Two nights in White Salmon, WA–Big Trip #4

We visited White Salmon in late September 2022 as part of Big Trip #4.

the Airstream parked at a Columbia River overlook with Mount Hood in the background — the Columbia River and Mount Hood from an overlook outside White Salmon

We chose White Salmon for a one-night stop between Mount Rainier National Park and Bend, OR because it’s across the river from Hood River, OR, a hip and happening town. Just a few days before arriving we discovered that old friends live in White Salmon, so we added a night to our stay. White Salmon and Hood River are both really cool (and really dog-friendly) towns and the area has so many opportunities for outdoor activities. We’ll definitely return!

(In other exciting news, I got my 49th state (J already had Oregon), Bugsy got her 47th state (in the continental US, she only needs Vermont), and the Airstream got its 46th (Bugsy’s visit to Delaware wasn’t in the Airstream). We need to take another New England roadtrip!)

Campground

Bugsy in the Airstream's yard in White Salmon

We stayed at Gorge Base Camp, on a bluff over the Columbia River on the White Salmon side. Our original one-night reservation was for a spot overlooking the river, but we had to give that up for a regular pull-through when we extended our stay. The river spots have partial water views through the trees, but are on top of train tracks; we didn’t get much train noise at all at our central, sunny, pull-through site.

Downtown White Salmon is just up the hill from the campground (but not walkable), and Hood River is right across the river. There’s more to do on the Hood River side, and each time you cross the Hood River Bridge you have to pay a couple dollars in tolls. When we visited, there were no taxi or ride-share services available (Hood River has a pedi-cab, but bikes can’t cross the bridge).

The lanes on the bridge are super narrow–9 feet 4.75 inches–and we decided not to cross it with our 8 foot-wide Airstream. We even folded in our mirrors on the F-150 when crossing without the trailer. It only added a few minutes of drive time to cross at a bigger bridge up the river.

Hood River

Hood River is the larger of the two across-the-river neighbors, built along the banks of the Columbia and up the hill over the river. Its downtown is walkable and full of restaurants, bars, and shops, abutting a wide stretch of park space with walking paths and kitesurfing beaches along the river.

Exploring

Bugsy investigating the Columbia River — Bugsy checking out the Columbia River in Hood River

We got our bearings by walking Bugsy along the river for a couple miles. The bridge is a neat backdrop to the river trail, and we were hoping to see kitesurfers, but the wind wasn’t cooperating. Normally the Hood River waterfront is a huge kitesurfing scene thanks to the wind blowing through the Columbia River Gorge. The waterfront is a growing commercial and residential area and an ideal setting for a stroll.

From the river, we drove up the hill to downtown for a walk. The downtown area is super cute, with lots of spots for shopping and eating along the main drag.

Eating and drinking

Beer

Down by the river, we enjoyed PFriem Brewing on both days we were in town. The jammy pale and hazy IPA floated our boat, and the pumpkin ale was tasty for a small portion.

Ferment Brewing, PFriem’s neighbor, has a huge outdoor seating area and a pretty indoor space with river views. We stopped by and the tap list didn’t grab us, so we moved on, after admiring the place.

Not beer

cocktails at Camp 1805 — cocktails outside at Camp 1805

Camp 1805 Distillery is in the same complex as PFriem and Ferment. It has a fun Lewis and Clark theme (L&C first passed through the Columbia River Gorge in late 1805) and outdoor dog-friendly seating in little “cabins.” We sampled specialty cocktails and tuna poke wonton nachos; service was a bit slow but the food and drink and spot overall were very good.

order counter at Stoked Roasters in Hood River — Stoked Roasters counter

To fuel our waterfront stroll with Bugsy, we caffeinated at Stoked Roasters, very busy the morning we stopped in. It looked like a place you’d want to meet a friend or do some work.

Food

bagels and juice from Freshies — Brunch at Freshies

After walking the waterfront and walking the downtown strip, we needed lunch and headed for Freshies Bagels and Juicery. Their bagels are fantastic! We sat outside with Bugsy and had breakfast bagels and fresh juice and it was the perfect brunch.

The dog parking area next to the door was a really cute and useful idea for good dogs (our neurotic dog would never agree to be parked there).

the line at Grasslands BBQ — waiting in line at Grasslands

High on J’s to-do list for Hood River was to pick up barbecue from Grasslands Barbecue, a self-described “Tex-ish” food truck parked next to Ferment down by the river. We stopped by to talk strategy with the BBQ-slinger on Saturday: they open at 11:30 (looks like in the winter they’re only open on Saturdays), so to beat the line arrive as close to then as possible. When they sell out of something, it’s gone, so to get his brisket J got in line at 11:45 Sunday. The menu is obviously very meat-heavy, but they do have a smoked portobello sandwich that sounds fab. J ate his brisket over the next several days and thought it was great.

snacks at PFriem — dinner at the bar at PFriem

Back at PFriem for a second visit, we ordered the mushroom sandwich and strawberry salad to share as an early dinner. They were both very good.

White Salmon

Since we have friends in White Salmon, we were lucky to have local tour guides to take us to their favorite places! They also helped us put things on our to-do list for next visit.