Newberry Ski Adventure March 13-15, 2026

Planning for this event began in late November 2025, when I first posted an announcement in the December Blazer. Several members expressed interest, with six people ultimately deciding to go, and two cabins were rented at the Paulina Lake Resort located on Paulina Lake in the Newberry Volcanic caldera. The weather turned out to be a bit unstable when the date finally arrived, with some clouds in the sky and a bit of rain in the forecast, but  we were reassured by the Resort staff that the 3-mile road and the trails into the cabins would be snow-covered and skiable. However, when we arrived at the 10-Mile SnoPark (5600′), we found that the lower mile of the road had fully melted out down to the pavement, and the trails down to the dirt! Fortunately, the Resort was able to provide us a shuttle to get us into our cabins for the weekend, and the roads and trails in the caldera (6300′) still held adequate snow for skiing. The rain held off, and we received only a light dusting of snow on Saturday morning.

After breakfast, we hiked a mile or so down to see Paulina Falls, and then put on our skis and headed out past Paulina Lake to East Lake on a very scenic and moderately challenging adventure. Rolling terrain and crusty snow held our attention as we skied about 8 miles out and back, getting a good workout before returning to the Resort’s restaurant for a much anticipated (and very delicious) dinner.

Sunday morning broke with blues skies and sunshine, so we hiked for a couple of hours along the shore of beautiful Paulina Lake before packing up for the trip home. An enjoyable adventure overall, well worth repeating in winters to come!

Tom Thrall