I first visited Hood River 4 years ago on a road trip through Oregon with our friends during the summer of 2020, and it was such an eye opening experience. I had never seen anything like it. Hood River wasn’t a beach town, it wasn’t a mountain town, it wasn’t a populated city center, it was somewhere mixed in between all of them. A place that wind sport lovers flock to in droves during the warmer months of the calendar. Better still, on the outskirts of town, Hood River has that perfect Pacific Northwest mountain biking scene and volcano skiing. But the friendly vibes, great beer, and dog friendly nature are what brought us back during our latest trip this past summer.
I really wasn’t just saying that we come to Hood River for the vibes, it’s quite true. It’s a single stop-light main street town, that funnels you right down to the waterfront where you can find breweries and epic water sports opportunities. Though we’ve only gone out to SUP on the Columbia River, we far from utilize the consistent winds to power the sails of wind surfboards or kiteboards which draw most of the people here. Instead, when in town, we walk up and down waterfront, popping in and out of breweries like pFriem or Ferment Brewing. Best yet, our dog Gregor can go anywhere in this town, because he’s just one of the many dogs that walk alongside their owners as they go about enjoying the town.
Hood River sits right along the Columbia River, on the northern border of Oregon, just an hour drive east from Portland. It sits in a perfect location for all adventure seekers due to its proximity to Mount Hood, Mount Adams, Mount St. Helens, the Deschutes River, and all the endless trail networks in National Forest that sits between them. Those trails are the second reason we keep coming back, more specifically, the mountain biking trails in Post Canyon, which is located just 4 miles west of town. A narrow canyon home to a diverse range of trails of all styles and difficulties. It’s also a place I spend way too much time on each visit to Hood River, because it’s really that good.
The average Post Canyon ride is a great example of a lap-able trail system. The climb, 700 feet, up from the staging area will take you to the midway point, near the Family Man trail and skill park. From there you can loop around to get on the 101 Kleeway flow track with a ton of jumps. Better yet, you can keep climbing up one of the forest roads, and then the fun begins. With the tacky PNW dirt and loam covered trails, you won’t find super technical downhill runs, but instead, everything feels like a magic carpet and one flow trail after another. Snaking through the forest, like a bobsled run, with step ups, jumps, gaps, and massive berms taking you all the way back down to the staging area a 1000 feet below. To make things better, tucked in to this trail network, there are skill parks and pump tracks to break up the climb. But that’s just a few of the great reasons why Post Canyon and Hood River are a great place.
To be honest, I do think the reason why we love Hood River so much is how great it is for camper vans like ours and even RV travelers. The first time we stopped here, in 2020, we found out we could park and sleep overnight on the street down by the river. With our best Chris Farley impression, it’s always a perfect spot when you can be staying, “in a van down by the river!” And with the hopes of repeating that epic convenience to camp during our last trip in 2024, we were shocked to see it was still an option. Seeing the RVs start lining up along the street as the sun started setting in the evening, we knew we were in luck to camp along the street. So we canceled our campsite reservation and spent the night on the street and were gone by the morning without any hassle from the town. It really is hard to beat waking up, in your van, in the place you want to be exploring and enjoying.
Of course, you can’t do everything in a short time while visiting a new place, especially one you only visit in the summer. Obviously some of the best things are on the slopes of Mount Hood. From the orchards, wineries, waterfalls, and all the skiing you could ever dream of (year round), is just a short drive away. And there is something to be said for towns that people move to for these reason, you just find a different type of person. They seem happier, and it quickly makes you think about living in a place like this as well. Similar to a ski town, everyone is very active, moving either by skis, feet, bike, or water, and it’s an easy to connect to someone you’ve never met before.
From Hood River, you can make it to the beach, up into Washington, or down to Bend in no time flat. And that’s exactly how we kicked off the next part of our trip before making our way into Northern California. And I love leaving a place knowing I’m just as excited to come back to do some more exploring. There is still so many waterfalls to see, tons of wineries to visit, a mountain range to explore on skis and by bike, and of course the main reason, to try some wind sports on the consistently windy Columbia River.
Hi there, my name is Zachary Kenney and I’m an adventure filmmaker & photographer. My passion is to tell stories that will hopefully motivate you to go live a more adventurous life. Whether that is to experience the view from the summit of a mountain, or wandering through a new town on a road trip. Currently based out of Park City, UT.
