Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Drive 10
Mt. Hood-Columbia River Gorge Loop
Once part of a nearly impenetrable wilderness that tested the mettle of even the
mostdeterminedpioneer,thedramaticvolcanicpeaksandrivergorgesofnorthern
Oregon today are delightfully accessible.
Length:
About 200 miles
When to go:
Popular year-round
Words to the wise:
Roads are sometimes closed in winter because of fallen trees and
ice- and snowstorms
Nearby attractions:
Hood River and Flerchinger vineyards and Pheasant Valley Win-
ery, Hood River; Washington Garden, rose and Japanese gardens, Portland
Further information:
Oregon Tourist Commission
Oregon's Mt. Hood Territory
1.
Sandy
Miles of farmland skirt Rte. 26 on the drive up to the town of Sandy, where visitors can
tour historic sites and swim in the close-by Sandy River. As the highway continues to the
east, the landscape changes rapidly, with the foothills of the Cascade Range beginning their
relentless ascent. Towering Douglas firs, some of them centuries old, cover the slopes, and
growing nearby, rhododendrons and oaks add eye-pleasing splashes of color in the spring
and fall. Soon, too, the Salmon River briefly comes into view, running to the Sandy River.
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