Timberline Lodge and Mt Hood Meadows might be just over 60 miles from Portland, but the delays on US-26 can sometimes make them feel like they’re on the other side of the state. You could instead spend that time barreling east on I-84, navigating Deadman Pass between Pendleton and La Grande, and then winding up into the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest and the Blue Mountains of Eastern Oregon. Five hours and 300 miles later, you’re at Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort, where you’re a lot less likely to run into your boss on the ski lift. Is it worth the trip?

The Skiing. With 21 runs and just one triple chairlift that goes up 900 feet, plus a rope tow and a magic carpet in the “Alice’s Wonderland” learning zone, Anthony Lakes lacks the vastness of Cascades resorts, but it also lacks the crowds. Its short runs and no-wait lift lines mean skiers can pack a lot of downhill time into a day, if not a lot of variety. There’s plenty of variety among the skiers, though: Idahoans zipping over from Boise, friend groups from Pendleton or the Tri-Cities, Eastern Oregon University students from La Grande, even the occasional Portlander.

There’s rarely a line at Creston’s Yurt, the beer-and-burger bar and grill just off the chairlift. Creston’s is open on weekends, while the ski area itself is open Thursdays through Sundays, usually mid-December to early April, plus some Monday holidays and daily during spring break. (Online registration for its $250 learn-to-ski-or-snowboard spring break camp for 7- to 18-year-olds, which includes five days of lift tickets, rentals, and lessons, opens January 15.)

The Booze. Down at the base (at 7,100 feet, it’s the highest base elevation in Oregon), the Starbottle Saloon’s après-ski scene includes live music and plenty of Barley Brown’s brews on tap, both of which contribute to the occasional Tom Petty dance party. The saloon itself is 21 and up, but only an open wall separates it from a minors-allowed zone, so the kids can watch you get down to “American Girl.”

The Accommodations. For Portlanders, Anthony Lakes is too far for a day trip. There's no hotel here despite the presence of the word "resort" in the ski area's name, but many hotels and vacation rentals from La Grande to Baker City offer vouchers for discounted lift tickets. To stay on the mountain, #VanLifers are in luck: overnight and RV parking is $10, or $25 for one of the 13 electric plug-in spots, all first come, first served. The lawn chairs, grills, and dogs perched in front of the campers lend a tailgating vibe to the base of the ski hill.

The two-story guard station just off the parking lot can be rented through recreation.gov. For more solitude, two woodstove-heated overnight yurts sit just over a quarter mile from the base area amid Anthony Lakes’ Nordic trails—in the summer, the Nordic area is a forest service campground. Securing one of these can require a calendar reminder (reservations for the season open October 15), some fast hands, and a prayer to the Taylor Swift Ticketmaster gods if you’re hoping to stay over a winter weekend when the ski area is operating. Stays during the part of the week the ski area is closed (booked as a three-night block) don’t get snapped up as quickly—but with the ski hill and the Starbottle closed, off-day yurters should be ready to make their own fun. The quiet yurts run $208–350 per night and sleep five to eight, while the in-the-thick-of-it guard station is $436 and sleeps eight.

The Verdict. While serious powderheads might wish for more variety, Anthony Lakes makes a good stop on an Eastern Oregon road trip for casual skiers who appreciate a good beer yurt, not to mention lift tickets that go for less than half what you’d pay on Mount Hood.