Hood River, Oregon is home to the historic Hood River Hotel along with a number of beautiful destinations to explore. We visited in Mid-May, just before busy season starts. However, it is a great winter destination as well with its close proximity to Mount Hood.
On this blog post I will share everything that I did in one weekend in Hood River along with places on my list for next time.
Where Is Hood River?
From endless hiking to breweries, wineries, and restaurants galore, Hood River is a great place for the entire family to visit. Just an hour northeast of Portland along the Columbia River Gorge-Hood River is gently placed between the river and Mount Hood National Forest.
If your looking to expand on a Pacific Northwest road-trip, flying into Seattle Or Portland airports are best!
From Seattle: 3 hours and 27 minutes
From Portland: 1 hour
Adventurous Things To Do At Mount Hood
Where Should I Stay in Hood River?
Depending on how many people your traveling to Hood River with, there are vacation rental homes, hotels, and camping options. I recommend staying at The historic Hood River Hotel located downtown. The hotel was built in 1911 and is on the National Register of Historic places you should stay.
Hood River Hotel is in the heart of it all, making walking to dinner, shops, and the riverwalk easy and accessible. Plus, it’s dog friendly! Each room varies in size and bed options. There is even a bunk house for a group of friends or family to share that includes a sauna.
We loved the historic charm displayed throughout the entire hotel. Even the bathrooms and rooms feel like a step into the past. Rumor has it-the hotel is haunted!
What to do in Hood River
Spring and summer are the best times to visit Hood River in my opinion. Not only is the weather most enjoyable, the spring blooms in the Columbia River Gorge are stunning. I visited in Mid-May just before busy season starts in June, and it was the best experience!
1. Hike In The Columbia River Gorge
Just outside of Hood River is a wide variety of hikes in the Columbia River Gorge. Waterfalls, views of the river, forested trails, and everything in between.
If your looking for the closest hiking from the Hood River Hotel, just ten minutes up the road is Memaloose Overlook Trail. If you time your visit right, wildflowers bloom in May in this part of Oregon. Fields of Basalmroot, lupine, and Indian paint brush.
If your wanting a longer adventure but have the time to see my favorite waterfall in Oregon-do the Eagle Creek trail just 30 minutes from the hotel.
Additional hikes in the area: Dog Mountain, Rowena Plateau Trail, Starvation Creek Falls, Latourell Falls Loop Trail, Wahclella Falls.
2. Drive the Fruit Loop Road
Spring and Summer are the best time to visit Hood River Fruit Loop. If your hoping to catch the valley of apple blossoms, April is when that happens. From then on there can be flowers blooming year round. Its a photographers dream out there!
Just ten minutes from the Hood River Hotel, head east towards Mount Hood and begin your journey on the Hood River Fruit Loop. Pick and choose from farms, wineries, and orchards galore! Glorious views of Mount Hood will be strikingly stunning the entire drive.
The drive is 35 miles long through meandering country roads taking you to 28 fruit and farm stands. Keep in mind that people reside here, so be respectful when visiting. We found that dogs aren’t allowed at every farm-so keep that in mind if it’s a hot summer day.
3. Mount Hood Railroad
Take a scenic train ride through the countryside with views of Mount Hood. Be sure to book in advance if you want to sit with friends as it’s assigned seating on the trains. The historic Hood River Valley Train is 2.5 to 3 hours long with concessions and drinks available!
4. Take a Wind/Kite Surfing Lesson
This area is known for being a mecca for kite and wind surfing due to the high winds in the area. Whether your wanting to watch somebody from the sidelines or do it yourself-the adventure is yours! Be sure to book through an approved guide in advance for lessons and rentals.
It was quite spectacular to watch from the sidelines in the riverfront park district.
5. Visit a Winery
Whether you drive the entire scenic Fruit Loop road or not-just 10 minutes from the hotel is a winery. Our favorite stop on this trip was Stave and Stone as their patio was dog friendly. I recommend making a reservation in advance, this gave us a spot in the shade on a hot day!
In Hood River there are over 36 wineries to choose from!
6. Visit the Riverwalk
Located along the Columbia River Gorge, the new park and walking area is a great place to hang out. We found ourselves here multiple times for the dogs to cool off in the river, watch the sunset, observe kite surfing, and have a picnic. This area is located just 10 minutes from the Hood River Hotel by foot or 3 minutes by car.
7. Enjoy a Restaurant
It was hard to choose with just one weekend where to eat! To our surprise, the area is home to a number of delicious restaurants! We will have to come back just to make. a small dent on the food scene here. Here is a short list of ones to enjoy:
- Solstice Woodfire Pizza (dog friendly patio)
- Love and Hominy: Lunch and Dinner
- Celio Restaurant: Upscale dinner
- Ferment Brewing: Lunch and dinner
- Doppio: Coffee and breakfast
- Stoked: Incredible coffee
- Mugen Noodles: Delicious ramen
8. Visit a Brewery
The Pacific Northwest is home to hundreds of micro-breweries across the states of Washington and Oregon. There are 7 just in the town of Hood River! PFriem is a personal favorite in our family so we had to stop by.
All in all, Hood River is a great place to explore in any season. Spring and summer blooms bring the most amount of people in the area. In years to come it is expected that Hood River will become more and more popular for tourists. I can’t wait to return myself one day.
9. Visit Solera Brewery
If you are driving the fruit loop towards Mount Hood, stop at Solera Brewery. With arguably the best views of Mount Hood in the area! Sit outside with your dogs and have a beer and nachos. Take in the cute small town of Parkdale, Oregon during a gorgeous spring or summer day.
10. Visit Rowena Crest
Located east of Hood River, Rowena Crest is a beautiful scenic area with views of the Columbia River. It’s a great place to stop for sunrise or sunset! If you are looking for the iconic round road, when you drive into the parking lot it is located on the west side of the guard rail.
11. Visit Hood River Lavender Farm
In Hood River, the lavender fields typically bloom late June, early July. If you are visiting Stave and Stone, it is located in the same parking lot. I visited Hood River Lavender late May and the fields smelled so delicious. Inside the barn they sell lavender infused products and sell lavender ice cream cones.
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