8 Best Sights in Hood River, The Columbia River Gorge

Either by car or bicycle, tour the quiet country highways of Hood River Valley, which abounds with fruit stands, U-pick berry farms, wineries, and cideries. You can visit nearly 30 businesses along this picturesque, pastoral 35-mile route. Shop for juicy apples, pears, cherries, and peaches fertilized by volcanic soil, pure glacier water, and a conducive harvesting climate. And visit superb wineries and cider houses with sunny patios for tasting, as well as vendors of delicious baked goods, honeys and jams, fresh flowers, and fragrant lavender. While on the loop, consider stopping in the small town of Parkdale for lunch at Apple Valley BBQ, to taste beer at Solera Brewery, and to snap a photo of Mt. Hood's north face.

You'll find pretty much everything the Hood River Valley is famous for growing and producing at this picturesque, century-old farm anchored by a Dutch Colonial farmhouse and surrounded by acres of U-pick flowers, apple and peach trees, and blackberry and blueberry bushes. After strolling through the farm fields, stop inside the main house to sample local wines from Kennedy Family Farms and Cellars. Out back, there's a farm store, another tasting room serving local craft cider, and a garden patio with seating and a food-truck-style café serving delicious burgers, pear-goat cheese quesadillas, cherry-bacon flatbread pizzas, and other light fare.

One of the most-photographed spots in the region, this lake's waters reflect towering Mt. Hood and the thick forests that line its shore. Open May through mid-October, the blissfully quiet 240-acre wilderness resort in Mt. Hood National Forest, 25 miles southwest of Hood River, offers cabins and campsites for overnight stays, but it's also a popular destination for day-use recreation, offering miles of hiking trails, as well as fishing for rainbow trout, kayaking, rowboating, stand-up paddling, swimming, canoeing, and other non-motorized boating. There's also a camp store and a grill offering burgers, ice cream, and other light fare.

Somewhat unusual for the Pacific Northwest, this boutique winery with a small, airy tasting room and a verdant garden patio specializes in Italian varietals—Moscato, Dolcetto, Sangiovese, Barbera, Nebbiolo, and a few others. Owner Franco Marchesi hails from Italy's Piemonte region, and he's earned serious kudos for his finesse as a winemaker.

Part of the joy of visiting this organic U-pick lavender farm that harvests some 75 varieties of the plant is the beautiful drive up the hill from the village of Odell. Stroll through the fields of lavender, relax in a chair taking in mesmerizing views of Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams, or peruse the huge selection of lavender products in the gift shop—everything from lip balms and shampoo to infused teas and dried lavender bouquets. The season for picking fresh lavender yourself is June–September, but you can visit the shop Friday–Sunday the rest of the year.

Scenic passenger excursions along a small rail line established in 1906 offer a picturesque and relaxing way to survey Mt. Hood and the Hood River Valley. Chug alongside the Hood River through vast fruit orchards before climbing up steep forested canyons, glimpsing Mt. Hood along the way. There are several trip options: a four-hour excursion (serves light concessions), dinner, brunch, and several themed trips, like murder mysteries and Old West robberies, and a family-favorite holiday-inspired Train to Christmas Town runs throughout much of November and December. In summer, the railroad offers 2½-hour railbiking excursions, during which participants pedal along the tracks on tandem railbikes.

In addition to producing increasingly acclaimed wine—with particularly impressive Pinot Gris, dry Riesling, Zinfandel (which is seldom bottled in these parts), Pinot Noir, Barbera, and Tempranillo—this winery adjacent to the long-running Fruit Company (fruit and gift baskets) has a beautiful, contemporary tasting room with gorgeous Mt. Hood views from inside and the expansive patio.

Housed at Hood River's tiny airport (general aviation only), the museum's impressive, meticulously restored, propeller-driven planes are all still in flying condition, and the oldest date back to the 1910s. The antique steam cars, Model Ts, and sleek Depression-era sedans are road-worthy, too. Periodic car shows and an annual fly-in draw thousands of history buffs and spectators.