The Thrill of Timberline's Magic Mile: Skiing in the Alpine Wonderland

Timberline Magic Mile is a popular skiing attraction located at Timberline Lodge in Oregon, United States. It is a chairlift that takes visitors to an elevation of 7,000 feet, offering breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains and forests. The main highlight of Timberline Magic Mile is its versatility, as it provides access to a wide range of runs suited for skiers of all skill levels. From gentle slopes for beginners to challenging terrain for advanced skiers, there is something for everyone to enjoy. Additionally, Timberline Magic Mile is open year-round, allowing visitors to experience the beauty of the area in all seasons. Whether it's gliding down the slopes in the winter or enjoying a scenic hike in the summer, Timberline Magic Mile offers an unforgettable outdoor adventure.

The Timberline to Town Trail is also accessible from Timberline Lodge and take riders from Timberline down to Government Camp. The Timberline to Town Trail is a US Forest Service Trail and not affiliated with Timberline Lodge itself. Timberline Road is not appropriate for cyclists.

The Pacific Crest Trail Association supports single-day hikes on the PCT and longer, self-supported trips that don t require resupply if they are in your local area. While this entire vertical is not yet lift-serviced, it is accessible via other transportation methods and available when there is enough snow at all elevations.

Whether it's gliding down the slopes in the winter or enjoying a scenic hike in the summer, Timberline Magic Mile offers an unforgettable outdoor adventure..

Magic Mile – Timberline Lodge, OR

Lower lift line. Riding up at tower 6. Looking down from tower 13. Approaching the top. Mile-long lift line. The top terminal is in a building like most high-altitude lifts on Mt. Hood. Bottom terminal. Bottom with chair parking building.

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19 thoughts on “ Magic Mile – Timberline Lodge, OR ”

Site of the first-ever Riblet ski lift. The original was a single-person lift. There’s a small section in the book Tramway Titan about it. Byron Riblet did not take the Great Depression well, spiraling off into alcoholism and his company nearly went out of business. Almost the entirety of the funding, design, and construction of the lift was handled by his chief engineer. The resulting lift apparently had problems with rime ice, it derailed a few times, and its motor was WW1-era. Like Like

Funny you mention first ever “ski lift”. In the BC town of Kimberly and Britannia (50km away from whistler) people used to get on “Riblet mining Ariel conveyor belts” with their ski’s to some small slopes hand cut by miners. Like Liked by 1 person

If you are a 90s kid like me, the original single chair was depicted on the back of the “Pee-Chee” folders we used for school work. Like Like

I’m pretty sure the hourly capacity is closer to 2,400pph, I think the chair spacing was about six seconds. This is probably the only detachable at Timberline that is high capacity. The others have pretty wide chair spacing, especially since three of the detachables reuse towers of their fixed grip predecessors. Like Like

You’re right, I went skiing at Timberline for the first time in a couple years last February, and it indeed had wide chair spacing like the rest of the detachables at Timberline! Like Like

This lift has been running rather slow this season, it’s only doing 790 in my recording here, and on Sunday, 6/20/21 it was doing a pitiful 715fpm with an insane line to get up to Palmer, I’m guessing that here soon it’s going to need overhaul or replacement. Considering it runs 9-10 months a year and takes one heck of walloping from the weather on Mt Hood, it’s had a pretty good run over nearly 30 years. Like Like

I’m going Sunday so I’ll tell you my experience with Magic Mile because it’s the only way to access Palmer. Like Like

I clocked it running at 850 (The fastest I have ever seen it run) during the 7am rush on the 20th but it had slowed down quite a bit by 10. They also run it even slower in the summer due to foot traffic from the Magic Mile Sky Ride. I know Timberline was planning on replacing the haul rope last summer but that project was postponed because of the damage to Palmer. This lift is going to be a nightmare to replace given that it is a critical lift all year, much like the Whistler Village Gondola. Like Like

Fastest I’ve ridden it at is 990 in March of 2016 on a powder day, it’ll be interesting to see what they do to it, since like you said, it’s an incredibly crucial lift. It’s gotten progressively slower since I rode it in 2016 (I go most every June) and has gotten to the point where it’s got me wondering if it’s due for an overhaul like I said, it it almost 30 years old after all, which is an age where most HSQ’s are either getting replaced or massively overhauled. They could use cats to access Palmer but that’d be a nightmare, it’ll take a fair amount of planning to do it right. Like Like

I remember when the old Riblet Magic Mile double chair was replaced in 1992. Today’s detachable and the old double actually are in slightly different alignments. The top terminals are very close to each other, with the old double’s unloading area being slightly farther east – closer to Palmer, while the bottom terminals are a bit farther apart. I believe the old Riblet’s bottom-terminal motor room is still there. The differing alignments allowed the existing detachable to be built while summer operations, utilizing the old double, continued uninterrupted during the summer of 1992. Because the top terminals were so close together, some of the the work up top had to wait until after summer operations concluded on Labor Day, when the old double’s unloading station could be dismantled. The new detachable opened on time that winter, but the old Riblet double’s towers remained standing and weren’t removed until the following summer. To replace the existing Magic Mile lift, they would probably do like they did with the Palmer upgrade in 1996: Close the summer season early – in August, after most of the race & freestyle camps are finished – then work quickly to construct the new lift in four months so that it could open by Christmas. I imagine the existing towers and top/bottom terminal buildings could remain, making the project smaller (and cheaper) in scope. Note that Timberline does not include a replacement Magic Mile lift in its most recent Master Plan. So, while its fun for us to speculate about its replacement, it seems that Timberline intends to operate the existing lift for a while longer. Like Like

If they can time it right, they can probably do a lot to it at once with a rope replacement, things like gearbox rebuild, bullwheel bearings, etc etc, or phase it out in smaller chunks over the spring while other lifts are still turning and the fall after season closes. Granted a rope replacement is already a massive undertaking, just on the two rope replacements I’ve been on,one was rope only & the other we doubled up the project so to speak & pulled the motor to have it rebuilt & dropped the drive bullwheel & did bearings. Like Like

I remember when the old Riblet Magic Mile double chair was replaced in 1992. Today’s detachable and the old double actually are in slightly different alignments. The top terminals are very close to each other, with the old double’s unloading area being slightly farther east – closer to Palmer, while the bottom terminals are a bit farther apart. I believe the old Riblet’s bottom-terminal motor room is still there. The differing alignments allowed the existing detachable to be built while summer operations, utilizing the old double, continued uninterrupted during the summer of 1992. Because the top terminals were so close together, some of the the work up top had to wait until after summer operations concluded on Labor Day, when the old double’s unloading station could be dismantled. The new detachable opened on time that winter, but the old Riblet double’s towers remained standing and weren’t removed until the following summer. To replace the existing Magic Mile lift, they would probably do like they did with the Palmer upgrade in 1996: Close the summer season early – in August, after most of the race & freestyle camps are finished – then work quickly to construct the new lift in four months so that it could open by Christmas. I imagine the existing towers and top/bottom terminal buildings could remain, making the project smaller (and cheaper) in scope. Note that Timberline does not include a replacement Magic Mile lift in its most recent Master Plan. So, while its fun for us to speculate about its replacement, it seems that Timberline intends to operate the existing lift for a while longer. Like Like

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Reviews for "Timberline's Magic Mile: A Playground for Outdoor Enthusiasts"

1. Sarah - 2/5 - I really had high expectations for Timberline magic mile, but I was left disappointed. The ride was incredibly slow and not at all enjoyable. The scenery was average at best and didn't offer anything special. Additionally, the staff was unfriendly and seemed uninterested in providing a good experience. Overall, I wouldn't recommend wasting your time or money on this attraction.

2. Mark - 1/5 - Timberline magic mile was a complete letdown. The ride itself was short and lacked any excitement. The views were pretty mediocre, and there was nothing memorable about the experience. I was also disappointed with the price - it simply wasn't worth the cost. I advise looking for other attractions in the area as this one is definitely not worth your time or money.

3. Jennifer - 2/5 - I was really looking forward to Timberline magic mile, but it fell short of my expectations. The ride was slow-paced and didn't offer much thrill. The scenery was alright, but nothing breathtaking. The staff was also unhelpful and didn't provide much information about the attraction. Overall, I would suggest exploring other options if you're looking for a more exciting and memorable experience.

Discovering the Hidden Gems of Timberline's Magic Mile