Columbia River Gorge and Mt.Hood National Forest

We visited Columbia river gorge and Mt. Hood with our base in Portland. The drive from Portland on the Columbia river highway is scenic and truly gorgeous with many waterfalls flowing into the swelling Columbia river. Here’s a list of few notable ones.

We stopped at the famous, picturesque and most visited waterfall in Oregon – Multnomah falls. Benson bridge, which sits in front of the falls adds to its beauty. Passing the misty bridge, a hike to the top of the falls should not be missed; roundtrip distance from the base of the waterfall is around 1.2 miles. That was easy.

Mt. Hood national forest is 20 miles east of Portland. Since we were visiting in December when much of the route is icy, we preferred to take the Shuttle from Sandy. From Sandy transit center, there are cheap shuttles to Mt. Hood, all the way to Timberline lodge.

To make sure you have a seat on your way back, take the shuttle from Government camp going towards Timberline and ride it all the way back to Sandy.

Mt. Hood national forest is absolutely gorgeous in winter, and the best way to explore around is to snowshoe.

Snowshoes, poles, skis and boots can be rented from Mountain tracks. They also provide you with a trail map.

We snowshoed one of the trails on Mt Hood.

If you wish to spend more time in this snowy wonderland there are quite a few staying options in Government camp.

(This was a five day trip in the last week of December)

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