Sports
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Appeal Tribune, www.silvertonappeal.com
Wednesday, August 23, 2017
PHOTOS BY MATT REEDER / SPECIAL TO THE STATESMAN JOURNAL
View of Mount Hood.
Hood River adventure
Road trip wraps hiking,
biking, whitewater
rafting into four days
ZACH URNESS
STATESMAN JOURNAL
Mount Hood and the White Salmon
River are two of the Pacific Northwest’s
most iconic natural landmarks.
One is Oregon’s tallest mountain,
while the other features the Northwest’s
most thrilling whitewater.
Bring them together on a four-day
road trip that includes camping, hiking,
waterfalls and biking, and you have a
perfect adventure for the active family.
This road trip is centered around the
eastern side of Mount Hood — the moun-
tain’s quieter side — and the Hood River
area.
DAY 1
MORNING/AFTERNOON: Hiking Elk
Meadows, Mount Hood
Leave Salem in the morning and head
northeast toward Mount Hood and Gov-
ernment Camp. Stop in town for lunch if
you desire — a good bet is Mount Hood
Brewing Company — before heading
east on Highway 35 for 10.7 miles, pass-
ing the turnoff for Mount Hood Mead-
ows, and turning left into Elk Meadows
Trailhead.
Elk Meadows is a sublime alpine para-
dise on the eastern side of Mount Hood
with postcard-worthy views of Oregon’s
tallest mountain. The hike is 6 miles
round-trip with about 1,100 feet of climb,
making it challenging but doable for
most people.
You’ll cross Clark and Newton creeks
amid a forested setting before the trail
switchbacks up Newton Canyon to Elk
Meadows. Wonderful picnic areas can be
found here, as well as plenty of back-
county campsites. A trail circles the
meadow.
AFTERNOON/EVENING: Nottingham
Campground
The hike should take three to four
hours, making it late afternoon by the
time you’re finished. Once you return to
your car, it’s time to find a campsite.
The best option is Nottingham Camp-
ground, a mere 7 miles up Highway 35.
There are 23 first-come, first-served
sites here, and use is light to medium.
Many campgrounds are along the East
Fork Hood River, amid a tranquil forest-
ed setting.
Set your tent up, and enjoying the eve-
ning.
DAY 2
MORNING/AFTERNOON:
Tamana-
was Falls
Wake up and take your time with
breakfast, enjoying the sound of the riv-
er nearby.
Once you’re ready to get moving,
jump into your car and head north on
Highway 35 a grand total of … 4 miles.
The trailhead for Tamanawas Falls is on
the left side of Highway 35.
A beautiful hike in any season along
Cold Springs Creek, though old-growth
forest and over wooden footbridges,
leads to 100-foot cascade. This waterfall
4 day road trip
DAY 1: Hiking to Elk Meadows on Mount
Hood and camping at Nottingham
Campground along the East Fork Hood River.
DAY 2: Hiking Tamanawas Falls, swimming in
the Columbia River
DAY 3: Whitewater rafting on the White
Salmon River
DAY 4: Bike riding from Hood River to Mosier
WHAT YOU NEED: Camping gear and food
for at least one night, and maybe two or
three, depending on your preference, hiking
boots, snacks, sandwiches.
PLAN IN ADVANCE: Contact one of the
outfitters on the White Salmon River (see list
at bottom of the story) to reserve a
whitewater rafting trip.
hike is 4 miles round-trip, which is nice
because it gets you out and away from
the highway noise, and the falls itself is
stunning.From the trailhead, follow East
Fork Trail for half a mile, then be on the
lookout for a junction with Cold Springs
Trail, where you turn left and hike anoth-
er 1.4 miles to the falls.
AFTERNOON / EVENING: Hood River
(town) and Columbia River swimming
After enjoying everything that Tama-
nawas Falls offers, return to your car
and prepare to make a decision.
The easiest option is to follow High-
way 35 into Hood River and reserve two
nights at one of the city’s many hotels.
Great restaurants, shopping and all
things civilized beckon in the recreation
capital of the Columbia River Gorge.
However, if you want to camp for two
nights, a great option is Memaloose State
Park, 17 miles east near The Dalles. Me-
maloose, home to over 100 sites, sits amid
large oak trees far enough from Inter-
state 84 that traffic noise isn’t a big issue.
Either way, spend the evening swim-
ming in the Columbia River. Good spots
to swim include Hood River’s Water-
front Park or Koberg Beach State Park.
DAY 3
ALL DAY: White Salmon River raft-
ing
Head to the Washington side of the Co-
lumbia River Gorge, and prepare for ad-
venture.
The White Salmon River offers the
most beautiful and thrilling single-day
river trip in the Pacific Northwest.
The rapids are big and fast, and if you
choose the full-day option, you can boat
through the former site of Condit Dam,
which was removed in 2012.
The cost isn’t cheap. With a guided
outfitter, a half day trip is around $65 per
person while a full day-trip averages
around $110 per person. Both are certain-
ly worthwhile, however.
River flows allowing, you’ll have the
option of running Class V Husum Falls, a
12-foot waterfall that provides one of the
biggest rafting thrills in the West.
Budget most of the day for rafting the
Tamanawas Falls on the east side of Mount Hood.
White Salmon. After you’re finished on
the river, the small towns of White
Salmon and Husum make for some fun
exploring.
DAY 4
ALL DAY: Bike riding to Mosier
For the final day in the Hood River
area, jump onto a bicycle and ride one of
the most scenic car-free routes in
Oregon to a small town with cherries, fun
restaurants, a beautiful swimming hole
and a trail packed with wildflowers in
spring.
BIKE: If you didn’t bring your own
bikes, you can rent them in Hood River
from Discover Bicycles, Mountain View
Cycles or any number of great shops.
THE ROUTE: Start at the Mark O. Hat-
field West Trailhead, located on the east
side of town, and follow this historic, car-
free highway 4.7 miles one-way past
spectacular views, historic bridges and
to the Twin Tunnels Trailhead. Follow
Rock Creek Road another 0.7 miles into
Mosier, where there are a ton of ways to
spend your time:
FRUIT: Mosier is famous for cherries,
and you’ll find lots of fruit stands when
cherries are in season. You-pick cherries
can be had at Evans Fruit Company
(which you can reach on bike, but bring a
good backpack).
HIKING/SWIMMING HOLES: From
the middle of town, lock up your bike and
follow the Mosier Plateau Trail to beauti-
ful blooms of wildflowers in spring,
along with a waterfall and swimming
hole in summer.
RESTAURANTS: There are a handful
of restaurants in town, both coffee shops
and cafes. One good bet is The Thirsty
Woman Pub, which opens at 2 p.m. and
features music, pub fare and drinks.
Rack & Cloth is another well-regarded
destination, with craft ciders, local
wines, draft beers and seasonal our-
farm-to-table foods.
Once you’ve had your fill of Mosier,
ride your bikes back to Hood River and
head back home to Salem.
Zach Urness has been an outdoors
writer, photographer and videographer
in Oregon for eight years. He is the author
of the book “Hiking Southern Oregon”
and
can
be
reached
at
zurness@StatesmanJournal.com
or
(503) 399-6801. Find him on Zach Urness
or @ZachsORoutdoors on Twitter.