THE MOUNTAIN, DOCUMENTED
Old Ski Bowl
A vanished ski area. An extraordinary alpine amphitheater.
At the end of Everitt Memorial Highway, old ski-area service roads climb through a glacially carved basin beneath Green Butte and Sargents Ridge. The upper parking lot, lower parking lot, basin and former resort are related places with different access rules.
Explore Old Ski Bowl in 3D ↗Editorial review: November 1, 2026 at 04:58 UTC. Source dates vary.
By the VisitShasta.org editorial team · Send a correction
This guide preserves a dated review. Confirm current road access, land-manager orders, weather and snow conditions with the original sources. A mapped route does not establish legal access or safety. Open the atlas conditions desk for separately dated live products.
Explore this place
- Trace the old service roads toward ski-area remains.
- Find Green Butte, Shastarama Point and the South Gate divide in 3D.
- Explore original 1958 reporting alongside the later avalanche history.
Read the land
Open volcanic scree and talus, exposed subalpine slopes and a Pleistocene cirque. The maintained-road approach ends here; higher summit lines become mountaineering terrain.
Dated notices and source conflicts
Access reports need a fresh check
The MSAC Ski Bowl page displayed “Closed” when reviewed. The Chamber’s road-open text was explicitly dated June 18, 2026. Neither is a real-time gate sensor; confirm access with the responsible agency before driving.
Signed restrictions indexed
The Forest Service currently publishes Orders 14-26-09 and 14-26-10 with 2026–2028 terms. This is a dated reading of the posted orders, not a continuously monitored legal-status service.
Planning, access and history
Facilities
The Forest Service lists picnic tables but no water or toilets at the bowl. Toilets are at Panther Meadows Campground or Bunny Flat.
Upper parking
Posted Order 14-26-09 prohibits parking in the mapped upper lot from midnight to 6 a.m. Its stated term is August 29, 2026 through August 29, 2028. Read exceptions and Exhibit A.
Lower parking and camping
Order 14-26-10 limits lower-lot parking to three consecutive nights and South Gate trailhead parking to seven. Panther Basin camping is restricted to Panther Meadows Campground within the order’s mapped area.
Ski-area history
Opening dates vary between 1958 construction/opening reports and the 1958–59 operating season. A January 1978 avalanche damaged the Green Butte lift; the former ski operation subsequently closed.
Weather nearby
The MSSKI Old Ski Bowl station provides nearby measurements; its location and elevation differ from upper slopes. Use the avalanche forecast and climbing advisory for regional snow context.
Terrain and hazards
Beyond the hiking roads
Crossing Green Butte Ridge toward Avalanche Gulch exposes travelers to rockfall and serious slips on firm snow. A higher starting elevation does not make this a simple summit shortcut.
Avalanche terrain
The basin’s ski history includes destructive avalanches. Historical events and the slope overlay do not describe today’s snow stability. Open the current official bulletin.
Original sources
Read articles and official documents at their publishers. “Page checked” records a retrieval or metadata check, not confirmation that every statement remains current. Older observations and reports are historical context.
- Visitor information and dated road updates
Mount Shasta Chamber of Commerce · Local Guide
Editorial review: November 1, 2026 at 04:58 UTC · Page checked: November 1, 2026 at 04:58 UTC
Static reference; recheck access, fees and rules before travel
- Current climbing advisory
Mount Shasta Avalanche Center · Conditions
Editorial review: November 1, 2026 at 04:58 UTC · Page checked: November 1, 2026 at 04:58 UTC
Open the original publisher for current conditions
- Official avalanche forecast
Mount Shasta Avalanche Center · Conditions
Editorial review: November 1, 2026 at 04:58 UTC · Page checked: November 1, 2026 at 04:58 UTC
Open the original publisher for current conditions
- Old Ski Bowl weather station · MSSKI
Mount Shasta Avalanche Center · Conditions
Editorial review: November 1, 2026 at 04:58 UTC · Page checked: November 1, 2026 at 04:58 UTC
Open the original publisher for current conditions
- Sargents Ridge · route description
Mount Shasta Avalanche Center · Official
Editorial review: November 1, 2026 at 04:58 UTC · Page checked: November 1, 2026 at 04:58 UTC
Static reference; recheck access, fees and rules before travel
- Ski Bowl · trailhead access guide
Mount Shasta Avalanche Center · Official
Editorial review: November 1, 2026 at 04:58 UTC · Page checked: November 1, 2026 at 04:58 UTC
Static reference; recheck access, fees and rules before travel
- Mail Tribune · November 2, 1958 · Ski Bowl opening report
University of Oregon Historic Oregon Newspapers · History
Published: November 2, 1958 · Editorial review: November 1, 2026 at 04:58 UTC · Page checked: November 1, 2026 at 04:58 UTC
Static reference; recheck access, fees and rules before travel
- Old Ski Bowl Trail · landscape and history
Hike Mt. Shasta · Local Guide
Editorial review: November 1, 2026 at 04:58 UTC · Page checked: November 1, 2026 at 04:58 UTC
Static reference; recheck access, fees and rules before travel
- The turbulent history of Mount Shasta’s Old Ski Bowl
Active NorCal · History
Published: December 12, 2025 · Editorial review: November 1, 2026 at 04:58 UTC · Page checked: November 1, 2026 at 04:58 UTC
Static reference; recheck access, fees and rules before travel
- Outdoor recreation study in Mount Shasta · Jennifer Womack, 2018
Mount Shasta Bioregional Ecology Center repository · Research
Editorial review: November 1, 2026 at 04:58 UTC · Page checked: November 1, 2026 at 05:01 UTC
Static reference; recheck access, fees and rules before travel
- Mt Shasta - Gray Butte (8000 ft)
Mount Shasta Avalanche Center · Conditions
Page checked: November 1, 2026 at 04:59 UTC
- Mount Shasta fact sheet · place names and history
College of the Siskiyous · History
Editorial review: November 1, 2026 at 04:58 UTC · Page checked: November 1, 2026 at 04:58 UTC
Static reference; recheck access, fees and rules before travel
- The 1959 Mount Shasta snowstorm · atmospheric research
University of Nevada, Reno repository · Research
Editorial review: November 1, 2026 at 04:58 UTC · Page checked: November 1, 2026 at 04:58 UTC
Static reference; recheck access, fees and rules before travel
- Old Ski Bowl · Forest Service trail guide
US Forest Service · Official
Publisher updated: October 1, 2026 · Editorial review: November 1, 2026 at 04:58 UTC · Page checked: November 1, 2026 at 04:58 UTC
Static reference; recheck access, fees and rules before travel
- Panther Basin and Panther Meadows · Order 14-26-10
US Forest Service · Official
Publisher updated: September 21, 2026 · Editorial review: November 1, 2026 at 04:58 UTC · Page checked: November 1, 2026 at 04:58 UTC
Static reference; recheck access, fees and rules before travel
- Upper Ski Bowl parking restriction · Exhibit A map
US Forest Service · Official
Editorial review: November 1, 2026 at 04:58 UTC · Page checked: November 1, 2026 at 04:58 UTC
Static reference; recheck access, fees and rules before travel
- Upper Ski Bowl parking restriction · Order 14-26-09
US Forest Service · Official
Publisher updated: August 28, 2026 · Editorial review: November 1, 2026 at 04:58 UTC · Page checked: November 1, 2026 at 04:58 UTC
Static reference; recheck access, fees and rules before travel
- Mount Shasta Ski Park
Wikipedia contributors · Encyclopedia
Editorial review: November 1, 2026 at 04:58 UTC · Page checked: November 1, 2026 at 04:58 UTC
Static reference; recheck access, fees and rules before travel