Avoid the stress of jockeying for parking spots at the ever-popular Meissner Sno Park this winter by taking a new shuttle. The Meissner bus is scheduled to make three trips every Saturday and Sunday through March. The best part? It’s a bargain at $5 roundtrip!
Visit Bend, Deschutes Trails Coalition and an anonymous donor contributed a total of $17,000 to the Meissner Nordic Ski Club to subsidize the bus. Cog Wild is managing the program including the online booking page, vans and drivers.
The shuttle was supposed to start Dec. 1, but has been delayed due to a lack of snow. Once there is enough powder on the ground the shuttle will leave Bend on weekends at 7:30, 9:30 and 11:30am from the parking lot across from the Pavilion adjacent to the Bend Park & Recreation District’s Park & Float lot in the summer. It returns from Meissner to Bend at 10:30am, 12:30 or 2:30pm. Reservations are required as there is limited space for 12 passengers. The bus will leave promptly, so riders should arrive 15 minutes early to load up gear.
Kirin Stryker, co-owner and operator of Cog Wild, says the goal is to reduce traffic on the Cascade Lakes highway, which is usually jam packed in the winter during weekends and holidays.
President of Meissner Nordic, Steve Roti, says the shuttle is a pilot program. Its future depends on whether there’s enough demand from skiers and snowshoers and whether additional funding can be secured for next season. In the past, a shuttle to Mt. Bachelor, operated by Cascades East Transit, made a stop at Meissner Sno-Park, but riders had to travel up to Bachelor before heading back to Bend, making it less appealing.
Roti says the number of people using Meissner Sno-Park has grown. Meissner Nordic used to groom trails 4 days a week a decade ago but now maintains trails 7 days a week.
“We’ve also added more ski trails to the network to spread people out and to give them more options,” Roti told the Source. “Meissner Nordic now has the largest groomed cross-country ski trail system in the state.”
Meissner Bus
Sat & Sun (when snow arrives) through March
From Bend 7:30, 9:30 & 11:30am
From Meissner Sno Park 10:30am, 12:30, 2:30pm
Parking Lot Across from the Pavilion
1000 SW Bradbury Way, Bend
Cogwild.com
$5 roundtrip
This article appears in the Source December 18, 2025.
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