With beautiful autumn colors, u-pick orchards, unique festivals and seasonal beers, wines and ciders, Hood River offers a cornucopia of activities.
Go apple and pear picking and tasting
Drive the Hood River County Fruit Loop and stop at orchards, farms, cideries, wineries, farm stands and restaurants along the way. Go to hoodriverfruitloop.com to find out what’s in season when, along with a full calendar of farm events and a searchable map. You can pick up a Fruit Loop map at the Hood River County Chamber of Commerce Visitors Center.
Indulge yourself at Hood River Valley Harvest Fest
Celebrate the harvest season at this annual festival staged at Hood River’s beautiful waterfront. Take in views of the Columbia River, Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams while enjoying live music and family-friendly activities. With 125 vendors offering seasonal produce, homemade jams, jellies and other food, as well as fine art and crafts, plan to start your holiday shopping at Harvest Fest. Plus, feast on award-winning pies and sip a wide variety of local wine, cider and beer.
Take in the fall colors
Hood River and the Columbia River Gorge provide some of the most spectacular fall scenery in the Pacific Northwest. Head to the Tamanawas Falls trailhead (22 miles south of Hood River on OR Hwy 35). During this 3.6-mile round-trip hike, get close to this jaw-dropping waterfall while soaking up spectacular fall colors, thanks to cottonwood, vine maple and western larch that light up the forest in red and gold. Don’t forget to pack all the essentials for the hike.
Bike or hike the spectacular and kid-friendly Twin Tunnels, on the Historic Columbia River Highway. Starting at the Mark O. Hatfield West Trailhead, this 5-mile trail section (closed to vehicles) features amazing views of the Columbia River and two tunnels. It ends near the small town of Mosier. 2016 marks the 100th anniversary of the iconic Historic Columbia River Highway, America’s first “King of Roads.”
