Hiya! Sasquatch here. Squatch for short.
Now that I’m hosting a bit at Lodge 902 in Hood River the guests are telling ME about all there is to do in the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon!
It’s a nice break from being Hide-and-Seek World Champion.
If YOU have a sense of adventure, YOU need to come this way.
So far, my top 10 memory-making activities are:
#10
Whitewater Rafting on the Salmon River
Just 15 minutes from Hood River, it’s one of the best kept secrets of the Northwest and runs all summer long.
Wet Planet Whitewater offers full day and half day rafting, plus multi-day trips, instructor classes, kayak trips and a highly acclaimed neighboring cafe. Rafting In Oregon and Washington since 1979 River Drifters offers and half day trips, as well as multi-day trips. River Rider takes guests along 8 miles of the Salmon River, taking about 4 hours, and have a great 'what to expect when rafting' FAQ page on their site. Adventures Rafting provides two 2.5 hour trips daily, one in the morning, another in the afternoon. Zoller's Outdoor Odysseys has three different trips to cover every desired amount of adrenaline from milk toast to high octane. For multi-day trips on the Salmon River check out NW Rafting and Echo Trips.
#9
Mount Hood Adventure Park at Ski Bowl
The Adventure Park is on Mount Hood, a gorgeous 40 minute drive from Hood River. In summer it offers over 20 attractions like a bungee trampoline, an alpine slide, a skychair up the mountain, go carts and a whole mountain biking park for all levels. In winter they offer a snow tubing hill and cosmic tubing on weekend evenings.
#8
Brewery Crawling
If you're a fan of the suds, you can spend a day walking around Hood River to visit the breweries: pFriem, Big Horse, Double Mountain, Full Sail. Full Sail was voted "Best Tour and Brew Pub" in the Gorge by Gorge Magazine and the tour only takes a half hour. Up the hill out of downtown, there is also Logson Brewery and across the bridge in White Salmon, WA lies the popular Everybody's Brewing.
#7
Windsurfing/Kiteboarding Lessons
If you are interested in learning to windsurf or kiteboard, several companies offer beginner lessons in calm, shallow inlets along the river. Too many to list, people!
#6
Ziplining and Aerial Park Climbing
Just 30 minutes from Hood River, Skamania Lodge Adventures in Stevenson, WA provides year-round Zipline Tours and a Self-Guided Aerial Park. The Zipline Tour has 7 ziplines and 3 sky bridges, is fully guided and takes about 2.5 hours. In July and August they offer Friday Night Zips at twilight! Cruising the Aerial Park on your own takes about 2 hours. You manage the 19 platform course secured by a carabiner. They say it’s ‘Swiss Family Robinson meets American Ninja.’ Reservations required.
#5
Playing 'Escape the Hood'
Escape the Hood is "a physical adventure game in which players solve a series of puzzles using clues, hints and strategy to complete the objectives at hand. Players are given a set time limit to unveil the secret plot which is hidden within the rooms." It's super fun to do with a group of friends before hitting dinner and the breweries in town. Lodge 902 guests receive a discount.
#4
Horseback Riding
Double Mountain Horse Ranch gives wine tours, trail rides, full moon rides and private events. All levels and different lengths. Hood River Equestrian Center also gives winery tours on horseback (503) 956-0102. In White Salmon, Northwestern Lake Riding Stables the 1-3 hour trail rides meander through creeks and streams and offer stunning views of the White Salmon Valley and Mt. Hood.
#3
Touring the Famous Fruit Loop and Area Wineries on Bike
"All you have to do is show up...the woman-run team at MountNbarreL does the rest. Grab your besties and be ready for serious fun." -- Travel Oregon
#2
Taking a Multi-Day Biking Trip Customized Just for You
Lifecycle Adventures runs personalized bike trips through Italy, France, Ireland and, yes, Hood River! They create bike tours for couples, groups of friends, and families. You choose the dates, how far you want to ride, and your preferred style of accommodation.
The #1 Memorable Activity in Hood River is....
Gulping down a (Liquid Courage) Scorpion Bowl, then Karaoke-ing and Dancing at Jack's
This reviewer on Yelp said it best about Jack's late night.
A quintessential dive bar...behind a Chinese restaurant! It came complete with crazy Chinese wallpaper, 1980s tapestry booths, wood paneling, out of place naked Roman statues and dead looking fake plants. In addition to that they have a drink called a Scorpion Bowl. It's a HUGE noodle bowl of booze and orange mixer with 2 foot long straws for $9! What else do you really need in a dive bar? I know, karaoke. Yep, they have that too! Leave your pretentiousness at the door and do this. You'll be glad you did!
Come play in Hood River!
Not Looking Forward to Meeting You,
Squatch
Lodge 902 is a downtown bed and breakfast in the Columbia River Gorge’s most celebrated town, Hood River, Oregon. With six bedrooms (all with adjoining the bathrooms) and plenty of comfortable common areas, it’s also an ideal house to rent for off-site meetings, family reunions, wedding lodgings, guys’ weekends, women’s getaways and retreats.
