Is Mt. Hood, Oregon worth a couple of days?

[fotodog]

I'm planning a trip from San Francisco in September, traveling through Oregon and spending most of our 2 weeks in Washington state. We have been to the Oregon coast several times, have been to Crater Lake, the Umqua and Rogue river headwaters, and the Columbia River, all beautiful areas.

The Mt. Hood area in Oregon might make a nice stop along the way, but I can find very few posts discussing this area. We enjoy hiking and photographing in scenic places that aren't too overrun with people. Would this area fit this description? Any suggested camping spots that would give convenient access to the park? Would prefer at least electric hookup, but can do without.

Initially, I'm planning on coming up Hwy. 197 from California, so the east side would probably be most convenient. And with that in mind, when continuing up to Mt. Rainier, is Hwy 141 OK for a 30 ft. Coach towing a Jeep? Favorite camping spots around Mt. Rainer?

Lots of questions, I know, but I appreciate any input.

[Roy_Lynne]

I love Oregon and I'm particularly found of North Central and eastern Oregon. We took this awesome trip from Portland east on Hwy 30, and we spent a couple of days at Condon Or and then checked out the area. We loved the ghost towns and with the exception of Lone Rock, Or that has a scary road going in and out, we enjoyed it so much.
John Day was another favorite and I could live in that little town and spend my life there.
Hardman, Heppner, and we took a train ride in Elgin Or. Joseph was awesome and John Day not to miss.

[Ed-N-Dani]

We went last year. The drive up Mt Hood was an experience. I guess for the daredevil type it would seem fun but that's not me. We had a fantastic time up there. Just took it easy going up and back down.



This was from out back of of our rental on the gorge



This was about an hour of walking up from the parking area on Mt Hood.

The most beautiful part of the country that I have ever seen.

Kindest regards
Ed

PS Bring a sweat shirt, it was 85 at sea level or close to. Up there it was in the mid to high 30s.

[donkeydew]

your question was mt hood not the whole north west .there is lots to do and see
especially if you enjoy hiking ..timberline lodge, ride the ski lift up palmer
goverment camp,ski bowl action park,timothy lake ,hiking and swimming.
i lived in rhododendron for almost a year and was never bored.

[dennis1]

That was Interstate 82 toward Yakima, then 12 then 410. Good read good scenery.

[fotodog]

Dennis, I hadn't seen that route, looks interesting. Does it have a lot of tight curves and grades? My wife is fine for most roads, we've been all over the Sierras in California, but she gets nervous when things start getting too squirrley 🙂

[fotodog]

You guys are great, thanks so much for all the replies!

[dennis1]

I wouldn't take 141 to Mt Rainier. Take I82 then 12 to 410 to my Rainier. Stop at Union Gap for great Tamale, Los Hernadez tamale. Also take a stop at Goldendale Observatory. Also while in central Oregon stop at Newberry Volcanic memorial near La Pine Oregon.

[dennis1]

My Rainier had three major campgrounds, White River, Cougar Rock and Ohanapecosh. White River has a length restriction. Other two ok. They are reservable campground and large sites. No hookups and lots of hiking area. PM me is you need specific information. Been there many times.

[vermilye]

RedRocket204 wrote:
While in OR, consider going to the John Day Fossil Beds NP: Painted Hills Unit.

https://www.nps.gov/joda/planyourvisit/ptd-hills-unit.htm

When we went there, we only saw a handful of people and it is an amazing and scenic area.

You can stay in Dayville at the Fish House Inn and RV Park although there are only 6 RV spots so make reservations. For an additional day trip, head north to the orchards to pick Rainier cherries or other summer fruits. Hang out at the John Day River or go into Fossil and dig for plant fossils at the high school for a small donation.

Great place to unwind and relax as the speed of things are well under the speed limit 😉

Not too far from the Fossil Beds National Monument (about 36 miles) in John Day is the Kam Wah Chung State Heritage Site. I visited there in 2014 - some photos. An interesting stop...

[Us_out_West]

allen8106 wrote:
Yes it is. My wife and I just spent 4 days there this past July and loved it. Assuming you like hiking there are 100's of trails to hike, there are numerous wineries, we visited the lavender fields. We stayed at Tollbridge Park in Parkdale, OR, a great place to stay at the base of Mt. Hood.

Agree, Tollbridge is a great stopover for the Mt. Hood area.

Our visit.

[dennis1]

Check out Timothy lake area. There are four major campgrounds around the lake. They are Forrest Service campground managed by PGE (Portland General Electric), Oak Fork, Gone Creek, Hoodview, and Pine Point. None have hookup. Some with great views overlooking Timothy lake and Mt Hood. Another Campground is Trillium Lake it's near Government Camp Resort and Ski area. It is also a Forrest Service campground run managed by CLM. NO hookups but all paved sites. Beautiful lake with great view of Mt Hood. Many large pull through and large back in sites. Good fishing lake and only human powered water crafts, such as rafts, canoes, kayaks, pontoon boats, and float tubes. It's a very clean campground with great Hosts. The previous recommendations are south of Mt Hood. Up North is Lost Lake Campground near Hood River.

[RedRocket204]

While in OR, consider going to the John Day Fossil Beds NP: Painted Hills Unit.

https://www.nps.gov/joda/planyourvisit/ptd-hills-unit.htm

When we went there, we only saw a handful of people and it is an amazing and scenic area.

You can stay in Dayville at the Fish House Inn and RV Park although there are only 6 RV spots so make reservations. For an additional day trip, head north to the orchards to pick Rainier cherries or other summer fruits. Hang out at the John Day River or go into Fossil and dig for plant fossils at the high school for a small donation.

Great place to unwind and relax as the speed of things are well under the speed limit 😉

[allen8106]

Yes it is. My wife and I just spent 4 days there this past July and loved it. Assuming you like hiking there are 100's of trails to hike, there are numerous wineries, we visited the lavender fields. We stayed at Tollbridge Park in Parkdale, OR, a great place to stay at the base of Mt. Hood.

[profdant139]

We have spent several days at Mt. Hood, a couple of times -- phenomenal hiking. Here is a link to a blog post -- lots of photos -- just type "Hood" in the search bar to skip down to the relevant stuff:

Mt. Hood