ABOUT US

Experience Mt. Hood and the Gorge, also known as the Mt. Hood/Gorge RDMO, is managed through Clackamas County Tourism with regional leadership from The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce, Visit Hood River, Explore Troutdale, and Mt. Hood Territory. We seek to use responsible visitor management to build awareness for the region as a multi-day and year-round travel destination that benefits all communities. Our mission is to continuously and creatively address the challenges that come with being a mature destination that is surrounded by small communities and neighbors Oregon’s largest metro area. Challenges include congested roadways, over-visited sites, imbalance of visitation throughout all of our communities, and workforce development and training needs. By establishing regular feedback channels for us to learn from community and industry representatives we will be better equipped to design global marketing, PR, destination development and global sales tactics in order to address these complex challenges and convert them to opportunities.

Ithaca Janzen - Regional Lead

ithaca@hood-gorge.com 971-235-1730

Who is Experience Mt. Hood and the Gorge Regional Destination Management Organization?

Experience Mt. Hood and the Gorge is the branded name for the Mt. Hood and Columbia River Gorge Region, one of seven Regional Destination Management Organizations (RDMOs) in Oregon. The role of the RDMO is to develop tourism strategies that support the needs of our unique region. Our work includes visitor management, destination stewardship, and strategic marketing to optimize the benefits to our communities through tourism. To accomplish this work, we collaborate with land managers, community organizations, nonprofits, and businesses. We work closely with the Travel Oregon team to ensure that our region’s needs are elevated to statewide tourism work. Experience Mt. Hood and the Gorge receives regional guidance from the five Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) within the region. Together, our mission is to continuously and creatively address the challenges that come with being a mature destination that is surrounded by small communities and neighbors to Oregon’s largest metro area.

Meet Our Destination Marketing Organizations


Managed by the Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce.	Managed by the City of Troutdale. Operates the Gateway to the Gorge Visitor Center, staffed by volunteers.	Hood River County Chamber of Commerce DBA Visit Hood River (HRCCC\|VHR) is a nonprofit organization serving tourism and businesses in the greater Hood River region. Operates a visitor center in downtown.	The Cascade Locks Tourism Committee is a volunteer 7-member group of local residents appointed by the Mayor of Cascade Locks, Oregon. Provides visitor services and information from the Cascade Locks.	Oregon’s Mt. Hood Territory, the branded name for Clackamas County Tourism (CCT), is the Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) for Clackamas County. Mt. Hood Territory includes the communities of Boring, Sandy, Estacada, Eagle Creek, Villages of Mt. Hood, and Government Camp in the Mt. Hood and Columbia River Gorge Region.

Tourism 101

The Tourism 101 Workshop is a free seminar offering an overview of Oregon’s travel and tourism industry.

It’s designed to help visitor-related organizations and businesses take advantage of the many opportunities offered by Experience Mt. Hood and The Gorge, including benefits of tourism, how to work with us, and resources available to you. Sign up for the newsletter to stay updated for the next training.

Interested in learning more about how tourism organizations work together and where your business fits into the puzzle?

Check out the Tourism 101 video below from Travel Oregon. If you want to dive deeper, Experience Mt. Hood and the Gorge also offers Tourism 101 Workshops – free seminars designed to help visitor-related organizations make the most of tourism opportunities, understand the impacts of tourism, and learn how best to work with your local organizations. Sign up for the newsletter to stay in the loop for upcoming in-person training opportunities.

Additional Resources

Advocacy One Sheet

Help share the power of tourism with your community partners. You can use this resource for meetings or presentations, or get in touch for more custom tourism research.

Read More

Travel Oregon Advocacy Link

The power of Oregon's Travel and Tourism industry is felt throughout the state.

Read More