Parking at Meadows

(Note: If you haven't read the post & comments about this topic on "Matt's Blog" at Mt. Hood Meadows' website, you should do so before you read my lengthy post here....)

It appears that Mt. Hood Meadows is getting ready to change how they handle parking on peak days. An announcement about their new plan is expected on December 20th. Without knowing specifics of their plan, we do know that it will apply to the peak days between Christmas and New Year's and to weekend days in January & February.

For those unfamiliar with this issue, Mt. Hood Meadows simply doesn't have enough parking for all cars arriving on peak days. Futhermore, late-arriving guests -- many of whom are infrequent visitors relatively new to the skiing/boarding experience -- are forced to park in remote lots or on the access road. And if those guests need the services that only the main base lodges can provide (rentals, day care, lessons, etc.), then a crowded and time-consuming shuttle ride becomes necessary. The experience can be overwhelming and souring to those who are forming their initial impressions about both Mt. Hood Meadows and skiing/boarding in general.

That's the problem... it's easy to identify. But reasonable solutions are difficult to achieve... and many are controversial.

The simplest solution, in concept, is for Meadows to add more parking. That's easier said than done, however. While Meadows does have plans to add some additional parking in the future, an expansion of this type is very involved. Extensive environmental studies are necessary, other alternatives need to deemed less practical, funding needs to be secured, and discussions must occur with the various opposition groups so that the issue doesn't result in a lengthy and costly lawsuit. Expanded parking at Meadows is several years away at the earliest, and even with a modest expansion, demand may still exceed supply on peak days. Other solutions are necessary.

The short-term solution that seems to have the most "buzz" is for Meadows to restrict parking (on peak days) in the upper main lot to vehicles that contain three or more people. It is important to note, however, that Meadows has not officially announced a plan -- this one or otherwise. But if this plan is implemented, it would help in both aspects of the problem. It would (hopefully) reduce the total number of cars arriving at Meadows, and it would cause the upper main lot to fill more slowly... meaning that there would be more room for late-arriving families and carpoolers. The HRM and Annex lots would fill faster with this plan. Understandably, the thought of this plan being implemented is upsetting to many long-time Meadows guests who are of the "first come, first serve" mentality. This plan also might create some logisitical enforcement issues that could result in problematic traffic jams. For instance, there must be some kind of "checkpoint" set up where only carpoolers are allowed past into the main lot. And there must be a place for those who aren't allowed past the checkpoint to turn around. This plan is obviously not an ideal solution either.

Other ideas floating around in cyberspace concerning short-term solutions include providing financial incentives for carpoolers, financial penalties for non-carpoolers, increased bus service, reserved parking in the upper main lot, and valet parking. All the ideas have their plusses and minuses.

Further ahead, in the long-term, the solution-ideas are more grandiose. A popular idea is to centralize much of the parking in Government Camp and offer either a frequent shuttle bus service to Meadows or a gondola connecting Meadows with Government Camp. Obviously, the gondola idea would be HUGELY expensive. But assuming that adequate parking facilities are constructed in Govy, the gondola to/from Meadows would be quite successful, in my opinion.

I do not envy the management team at Mt. Hood Meadows in their task of trying to solve this parking problem. And to be fair, I should add that Skibowl and especially Timberline also face similar issues (a gondola from Govy to Timberline is a reality within five years -- that should really help Timberline's parking issue). But the Meadows' parking solution is complex and must be tackled from several angles, both in the short term and long term.

My personal thoughts on what Meadows should do:

Short-term solutions...

- Implement a $10 fee to park in the upper main lot on peak days... but only collect that fee between 8am and Noon and waive the fee for cars containing three or more people. And once the lot becomes 75% full, make it carpool-only (until Noon). Meadows could put the revenue from the parking fee towards environmental initiatives. This plan represents several compromises -- it caters to early birds who are of the first-come, first-serve viewpoint, it rewards carpoolers and guests arriving very early in the morning or late in the afternoon with the parking fee waiver, and it preserves space in the main lot for late-arriving carpoolers (families).

- Offer valet parking.

- Continue to aggressively promote bussing options.

Long-term (expensive) solutions...

- Make the current HRM lot more attractive by increasing the services offered at the HRM base (with a new/expanded lodge) and by adding night lights to the HRM runs. With this expansion, HRM would become a true "second" base area and could take pressure off the main base area & upper parking lot.

- Make the current Annex lot more attractive by connecting it to the main base area with a lift. I suggest a stand-up "Cabriolet"-style gondola, similar to the lift at The Cayons in Utah. With one station at the Annex lot and the other station in front of the main lodges, this two-way transport lift would make parking in the Annex lot much more hassle-free.

- Once the above is completed, then the upper main lot can truly turn into a restricted carpoolers-only lot without any significant consequence to non-carpoolers who must park in the HRM or Annex lots.

- Move forward with plans to develop parking in Government Camp and a connector to Meadows (either by shuttle or gondola).

Those are my thoughts... contained in my longest blog post to date! Thanks for reading through it... and I welcome your comments.