Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
You don't have to drive the Fruit Loop to tap into the fresh produce of the Hood River Valley. Pick up a bushelful of organic veggies or fruit at
Mother's Market Place
right in town. This small but bountiful market also runs a deli jammed with healthy and tasty options, many of which are
vegan or gluten-free.
Information and Services
Hood River's go-to source of travel and tour information can be found at the city's main
visitor center
(20 E Port Marina Dr., 541/386-2000 or
800/366-3530,
www.hoodriver.org
,
9 A.M.-5 P.M. Mon-Fri. year-round, also 10 A.M.-5 P.M. Sat. May-Oct.) near the marina.
Transportation Network of The Dalles
and
Columbia Area Transit
(
http://community.gorge.net/hrctd
) offer a fixed-route bus service
between Hood River and Portland that runs every Thursday ($8 one-way), heading westbound in the morning and eastbound in the afternoon. The
same service provider also runs a fixed-route service Monday through Friday between The Dalles and Hood River ($3 one-way). Buses arrive at
and leave from the CAT station (224 Wasco Loop). Greyhound (
www.greyhound.com
)
also offers bus service from this location, but you can't
buy tickets at the station here.
East of Hood River, the Gorge takes a turn toward decidedly drier weather, with pine trees transitioning into grassy, sunny hillsides. Fortunately,
this section of the south Gorge is home to some of the best riverside state parks and oxbow lakes in which adventuresome boaters, swimmers, and
boarders can cool off in the water. At the eastern end of this stretch of I-84, The Dalles is a working class town that sports the largest population
in the Gorge. Home to the fantastic Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and linked to Washington by The Dalles Dam and a peach-colored trussed
bridge, the city presents a convenient spot to rest or take in a no-frills bite before making a U-turn north or south on a bi-state Gorge loop drive.
In between “the Hood” and The Dalles, the tiny town of Mosier is worth a mosey if you've got the time for delicious ice cream and a bike-ride
through some 90-year-old tunnels blasted for the first Gorge highway.
Sights and Recreation
MOSIER TWIN TUNNELS
Explore one of the most popular abandoned stretches of the Historic Columbia River Highway from Mosier. Rehabilitated for walking and cycling,
the paved
Twin Tunnels
trail runs five miles and passes through two tunnels that dig straight through the craggy basalt so familiar in this region.
Stop in the tunnel to look through the cutaways to views of the Gorge, and check out the inside of the rock walls to see if you can spot the places
where some travelers in 1921 carved their names while trapped there during a snowstorm.
MEMALOOSE STATE PARK
Situated directly in the hottest part of the Gorge, Memaloose State Park's 100-degree summer days can easily be relieved under the pretty maples
and willows that shade and decorate this riverfront park. Windsurfers and kiteboarders can further cool off in the river from the popular launch
point here, which provides views out to the island that gives the park its name. This was a sacred island to the Chinook Indian tribes of the Gorge,
who used to lay their dead on open pyres there.
A classic car crosses into The Dalles in style.
MAYER STATE PARK
Another favorite sunny-side destination in the Gorge, Mayer State Park holds within it some stunning views and a popular lake for fishing and
swimming. First the view: the park covers a dramatic hillside overlooking the Gorge called Rowena Crest, which is summited by the twisting,
turning segment of the Historic Columbia River Highway that runs through the park. It can also be hiked by trail. On the river itself, Mayer
presents a place to launch windsurfing and kiteboarding equipment, plus a boat ramp.
