Bluewood — Attraction in Dayton

Very upset about our visit. My father-in-law and I made the trip all the way from Tri-Cities. It was my first time and my father-in-law has been one time recently but prior to that it’s been years. It was our impression that it was open, the website said nothing about it being closed for the day, still doesn’t at the time I’m writing this review about it being closed. We got up to the gate and there was no sign or anything stating it was closed. The gate was closed and we waited with a line up of at least 4 cars thinking that someone would unlock it. After waiting for 15 minutes we walked up to the gate to see if the gate was unlocked, it was, so we just opened the gate. We got up to the parking lot and someone cut us off in their car, it was an employee and so we thought they had some info for us. He came up to us and angrily asked us what we were doing and why we went through the gate and that it’s closed for the day. We said we didn't know, the website didn’t say anything, we tried calling and didn’t hear anything, there wasn’t a sign at the gate, nothing. He said, “didn’t you see the sign down in town?” We told him no, we didn’t even know there was a sign. We realized we recognized their car and that we saw the employees driving down mountain and they turned around and just parked their car behind the lineup of cars. They didn’t think they should walk up to the lineup of cars and inform people that it’s closed, never mind that people in the cars waiting were getting out and asking each other what the deal with the gate being closed was. On our way back down we drove by the sign, which by the way is really small, not in any visible colors to notice it when your driving, and the sign is like 20 miles from the gate. The only way you would know about the sign is if you are a local. We didn’t need to be treated the way we were by the employee, and the communication was terrible to let people know it was closed for the day. You can’t rely on a tiny sign to let people know it’s closed. And what’s frustrating is that we used our own personal vacation time to go and it was wasted because of the lack of...

After visiting Bluewood for the first time I must say that I was a bit underwhelmed. For starters it’s a long narrow road with some rockfall hazards to be aware of (unlike Lookout for example, literally right off the freeway) to get there. There is what I would call 1.5 lifts, a main and a second short one. The runs are moderately lengthy, so that was good, and the lifts are relatively fast. One key point is it’s the only mountain I have been to that has a dedicated run for the terrain park. It was awesome! Jumps, rails… short run but we’ll laid out and a lot of fun. So all in all, I did not mind the day, there was even a cute small lodge at the top of the mountain. The main factor that I did mind A LOT, and made this a 3 vs 4 star review was the PRICE. It was the same as other resorts that are way bigger with more lifts and runs and easier to get to. Overall: If you want something that’s small and kool and off the beaten path, *extremely family friendly (and also has a great bar etc.) and is great for beginners, then this is it, but expect to pay the same as you would at other bigger resorts. For the right people it’s probably worth it. I could see myself maybe going here once per year (I live S. of CDA, ID for reference) —IF, and only if it was more reasonably priced. You can always try it once…. and that’s my...

I have been skiing at Blue Wood since I was 10 years old (30+years). The pros: It is so wonderful to have a ski area so close to home. I really like the updated cafe. So many more options for food then in the past! The cons: The chair lift is still pretty similar to when I was a kid. It is not enclosed and takes a while to get to the top of the mountain (brrr). I noticed this year that the prices have REALLY gone up. Blue Wood got some new equipment (like ticket scanners) but dang, lift tickets and lessons are so much more money than a few years ago. We recenty went up on a Thur morning, got up there early. I was hoping to put my kids in lessons but they only had one option at 1pm. I wish they had a morning lesson offered. Other than price I think Blue Wood is a great option for local towns. It is not a huge resort style ski destination (and that is fine by me). I just wish the prices weren't similar to a big...