Trillium lake is such a special place to visit. I love being able to kayak somewhere without motor…read moreboats. If you're looking want to be able to actually have a decent parking spot and get some paddling in then go early.

Relaxing. Very good view of mt hood. Picnic areas clean. Public restroom available. You can go on…read morefishing here.

This review is for Mirror Lake Loop which was a ~4.3 miles round trip that took ~2 hours to…read morecomplete. Located 22 minutes away from Tamanawas Falls, Mirror Lake Loop was a dense forest trail that was ~90% shaded in Mt Hood, Oregon. The first ~5 minutes of the trail was paved and becomes a dirt trail filled with rocks and roots. The last stretch towards the lake was an incline alongside the mountain. There were only a few openings around the lake to view the water and the surroundings. The best view would be the Mirror Lake with Mt Hood in the distance! Limited parking area at the trailhead. Restroom available at the parking lot. Short video of the hike for those interested! https://youtu.be/8WsTe72wDP4

8.1 miles, 1509 ft elevation gain, 2 hrs 33 minutes…read more The hike all the way to Tom, Dick, and Harry Mountain is definitely longer than the stated 8 miles on AllTrails. We did not have enough water and had to turn around a bit early at mile 4 (for a grand total of 8). Tom, Dick, and Harry Mountain was visible but I didn't want to risk my poor pup overheating on such a warm day. Not many other folks go past mirror lake or the initial mountain viewpoint so you might find you'll have this to yourself. The trail is very well maintained to mirror lake, and even has a few cute little bridges and stream crossings. After that, it can be quite narrow and bouldery though there are many beautiful wildflowers lining the trail. There were also a few mosquitos just after the lake so come prepared with bug spray. All I can speak for is the mountain viewpoint (since that's as far as we got) but it was worth the trek up there to see Mt. Hood, Mirror Lake, and Government Camp from that point of view.

Little Zigzag Falls, Welches, Oregon. Sept, 2024…read more What a great little hike! Located in the Mt. Hood National Forest, this is an easy-to-access trail a few paved miles off OR-26. The parking area, with space for maybe 20 or so cars, is at the end of the road. There are trail signs, as well as a porta-potty. You need a Northwest Forest Pass, or NPS pass, to park here but they are not sold on-site. (You can purchase at the Zigzag Ranger District @ 70220 E. Highway 26 in Zigzag). The Forest Service (FS) describes the trail as a "gentle uphill trail located in a narrow canyon next to the Little Zigzag River." The shaded and mostly smooth trail ends at the falls. There are some rocks and roots but overall it's quite smooth. Also, per the Forest Service, it's a great hike for kids, but supervision along the riverside is a must. We note that the stream was exceptionally fast-moving and the falls he a lot of water in mid-September The FS describes the trail as having a distance of 0.5 miles (one way), but All Trails lists it as 0.6 for BOTH ways and my watch recorded 0.7 for both. The trail is at an elevation of around 3,250 feet, and is snow-free from June to November. There's a nice shaded picnic table near the start of the trail. There's also a wooden bench near the falls. The trail is not wheelchair accessible.

Nice, easy hike with an awesome payoff at the end. The parking lot is pretty spacious. The hike is…read morevery short itself so perfect for families. Great views at the end.

This review is for Tamanawas Falls Trail which was a ~3.4 miles round trip that took ~2 hours to…read morecomplete. This was a short and easy hike towards another stunning waterfall in the Mt Hood, Oregon. Trail was mostly a narrow dirt path that becomes a little more rocky with a steady incline in the second half of the trail. Most of the trail was next to a running creek. Furthermore, there were a bit of flies in the last 0.25 miles to the waterfall. Limited parking area at the trailhead. Restroom available at the parking lot. Short video of the hike for those interested! https://youtu.be/vRrwqvR6rJo

What a beautiful hike! I'd say it's pretty family-friendly overall. There is some uphill hiking and…read moretwo short sections that are a little questionable to get up and over, but we were able to do it with a 9-month-old strapped to one parent, a 3-year-old strapped to the other, a 12-year-old, a 14-year-old, and two grandparents. We loved that most of the trail is shaded by trees, though enough sun still comes through that sunscreen is recommended. Definitely bring water. One of the coolest parts is that you can go up behind the waterfall, but be prepared to climb rocks to get there--it's not an easy walk-up-and-around situation. The hike is about 3.5-3.6 miles. There were a decent number of people there, but it never felt overwhelmingly crowded. Amenities include restrooms, picnic tables, an information kiosk, and dogs are allowed on leash. A $5 day pass, Northwest Forest Pass, or Interagency Pass is required from May 15 to October 1.

My family and I had a great time at Mt. Hood Adventure Park. We rode the alpine slide, which was…read moredefinitely the attraction I was looking forward to the most. The park was quieter and less crowded than I expected. The alpine slide alone was $29 per person, but you can purchase an unlimited pass for about $79-$89 per person. I recommend the pass if you plan to experience several attractions. The park has two sections--the east and west sides--which are about a three-minute drive apart. I don't recommend walking between them. Other attractions include a maze, zip lines, bungee jumping, go-karts, batting cages, rock climbing, a summer tubing hill, and much more. There is also a bar and restaurant on the west side of the park.

(This review is my kid's opinion about the alpine slide specifically)…read more "We didn't have to wait very long to get on [mom's note: we were there around 11AM on a Monday] so I recommend to get there early for not a lot of lines. There was good view from the top. The people were helpful to get you off the lift and onto the slide. They will tell you what to do, like how to go fast and slow. I liked feeling in control of the speed. There are leisure and experienced tracks but I didn't really seem to notice a difference. It took about 5-10 minutes to come down. Probably the trip up was longer." Another mom note re: missing 5th star: the website and pricing details were not easy to navigate. There is NO WHERE on the a la carte page that clarifies that the rides are per person (only on the paperwork at the gift shop do they make that clear). I had to fork over an additional $20 onsite but was not ready to spend an additional $30 beyond that for the experience. Instead, stayed at the bottom to get photos.

I love using Mt. Hood Outfitters, they are so great. The first time I used them was perhaps over 7…read moreyears ago, we rented some Stand-Up-Paddleboards around on Trillium Lake, and the service was great, and the equipment was really great. We did that twice through them, circa 2014. And, recently we were camping at Clackamas Lake for an Ultra-Trail Race in July, and we decided to rent a canoe on a whim at Timothy Lake. Once, we found out where the Outfitters were set up by the Dam, they were really easy to work with. We were able to run a credit card, and they provided life jackets- we were even able to take our doggo with us (who had a life jacket). And, the whole transaction took less than 5 minutes, and we were on the lake! It was really low key, and low pressure, and convienent. I will definitely be using this company in the future. I also would speculate some of the other reviews were for different look-alike-sound-alike company names, perhaps they were not Mt. Hood Outfitters. They are the perfect component to a great summer vacation day!

Great looking shop. Lots of great rental options. Whether it's skis or snowboards, they have an…read moreawesome rental selection that will provided such a fun experience on the mountain. Quick service and nice people.

This hike was an easy hike but has a lot of foliage to see as well as hearing the stream the entire…read morehike was amazing. It's a pretty straight shot hike out and hike back. Make sure if you are using all trails you download the map before you get into the hike as you lose service half way up the road to the hike. They have port a potty to use and good parking.

This is an awesome trail! Drive about 17 miles past Sandy and turn right onto Salmon River Road…read more Drive another 2.5 miles on a paved path to a gravel parking lot. (Technically, you need a recreation pass to park at the trailhead.) The trail starts right there. It is about 1.9 miles out and another 1.9 miles back. The path is fairly flat and it goes right next to the Salmon River. The road is on your other side but you hardly notice it thanks to the sound of the river and the beautiful forest. There are some creeks that cross the trail, so wear waterproof shoes. When I visited in December, one creek crossing was big enough that I could not cross in my short booties and with my little dog so we turned around early. Would love to come back!

What a brilliant view of Mt. Hood. We were going to go to Mirror Lake but decided to check this…read moreplace out first and are glad we did. We parked the car, walked over to the water and BOOM, the view is right there. No long hike or anything like that. Mission Accomplished! We stopped at the Zig Zag Ranger Station on the drive in and purchased a day pass for $5. It turned out to be a good move as they were charging $10 here. I'm still deciding what to do with my vast savings. There were lots of people kayaking and hiking and just hanging out. It's just a beautiful spot to be.

Place is a dump poorly run and a mess. Lake is really small and shoreline is muddy. The road is…read morefull of potholes. I wouldn't waste my time.

I just went yesterday and almost had the place to myself. Beautiful trail getting up to there. 2…read moreout of 5 tubs needed some cleaning. Sometimes they will have a scrubber brush for you to scrub the bottom and sides of your tub before getting in. I recommend bringing a soft Brissle brush (pack in pack out) and then giving it a rinse before filling up you pool. Water was very hot n felt amazing. Use the cold hose to balance out desired temp.

Personally I had a great experience here. The hike was absolutely gorgeous and breathtaking, also…read morenot that difficult which was nice. The actual facility was a little confusing for us because we had never been but there are 4 tubs you can use together and then one big private tub on the other side of the property. We arrived early enough that there was only one person there already so we were able to fill our tub and get in pretty easily. I can see where people have issues with the privacy or nudity, it was a little uncomfortable but the people who were around us were very respectful. We had a great time soaking for an hour or two and then it started to get busy so we packed up and left feeling very relaxed. It wasn't gross or anything, and nothing happened. Overall a wonderful experience in such a foggy, rainy, mystical area!

Great snow park for snow sledding, sliding, and tubing. Also there are several hiking trails…read morenearby. It's a much larger parking lot and park than snowbunny. Although it's ~10 minutes further away from government camp than snow bunny, it's likely worth it to go since there are usually fewer people and less crowded. The easiest & most gentle sliding routes are just east of the parking lot (on the right side when facing Mt Hood). Steeper routes with jumps are available as you walk further up the road towards Mt Hood. Snow parking passes are required & easily purchased at the Chevron gas station in Government Camp ($6/day, $30 for the whole season)

One of the great things about being retired and having an RV is the ability to travel when and…read morewhere the urge strikes us. Once in a while, we find a special place. This was such a place. We were traveling in Oregon, and learned from Campendium that the White River West Sno Park allows FREE overnight parking during the warmer months. (A parking fee is charged from Nov 1-April 30). This is a dry camping area, meaning that there are no hook-ups (electricity, water, dump station). But, the sno park has a huge paved parking lot, plenty of ooen sky to recharge our solar panels, easy access from OR-35 (yet it was still quiet overnight), restrooms with vault toilets, access to hiking trails, and views to die for -- specifically of Mt. Hood but also of a completely dark night sky filled with stars and constellations. We shared the lot overnight with four other vehicles; it felt safe. After doing a short hike, I was disappointed to leave.