Hood River & The Gorge
Things to do in Hood River, Mount Hood and The Columbia River Gorge
- Mt Hood Meadows Ski Area – renowned for its amazing hikes, skiing, wildflowers butterflies and mushrooms, enjoy a picnic up on the mountain or dinner under the stars. Summer time chair lift rides.
- Timberline Lodge – An amazing lodge to visit where The Shining was filmed it is a great place to have lunch among other things like snow shoeing tours.
- Rent a Kayak, paddleboard or learn how to kiteboard down on the Columbia River at the Water Front Park. Easy access to some of the best water in the west is part of what draws so many to Hood River. Over the last three decades the area has become known as the windsurfing and kiteboarding capital of the US. See links below.
- Visit the many amazing wineries boasting beautiful views of either Mt Adams or Mt Hood. Marine air from the Oregon Coast and dry air from Eastern Oregon’s high desert climate collide in Hood River, creating a unique microclimate that makes growing many types of grapes possible. The result is an award-winning wine region and a dream destination for people who want to finish a day on the mountain with a lovely glass of vino. See links below.
- Enjoy a pub crawl to our many amazing brew pubs like pFriem, Double Mountain, Ferment and Full Sail. All four are walkable from our location.
- The Hook, The Spit and the small beaches along the river are a nice place for a picnic while watching the kite boards do amazing gravity defying jumps.
- WAAM – Western Antique and Automobile Museum. An extremely large museum for our small community.
- Fruit Loop – The Fruit Loop is hands down one of the best scenic drives in Oregon. The 35-mile drive takes you through scenic farmland in the Hood River Valley with mountain views in the distance. The Fruit Loop includes 25+ farm stands offering wine, fruits, vegetables, flowers, ciders, and food.
- Bird Watching – Where is the best place to bird watch? [in the Mt. Hood area] There are many places around Mt Hood to search and listen to birds. Oregon Birding Trails is a great document with 30 areas between Welches, Estacada, Hood River and the Columbia River Gorge.
- Carson Natural Hot Springs resort in Washington
- Bonneville Dam – Enjoy a tour of the Dam and enjoy watching all the fish traveling up river.
- White Water Rafting – The White Salmon River is one of the most popular rafting rivers in the Columbia River Gorge, and for good reason. In addition to fantastic whitewater, the White Salmon flows through a beautiful forested canyon. The iconic 44-mile river is on the Washington side of the Gorge, but it’s only 20 minutes from Hood River. See links below.
- Local recommended hikes: Hiking is a must-do while you’re in Hood River, since it has such great access to the hikes in the Columbia River Gorge. The Columbia River Gorge has the highest concentration of waterfalls in the nation.
- Waterfall Hike – Tamanawas Falls
- Multnomah Falls – the tallest falls in Oregon
- Eagle Creek Hike
- Maryhill Museum of Art and Winery
- Mushroom Hunting (Fungal Foraging)
- Mt. Hood Adventure Park, www.mthoodterritory.com/articles/mt-hood-adventure-park-at-skibowl-open-for-the-summer. “Adventure” is literally Mt. Hood Adventure Park’s middle name so they really know how to turn the dial up on summer fun, with 20+ adrenaline-pumping activities for your friends and family to enjoy. Alpine slides, zip line, bungee jump, go-carts and much more.
- GorgeCurrent.net – A calendar of local events. Check out Hops Fest and The Fly In at WAAM.
- Discoverhoodriver.net – Hiking resources, mountain biking, wind surfing, Yoga studios and WAAM events like “Traffic Jam” and “The Fly In”.
- Hoodriverfruitloop.com – Check out Hood Rivers amazing fruit industry.
- Westcoastwayfarers.com/things-to-do-in-hood-river/ – 9 Amazing things to do in Hood River: Complete Guide
The Seasons of Hood River & The Columbia Gorge
Winter
An active season when you have a gorgeous mountain playground within a few miles. You can ski, snowboard, and snowshoe all over Mt. Hood. Many waterfalls are still accessible in the winter and often are even more magnificent surrounded by snow.
January is an amazing time to visit the Annual Dalles Dam Eagle Watch at the visitor center. Explore the winter Gorge Eagle Migration and see the raptors who live at The Discovery Center.
Spring
Dazzling wildflowers to mountain meadows and sweet-smelling blossoms to the cherry, apple, and pear trees along the Fruit Loop.
Though it still gets classic Oregon rain, Hood River seems to be slightly less rainy than Portland, which makes for a great weekend getaway from Portland.
Summer
One of the best times to try windsurfing, kiteboarding and stand up paddleboarding on the white-capped Columbia River.
It’s a beautiful season to hike and mountain bike, as wildflowers are blooming at higher elevations and the old growth forests offer shade from the summer heat.
Fall
The Columbia River Gorge is alive with fall foliage and the farms along the Fruit Loop are in full swing of Harvest Feast season. This is the best time for foodies to taste fresh creations, pick produce right off the trees, and taste fresh hop beer, hard cider, and Oregon wine.
Bird watching is always good this time of year as the leaves come off the tress its a lot easier to spot them.
