Visiting Hood River is a must on its own!! But you cannot…read morebeat what you're going to get at the waterfront park !! A small cove cut out for the beach , kite surfing or watching, beautiful water views, Mt. hood, beautiful people watching, playgrounds, it's all here and worth the visit! A couple of things to keep in mind, the bathrooms are very clean and accessible spread throughout . They have a lifejacket lender station !!! It was so nice to be able to let the kids just hop in the water and swim freely! (because I sure as heck I'm not gonna pack lifejackets on my trip who does that?!) Within walking distance, there are so many food options. We always visit Solstice (see that review if you're looking for some great pizza in town).

Known as the 'Windsurfing Capital of the World', Hood River is a small city in Oregon, on the banks…read moreof the Columbia River. It is known for its concentration of craft breweries in the downtown area, and the ability to consume alcohol publicly on open sidewalks and parks. My wife, mother-in-law, and I drove intentionally to see the city during our visit to the Gorge, and stopped by the famous Park next to the River. It was drizzling and cold this day, so finding free street parking was easy. We found a place to sit, and admire the brave souls surfing. There is a small beach area, and children life jackets to share. And a nice grassy area with playground equipment.

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.

It is such a beautiful and scenic drive each and every time going through the Columbia River Gorge!…read moreIt's something I never tire of and there are so many things to go see both on the Oregon and Washington side of the Gorge. One of the most notable places to stop is Multnomah Falls. It's a highly popular place and it is certainly understandable as to why but it is best to go early. You may even need to look into getting a reservation in order to get a parking space as well... because yes... it is actually that popular all year round. There are so many cute little towns through the Gorge as well. Hood River is a favorite of ours and I believe it's a favorite for a lot of people but Cascade Locks is nice as well and the Washington side has cute towns as well. On the Oregon side is Interstate 84 but don't explore this Interstate or route as a quick, brisk route to get east to west (or vice versa) as you cannot go typical Interstate speed through the Gorge. The curvature of the road and through this long stretch simply doesn't allow you to do that so it would be worth looking into alternate routes as possible if quickness is the only thing in mind otherwise you kind of just have to endure the reduced speeds. The Columbia River itself one doesn't have to repeat how beautiful it is but it's understandable if you do. River activities never fail to mesmerize. Like the group of people we once saw sailing down the river with boogie boards ( perhaps there's another name for it I'm not in the know with that) and the almost other worldly appearance of numerous fisherman on boats once fishing season was in full swig in the early morning. It's something one can never get tired of, The Columbia Gorge and I enjoy it each and every time I drive through it. It's breathtaking and truly one of essential drives to partake if visiting Oregon.

This area is an absolute must see if you are in the Portland area. It is really gorgeous. We drove…read moreto the visitor center and from there hiked up toward Multnomah Falls. It is a great way to get your steps in while surrounded by nature at its finest. There a number of waterfalls in this area and if you don't have time to get out and hike, there are some that can be seen from your car while driving by. We spent most of a day driving and hiking to the waterfalls using a map we got from the visitor center. It was raining during our visit, but we still got to see some beautiful scenery. There's a restaurant at Multnomah Falls Lodge in case you are looking for a place for lunch while in the area.

First, here is the important stuff: They have RV parking and…read moretent area (separate from RVs). If you're interested, RV spots have: Water, Electricity, Sewer We were here from Sunday to Tuesday, 8/2 to 8/4: This is a great place for people planning on parking their RVs and taking off during the day. It's not really a great place to stay and chill all day long. It's right next to the Hood River Bridge (although it's $2 to get across then another $2 to return). We were in site 6 and want to know what my view was? TRAFFIC, oh, and a beautiful gas station. I had to laugh. I picked this place because it was near a lot and it received pretty good reviews and honestly, the breweries were closed in Hood River due to COVID so technically could have bypassed this one. Speaking of COVID, the guy in the office nor the 2 customers inside wore masks. That did not make me happy. Please wear a mask! We do it for you, please do it for us. Basically, your campsite choices, if you have an RV, are traffic noise or train noise. Honestly, I would have preferred train noise. There was a spot open the entire time I was there and I asked if I could have it and was told no. Meh! I really didn't pay much since I received a discount with Good Sam membership. I paid under $40. so that's a plus. I guess I need to say the good because I have been cranky...blame it on the traffic noise. ;) - The place is clean. - You're supposed to have wifi access although I was never able to connect. - We had a decent size grass area with a picnic table. Considering the one next to us (#7?) didn't have any grass, this was a blessing. - We didn't have a dog but saw that they had a good size dog area. If you are tent camping they have a nice area that's under a bunch of trees. Granted, you are right next to the tent area. It looked so serene. Honestly, I told my husband that we should just bring our chairs and sleep there. Really, our site wasn't as noisy if we had our air conditioner on all night. ;) In the tent grass area there is a horseshoe pit. Yes, I played and wasn't that terrible. Just try and get deeper into the park and not on the street near the entrance. It will probably make a difference.

We were driving 6 hours already when we pulled in around sunset. Right before 5pm. We selected what…read morewe thought would be a vacant spot, a back-in for our truck cabover. I got out and had a look around, looking for the office or anyone working. Next thing we know this blue-haired fat troglodyte comes running and screeching, saying we "didn't have a reservation and didn't pay," and would give us three minutes to come to the office or she would call the cops. My wife said, "we're winging it!" We didn't call or check before coming and she aggressively came over and confronted us. She wouldn't listen to me when I said I was looking for an employee or the front office. I got upset with her behavior which was totally uncalled for and very RUDE. We decided then to go back across the bridge and find a local campground, Viento State Park, arriving at night which I never like to do. This unfriendly employee working at this park put us at risk by not being accommodating, and setting us out on the roads after dark. Avoid this place.

Love this State Park!…read more This place is a little gem amongst state parks. It's kind of in the middle of nowhere...wouldn't have come upon it most likely had the hubby not seen note of it on a waterfall blog. First impression, the grounds are pristine. Perfectly manicured grasses scattered with picnic tables. Restrooms...extremely clean. There's a decent amount of parking near the restrooms/upper falls, as well as some right off the highway. A genius idea really, they made a now ghostly, obsolete hydroelectric power plant into a park. You can hear the upper falls as soon as you pull up, running hard and fast right now! You get great views from the overlook at the end of the lot, which is very accessible to most anyone. From there you can take the trail down to peek into the rusty, old ruins of the plant, as well as further down to another smaller, but still impressive falls. Heads up though, the trail down is NOT accessible to everyone. The footing is loose and fairly steep. BUT, if you can at least get down to the overlook above the old building do it...the view of the upper falls from that point is extraordinary. Really a gorgeous falls, much more than I expected. Just a great park, I highly recommend a visit to this one!

Spectacular falls, gorgeous views, interesting hiking trail to the bottom. Had to climb over logs…read moreand rocks to get to the bowl of the lower falls. Looks like something out of the movies! So amazing and can't believe it took me so long to get here! Fun ruins to explore as well!

Lovely setting...but way too loud to stay overnight…read more Decided to stay at the campground while exploring the area. The setting of the campground is really pretty, and felt quite peaceful until dark. I'd noticed the sign on the info board warning of noise. But honestly I assumed it would be the normal passing train noise we always experience when staying along the gorge. But this location was something different...train whistles were sounded throughout the entire night. No sleep was to be had for me here. Regardless, we prepped to roam the trails that morning. While I didn't have big expectations when we started off along the river we really ended up enjoying the trails. The hillsides around the Deschutes provide a simply stunning landscape. There are multiple, parallel levels of trails from which to choose. We opted to take about 5 miles round trip, starting on the lowest trail and looping back via the next level up. The trails are narrow & winding, with uneven surfaces. On that sunny day it was very serene, with only the sounds of the river and birds. I wouldn't consider using the campground again, simply due to the train whistles. The sites weren't at all private, some level/some not...but all with nice river views. I would definitely recommend use of the trail system, however.

This is an ok park if you are stopping for a picnic or to take a hike. It's right on the river so…read morethere are great views, fresh air and all that the Gorge has to offer. However, being the Gorge it can get windy. Sometimes very windy. I don't camp but if I did it wouldn't be here. It's right on the rail line and five mile long freight rains pass by a few hundred feet away every five minutes..... literally. Other than that, it's a good State park with all the amenities. Easy to get to so if you are on the Interstate and need a break you'll find this area more refreshing than a highway rest area.

Absolutely Beautiful! Even though it was windy , cold and wet. A must see if you ever visit…read moreWashougal, WA. I was just just looking at maps trying to find places to explore and was pleasantly surprised! Apparently you can swim in the lake and it's great for dogs!

Peaceful and beautiful spot on the river. A good family friendly spot. I plan on coming back here…read moreon a hot day to swim with the kiddos. Took my dog this time and let her off at the end of the beach which was pretty secluded. Some horses even showed up!

Without going into too much detail , this please breaks the stereotypes for Nude beaches. Lots of…read morepeople in the 18 - 30 age range if you go on the weekends when its warm out. I would recommend going early however, on really hot days find parking will become difficult after 10:30am. I once swam from here to Washington and back (Was clothed for this lol) but I would only recommend doing that with a friend or two and only if you are all expert swimmers. Side note, Summer is obviously the best time to attempt this if you wanna give it a shot. Watch out also for the boats.

Such a gem! This is a beautiful river beach close to Portland making it super convenient to get…read moreaway and enjoy the beauty and peacefulness of this gorgeous area. On a sunny day, in any month, the view is just spectacular. You can see both Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens from the beach area. The beach is clothing optional and people are in all variations from nude, to topless, to clothed. So if walking around naked isn't your thing, don't let that stop you. You do you and everyone else will do themselves. It all works. As you drive down NW Raider, you will pass the Island Cove Market. if you haven't bought a permit to park, stop here to get one. It's $7 a day or $30 for an annual pass, well worth it. Don't neglect to buy the permit, they patrol frequently and will fine or tow!!! After the Island Cove Market you will pass a beach - you will know based on the cars all parked on the left and a hill to the right with several stairs and handrails taking you over the small hill to beach. Keep driving. When you hit the gravel road, you are in Clothing Optional Beach territory. Anywhere along this several mile stretch, park your car to the left and walk through the various marked paths to the right. When you walk through the clearing, you will be delighted by the sight of a decent sized white sandy beach, the river sprawled out in front of you with views across the water to the grass and trees. Plus Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Hood standing proud. It's stunning! And so peaceful. There are no bathroom facilities. This is Sauvie Island and it's not built up or commercialized. That's part of the charm and why it remains so pristine. There are porta potties located every 40 feet or so along the parking area. As well as garbage bins. Do take all your trash with you, don't leave it on the beach. This beach is great for long walks, sunbathing, picnics, floating or swimming in the water. In the summer, the water is actually pretty warm. And few waves other than when a large barge goes by and creates some waves. So if you like stunning scenery, peace and quiet plus water you can swim in, check it out! I plan on frequenting often this summer. I'll be the one in full bathing suit and a sun hat!

With plenty of shaded picnic tables, a walking path, large open grass area, water access and public…read morerestrooms, this is a family friendly park. There is even a small, very small, playground area for little kids. There are beach / river access areas but I didn't see any lifeguards. If you aren't from this area, be aware of the extremely high wind speeds and currents. I'd recommend just dipping your feet, not swimming! There is plenty of parking, even on the busiest days. Located off exit 85 on I-84, just minutes from downtown The Dalles, the Riverfront Park is open Memorial Day through October 31st, Dawn til dusk.