Mt. Hood Loop, Oregon

www.mthoodterritory.com and www.mthood.info

MAP area: From Troutdale I-84 up through farmland to Hwy. 26 past Sandy up sw side Mt. Hood, East Hwy. 35 to Hood River.

It’s this first awakening after a long winter that brings bears to our doorsteps and makes all of us who live here in the Mt. Hood National Forest suddenly brighten, blinking in wonder. Trails are muddy but who cares when wildflowers, spring greens, velvety mosses and ferns compete for best in show. Pristine streams and rivers gurgle with fresh snowmelt and the woods are alive with birdsong. Known to local Indians as Wy ‘East... [more]

[ARCHIVES: Don’t Pick the Berries! and Tracking Bear and A Scruffy Pond]

EAT

Arrah Wannah Center, Wemme (mile post 40):
The Rendezvous Grill & Tap Room www.rendezvousgrill.net chef Kathryn Bliss is true to her name serving up the best — fresh seasonal, local, organic full menu (soups & pork loin sandwich!). Killer desserts. Lunch & dinner only. Summertime patio. El Burro Loco www.burroloco.net Tex-Mex; summer patio.

Welches (right on E. Welches Rd. at the stop light)
Hoodland Shopping Center: Mogul Mountain Pizza Company real cheese, delivery, 503.622.4323 and Java the Hut on Hood K & F Espresso, bagels, sweets, free Wi-Fi and Café Aria coffee, sweets, lunch & knitting (behind shopping center); The Soup Spoon, (past shopping center right, off E. Welches Rd.) Homemade soups, sandwiches, salads & desserts, 503.622.0303; The Resort at The Mountain www.theresort.com Mallards Cafe & Pub great view of golf course & foothills, summer patio & Altitude Restaurant http://altituderestaurant.com, 503.622.3101, fine dining, Sunday Brunch.

Zig Zag Inn www.zigzaginn.com family fare, specialty pizza in log lodge, 503.622.4779; Skyway Bar & Grill www.skywaybarandgrill.com, 503.622.3775 bbq galore! live music, large summer patio. Rhododendron Still Creek Inn www.stillcreekinn.com, 503.622.4618 Fair Warning: Tired atmosphere.

Government Camp
Ice Axe Grill www.mthoodbrewing.com, 503.272.3172, micro-beer brewery on site; family dining, good burgers & fries, outstanding fish tacos!

Timberline Lodge www.timberlinelodge.com,
The Ram's Head upper mezzanine bar, couch seating, mountain-in-your-face views. Fair Warning: serves food in plastic dishes, even soup & fondue. Blue Ox Bar hidden dungeon-like bar behind main lobby; main lobby terrific daily buffet lunches feature smorgasbord of NW bounty; The Cascade Dining Room gourmet fine cuisine, excellent wine list, valley views. Fair Warning: Dinner reservations recommended 503.622.7979; don’t overdo eating & drinking at 6,000’ altitude.

Parkdale
Roadside fruit and produce stands in the pastoral farmland famous for apples, pears and cherries and, yes, vineyards [see PLAY] along the "Fruit Loop" www.hoodriverfruitloop.com. Near Odell, Apple Valley Country Store www.applevalleystore.com homemade pie and shelves stacked with locally made condiments, jams, jellies and preserves. Elliot Glacier Public House www.elliotglacierpublichouse.com funky pub w/good food and brewery on site; terrific view of Mt. Hood; summer beer garden.

STAY

The Villages of Mt. Hood (Brightwood, Welches, Zig Zag, Rhododendron, Government Camp) [more]

Alder Creek Cabin at Hidden Woods www.aldercreekcabin.com
aka The Hidden Woods B&B www.thehiddenwoods.com both sites are the same delightful cozy original log cabin w/fireplace & outdoor hot tub. [more] Fair Warning: Alder Creek offers no breakfast while the B&B listing does; “two” upstairs bedrooms are adjoined with no wall; lovely landscaping, steps away from owners’ home; “along Sandy river” no view.

Brightwood
Salmon River Inn www.salmonriverinn.com art-inspired 2-bedroom hideaway with adjoining common room (w/fridge, coffeemaker, microwave) overlooking deck and Salmon River; hot tub, fire pit. Fair Warning: up stairs; no river view from rooms; traffic noise sometimes. Sandy Salmon Bed & Breakfast Lodge www.sandysalmon.com dramatic custom-built lodging w/handsome timber bedroom furnishings overlooking the confluence of the Sandy & Salmon Rivers. Fair Warning: décor may alarm some — many stuffed animal heads; up stairs to rooms; music piped throughout with no adjustment available in rooms; owners often in community TV room. [more] Brightwood Guest House Bed & Breakfast www.mounthoodbnb.com small cottage with loft, charming hot tubs/sitting area near stream. Mt Hood Village RV Resort www.mhcrv.com RV spaces with attractive bare-bones cabins and yurts sprinkled throughout woodsy setting. Store, Wildwood Café, pool, fitness center on site.

Welches / Zig Zag / Rhododendron [more]
The Resort at the Mountain www.theresort.com rooms, suites, villas on one of Oregon’s most beautiful golf courses (27-hole), renovated units in woodsy setting. Tennis, croquet, gift shop, pool, Mallards Café & Pub (summertime patio view) & Altitude lounge & dining room on site. Fair Warning: Inexplicable urban design (Marriott anyone?) in a classic mountain setting. Whispering Woods Resort www.whisperingwoods.net condos (with pool) on the golf course. The Cabins Creekside and Running Bear Cabin home www.mthoodcabins.com, knotty pine, vaulted ceiling airy studio units sleep 1-4; cabin sleeps 10. Fair Warning: studio “cabins” is a complex not stand-alone; hot tub & patio on seasonal creek, meaning some summers creek is low. A Majestic Mountain Retreat www.amajesticmountainretreat.com stunning custom log manse w/luxury accommodations. A perfect snowy winter escape with your own sledding hill. Fair Warning: Stairs to climb! No summer view except sparse fir woods. Kathy's Kabins www.kathyskabins.net renovated Steiner Cabin log cabin still has some original details with modern amenities. Dancing Bear www.mthoodrent.com and The Laughing Bear Log Cabin www.laughingbearlogcabins.com both rustic log cabins true quirky Steiner originals. Fair Warning: The bear cabins have teensy bathrooms and precarious hand-hewn crooked log stairs, just as Steiner meant them. [more]

Government Camp
Falcon’s Crest Lodge www.falconscrestlodge.com ski out your front door from this 5,700 sq. foot lodge. Updated and outfitted for families or groups, the handsome re-do is everything you want in a classic lodge. Fair Warning: many web listings for Falcon’s Crest are for the former lodging, not to be confused with this refurbished gem.
Collins Lake Resort Grand Lodge www.collinslakeresortvacations.com luxurious large private condos for rent, woodsy views and paths around lake. Fair Warning: condos built as three-story lodge — no central lobby; “lake” a lovely large alpine pond. The Lodge At Government Camp www.TheLodgeatGovernmentCamp.com luxurious condos for rent in the center of Government Camp above grocery store. Fair Warning: grocery refrigeration below sends heat upstairs. Some condos are stifling in summer, nice and warm in winter. Summit Meadow Cabins www.summitmeadow.com five rustic cabins/chalets in a woodsy creekside setting, wonderful for cross-country skiers & snowshoers. Fair Warning: Winter access ski or snowshoe in 1.5 miles, but the fun of it, no?

Timberline Lodge and Silcox Hut www.timberlinelodge.com
majestic historic 1936 WPA lodge at 6,000-foot level on Mt. Hood. Dramatic rock-timber-ironwork, soaring two-story fireplace, authentic (refurbished) furnishings, pool, Dining Room, Blue Ox & Ram’s Head bars on site. Location, Location, Location! Drop-dead views of Mt. Hood, Cascade Range and valleys below. Do not miss! Fair Warning: Weddings parties can be noisy. Sometimes not-so-friendly front desk. Silcox Hut small lodge for groups at 7,000-foot level on mountain. [more]

Vacation Rentals:
All Seasons Property Management www.mthoodrent.com
Cascade Property Management www.mthoodrentals.com

Parkdale [more]
Mt. Hood B&B www.mthoodbnb.com charming-as-can-be small farm with small delightful cabins, gardens, pastoral view of Mt. Hood. [more] Mt. Hood Hamlet B&B www.mthoodhamlet.com gracious Colonial-style home w/four guest rooms. Full breakfast included. Garden and outdoor hot tub. View of Mt. Hood in distance.

Hood River [see Columbia River Gorge Scenic Area]

PLAY

mthoodadventure.com and www.byways.org and www.mthoodterritory.com and www.hoodriver.org and http://oregonbirdingtrails.org

Winter sports galore (year-round skiing and snowboarding at Timberline) and night skiing at SkiBowl (summertime Adventure Park for kids) www.skibowl.com plus all the hiking, fishing, biking, birdwatching, golf and plain old having fun you need just an hour from Portland (see above links). Croquet anyone? Resort at The Mountain www.theresort.com has croquet, an 18-hole putting game + spectacular 27-hole golf course setting).

Info & maps: Zig Zag Ranger Station, Wy’East Booke Shoppe or Mt. Hood Adventures in Government Camp (Govey). Fair Warning: Ranger Station & Mr. Hood Adventures a challenge with iffy hours.

Some special things: Gardens of Enchantment www.oralhull.org near Sandy, a special garden featuring the five senses: taste, touch, hearing, smell and sight. [more] Wildwood Recreation Site and Cascade Streamwatch lovely riverside trails and spy on minnows at the underground streamwatch viewing station www.blm.gov [ARCHIVES: Tracking Bear] Barlow Road Wayside interpretive ADA trail and biking/hiking trails into the wilderness off Barlow Trail Road west of Brightwood. Lower Salmon River Trail woodsy riverside walk & Pacific Crest Trail yep, the big one, Canada to Mexico.

Alpine Lakes: Timothy, Frog and don’t miss the views! at Trillium, Lost and the very special Little Crater. [ARCHIVES: Did You Say Monster? (Lost Lake) and A Scruffy Pond (Little Crater Lake)]

Heritage: The Barlow Road Audio Driving Tour CD — traditional music, quotes from the pioneers and 20 historic sites (including Pioneer Woman’s Grave off Hwy. 35, Summit Meadow, Devil’s Backbone and the Philip Foster Farm www.philipfosterfarm.com found in museums, bookstores or at www.mthoodterritory.com; Sandy Museum www.sandyhistorical.org don’t miss the logging exhibit! Mt Hood Cultural Center & Museum in Government Camp www.mthoodmuseum.org history of the mountain, skiing and The Barlow Road — the pioneers’ “last leg” of the Oregon Trail around Mt. Hood to Oregon City.

[ARCHIVES: Marmot + Oregon’s First Destination Resort]

And Wine! Three winery tasting rooms along Hood River Valley’s gorgeous orchard "Fruit Loop" tour www.hoodriverfruitloop.com: Award winning Cathedral Ridge www.cathedralridgewinery.com; Pheasant Valley Winery www.pheasantvalleywinery.com try the award-winning organic pear wine and Katerina’s Gourmet Chocolates. Phelps Creek www.phelpscreekvineyards.com is adjacent to the Hood River golf course. This is a lovely thing, no? How nice to come off the course and relax at Phelps’ outdoor tables in that soft summer air with perhaps a lively, slightly citrus 2006 un-oaked Chardonnay. [more wine touring see Columbia River Gorge Scenic Area]