Hood River, Oregon

The town of Hood River is the county seat of Hood River County. It is a port on the Columbia River, and is named for the nearby Hood River waterway. It is best known as the Windsurfing Capital of the U.S., as a result of the potent winds funneling down the Columbia River. This small town is scenically positioned above the Columbia River basin, with majestic Mt. Hood as a backdrop. Mt. Hood is one of the few mountains in the U.S. that affords year-round snow skiing (but don’t try to convince Al Gore of this fact). The Mt. Hood Railroad provides dinner car excursions from Hood River to the base of the mountain. This area has an abundance of pastoral fruit orchards. Hood River is the home of the International Museum of Carousel Art. The town is easy to access along I-84, in north-central Oregon. It is located along the Mount Hood Scenic Byway and the Historic Columbia River Highway.