early due to the Grasshopper Fire. The ski resort has been under a Level 3 (“go now”) evacuation order since Aug. 4 and has been dealing with smoky conditions since late July. In a statement Aug. 12, the resort called it a “difficult decision:”
“While the Grasshopper Fire has not made much progress towards Meadows in recent days, it is still an active and challenging wildfire—both in terms of its behavior and the terrain it is in. Due to this, there is no clear timeline as to when the restrictions will be lifted and we felt making a decision for the remainder of the summer season was the right thing to do for both our team and our guests.”
The resort is asking people to stay away so fire personnel can do their jobs.
Mt. Hood Meadows’ summer operations were supposed to continue through Sept. 7 and include chairlift rides, hiking, movie screenings, dark sky camping, mushroom foraging and a summer brew fest.
As of noon Aug. 12, the Grasshopper Fire is 83,642 acres in size and 20 percent contained. There are 1,832 personnel working on it. The National Interagency Fire Center update called the blaze “extremely active” along the northeastern and eastern perimeter, where gusty winds grew the fire as firefighters worked around the clock to contain it.
Meadows has opened up its parking lots to support more than 300 fire responders who are setting up “spike camp” operations there.
“We are grateful to be in a position to provide space and support for the crews working hard to protect our mountain and surrounding communities,” Meadows said in the press release.
