Lovely park need more picnic tables. Came with a friend that I was visiting and my daughter and her…read moredog that she had to live with me when she moved to an assisted living facility he so enjoyed being led by all the kids, and it was a very enjoyable afternoon. Thank you for this park.

The largest city park in Hood River encompassing a large city block between May Street and Taylor…read moreAvenue along 13th Street.it is a perfect central location for families to picnic and attend events. There is even a small playground for children. The park is just lovely! The green grass on the sloping hills under beautiful oak and fir trees creates such a lush and peaceful space throughout the year. My favorite time to go to Jackson Park is during the summer when they have concerts on Thursday nights. There is a large wooden Pavillion where the band sets up and there is plenty of room for the large crowds that gather. The park also has movie nights in the summer. The movies are projected onto a large screen and people gather on blankets and chairs with picnics to enjoy a movie under the sky. The park was donated to the City of Hood River in 1939 by a local rancher and wife, Charles & Viaje Jackson. It has been enjoyed by generations ever since. What a gift! There are bathrooms on site and they are generally clean. There is a strip parking lot on the May Street side and parking on Taylor Street.

For a small town, this park has everything! Shaded areas with several tables for picnics and BBQs;…read moretwo baseball fields; a horseshoe pit; a public pool open in the summer months; walking paths and trails; and most important, clean bathrooms! Along the side of the park is a babbling creek with a wooden bridge that crosses over so you can walk along the natural area. If you prefer a paved path, there is a loop that takes you around the park. The day I was there, a family was enjoying a birthday party in the shade, having lots of fun. Not only does this park provide recreational space for the locals, there is an area is dedicated to overnight RV parking for $25. As you enter the park on the one way driveway that encircles the space, the managers office is the first trailer to the right. I'm giving it five stars because for a small town of less than 640, these are great amenities. So if you visit, out your expectations in check, keep it relative.

Hidden treasure in Sherman County. Yet another well maintained and placed Oregon State Park…read moreCampground. I am so impressed by all Oregon SP's. especially their campgrounds. Wow! We stayed in Cliff Swallow Cabin which was beautiful. Smelled like Juniper inside. The park boosts many amenities. Including a bike repair and tire fill station clean and hot water showers, and in each cabin was a small fridge and conditioner and heaters. Plus there is a bbq and big sinks on the side of the bathroom/showers to wash dishes if you wanted to cook. We saw Nighthawks and heard Common Poorwills in the evening. I will definitely be back!

This is a nice State park as most of Oregon State parks are. Well kept, helpful Rangers, great…read moreviews and perfect for a picnic lunch. Several hiking trails. This is one of the better State parks in Oregon. Right off SR206 south of Wasco. $30/yr for an annual pass or $50 for a two year pass and well worth it. Oregon has one of the best State park systems in the USA.

Secluded lake park perfect for those who want a lake to themselves…read more Boat ramp available but the lake is not large enough for anything more than Jon boats. Plenty of well worn trails around the lake, some leading down to the banks to fish alongside. All trails are fairly easy for all ages. Views are serene. Ample parking, bathrooms available but bring your own wipes ;) *Warning* as there is no fresh water source to circulate, signage indicates extreme toxic levels especially during warm weather seasons. Safer to avoid during the summer.

Down a dirt road, past some industry sits this little lake(s). Certainly an unassuming park, it's…read moregot a bit to offer if you're ok with the not-so-pleasant constant odor wafting through the area (I assume from one of those businesses we passed on our way in). There are 2 "lakes" here, more pond-like I would say. Quite a bit of parking is available, with a vault toilet, boat ramp, life jackets, and a trail running the circumference of Spear Lake. We took that path, which is mostly single file width and easy for anyone. Lots of birds and ducks...as well as wind...with lovely views of ridges on both sides of the Columbia. There's a graveyard for an old car on the far side that Mother Nature is absorbing best she can. Would I go out of my way to visit again? No. But it's a decent place for a stroll if you live nearby or are passing through...as long as you can ignore the smell. Heads up, ticks are out here already this spring...we noticed one hitchhiker halfway around.

A lush, beautiful state park located off I-84 near Rowena. After passing by more times than I can…read morecount, I decided to venture off the highway to check it out. Was so surprised and delighted by the incredible views of the basalt cliffs across the way, and of course, close up views of the magnificent Columbia River. There is an area under the trees with picnic tables, a perfect spot to gather for a meal after a nice walk or hike. Plenty of parking, great views, peaceful and serene - a gem.

We pulled off recently to check out Mayer. In our camper van, it was a lovely, quiet spot to enjoy…read morea stretch and a meal. It seemed to be more like a county park in feel, with plenty of parking, some picnic tables, and toilets. They had a recycle bin alongside the trash cans...loved to see that. Albeit a cold December day, we only saw a couple of cars come and go while we were there. From signage it appears to be a good windsurfing area at other times of the year, so I'm sure it gets much busier. Nice little stop-off along the gorge for a view, a stretch, or a picnic.

A short, but pretty cool trail in BZ Corner along the White Salmon to a waterfall…read more We noticed this falls mentioned in an online article. Since we were hiking nearby, we decided to drop by and check it out. Clearly a popular drop-in site for rafters and kayakers, the day-use site has plenty of parking, as well as toilets. From the lot the trail starts off with a rail system to assist in sliding crafts down to the water. Pretty cool setup, I'd actually never seen this type of system. Once you reach the base of the cliffs, the hiking trail takes off to the left while the rails continue to the right and down to the water. The trail is an out and back about a 1/2 mile with various types of footing...planks, a boardwalk, rocks, and dirt...all fairly muddy right now. We also had to hopscotch through running water a couple times, nothing huge though. The trail runs between the cliffs and the river all the way, and with the waters running fast right now the sound was fabulous. It comes to an end on a platform overlooking a small falls in the river, as well as one coming over the cliff...the latter of which was pretty hidden in the brush and trees currently, but you can get a peek of it. There's actually a gate on the platform that allows you a bit more access to get a closer view of the falls. We got a bit muddy last weekend, but to be expected this time of year. The trail is quite pretty, with one exception at the end. Unfortunately someone has dumped a couple old tires over the cliff that settled just below the partially hidden falls off to the left of the viewing platform. Such a shame... Overall it's a short and easy hike for most any ability in a pretty river setting. Not too shabby... besides those tires. Grrrr.

Moderately challenging, the "non-launch" trail is a neat walk. A good view of the power of the…read moreriver, the trail was dry on this spring day. It's less groomed though so shoes with decent grip would be well-advised.

I was lucky enough to have gone hiking here a few weeks before the fire…read more I parked at Rowena Crest, and accidentally wandered a couple of miles up a hill and back down. The Tom McCall trail starts right across the street from Rowena Crest. It's 1.5 miles from the parking area to the top of the hill. There are no restrooms nearby. Parking is free, and permits are not required. However, this area fills up very fast. Even during a Northern Lights show at 3am a few weeks ago, the parking area was crowded and lit up with headlights. Out of all the wildflower hikes I've personally done so far in the Columbia River Gorge, this was the prettiest one. I went in late May and in early June. The balsam root was beginning to droop, but a lot of the other flowers were still in full bloom, or just beginning to bloom. I got some great photos of lupine and paintbrush with the Gorge in the background. Aside from the wildflowers, there was also a lot of plant diversity on this trail compared to others in the area. I saw lots of oak or tanoak near the top of the hill, and some cool looking multi colored shrubs I don't yet know the names of. This trail has been temporarily closed since the fire. I'm not sure how the fire affected the area, or how long it will be until it reopens.

Event: Wandering through Wild Flowers…read more Pros: Im with a group called #Afronature located in Portland and we get out to explore monthly. This time around we decided to explore the Tom McCall Preserve. There was roughly 30 Black individual who made the brave hike up this mountain. Let me tell you on a scale of 1 to 10, this 5 mile hike was about a 9 in difficulty for non hikers. We literally huffed and puffed our behinds to the top of that dawg gone mountain! The views and the wildflowers were beautiful. Cons: n/a Side Note: Bring plenty of Water and snacks! There is very little shade so it is possible to get dehydrated. Wear appropriate boots or walking shoes. Loose clothes are suggested. And bring plenty of sun screen!!!!!!

A great small area to let your dog run off leash. However, they are closed for the winter. There is…read morea baseball field across from there. You must pick up after your dog if you let them run there.

This is a decent size off leash dog park. Lots of space for the dogs to run and play. My grand…read moredogs love it here, they get so excited. It gets busy around 4-5, you will find all different kind of dogs that frequent this park. There is a bucket there for people to donate toys for all the dogs, such a great idea. They have two picnic tables for seating. Great place, remember to pick up after your dogs!!