Eliot Park
Park
20 acres0.4 mi of trail
Indian Creek Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Sam Beebe · CC BY 2.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Hood River
8% of Hood River’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 6.0 miles of mapped trail cross Hood River, 2.3 per square mile of land. 8% of Hood River’s land is conserved, about 136 acres.
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns · #22 of 142 in Oregon. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
136 acres · of 2.6 sq mi of land
Trails
6.0 mi
2.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
95 ac
11 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.3 mi
1.9 mi lanes · 0.1 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
2 beaches · 7 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Hood River?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Hood River have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Hood River is ahead of 90% of U.S. towns, #22 of 142 in Oregon. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Hood River’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical OR town 4% · U.S. 4%B+Trails2.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (6 mi) · OR 0.8 · U.S. 0.4APark land11 acres of park per 1,000 residents (95 acres) · OR 7 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · OR 96% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 90%
LessMore
Oregon towns of 2,500+ (142)Ahead of 85%
Water is 23% of Hood River’s area (1 of 3 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 6%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Eliot Park, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Port Marina Park
Park
13 acres0.2 mi of trail
Shoreline Path
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 24 parks & preserves
Eliot Park20 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsPort Marina Park13 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsWaterfront Park7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsHood River Event Site6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsIndian Creek Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsRotary Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsNichols Natural Area2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsThe Hook7 acres
DirectionsMorrison Park6 acres
DirectionsThe Spit4 acres
DirectionsMarina Green3 acres
DirectionsNichols Basin West Park3 acres
DirectionsJackson Park3 acres
DirectionsIsland Parkland2 acres
DirectionsChildren's Park1 acres
DirectionsFriendship Park1 acres
DirectionsTsuruta Park1 acres
Wilson Park1 acres
Waucoma Park1 acres
Mann Park1 acres
Georgiana Smith Park1 acres
DirectionsCulbertson Park1 acres
DirectionsWillow Pond Neighborhood Park1 acres
Bowe Addition Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
136 conserved acres
8% of Hood River’s land. Water is left out: Hood River has 2.6 square miles of land and 0.8 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Hood River’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city54 ac
County51 ac
Regional agency22 ac
U.S. Forest Service15 ac
Local Park · 74 acLocal Recreation Area · 53 acNational Forest · 15 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Space Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 53 | Open |
| Indian Creek Trail Local Park | Regional agency | 22 | Open |
| Mt. Hood National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 15 | Open |
| Marina Park Local Park | County | 15 | Open |
| Morrison Park Local Park | County | 10 | Open |
| Jackson Park Local Park | County | 9 | Open |
| Waterfront Park Local Park | County | 6 | Open |
| Jaymar Park Local Park | County | 3 | Open |
| Event Site Local Park | County | 3 | Open |
| Tsurata Park Local Park | County | 1 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
35 places to go in Hood River
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Hood River
Slackwater BeachIn Nichols Basin West Park
DirectionsPlus 1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Swimming spots in Hood River
1 swimming spot without a name on the map.
Playgrounds in Hood River
McDonald's PlayPlace
DirectionsPlus 18 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Hood River
Mountain View Dog Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Hood River
Windsurf launchIn The Hook
DirectionsWindsurf launchIn The Hook
DirectionsWindsurf launchIn The Hook
DirectionsWindsurf launch
DirectionsWindsurf launchIn Waterfront Park
DirectionsWindsurf launchIn Hood River Event Site
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Hood River
Wah Gwin Gwin Falls
DirectionsScenic views in Hood River
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Hood River
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Hood River
Scott Johnson Community Garden
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.3 miUnpaved · 3.9 mi
Indian Creek Trail2.1 mi
Westside Community Trail0.5 mi
Shoreline Path0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.9 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
0.1 mi
off-road bike paths
0.3 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
4Basketball
4Tennis
3Baseball
1Disc golf
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →23 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 56 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Columbia Gorge HotelBuilding · listed 1979
About itWaucoma HotelBuilding · listed 1981
About itSimpson Copple HouseBuilding · listed 1987
About itOregon-Washington Railroad & Navigation Company Passenger StationBuilding · listed 1988
About itJ. E. Slade HouseBuilding · listed 1989
About itJohn C. Duckwall HouseBuilding · listed 1989
About itDavidson-Childs HouseBuilding · listed 1989
About itOrrin B. Hartley HouseBuilding · listed 1989
About itEdward J. DeHart HouseBuilding · listed 1990
About itIOOF-Paris Fair BuildingBuilding · listed 1990
About itLester and Hazel Murphy HouseBuilding · listed 1990
About itRobert and Mabel Loomis HouseBuilding · listed 1990
About it11 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Hood River: April to September
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.1 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 14.9 | 15.7 | 15.4 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 |
| High (°F) | 43 | 48 | 56 | 63 | 71 | 76 | 85 | 85 | 78 | 65 | 50 | 42 |
| Rain (in) | 3.8 | 2.6 | 2.2 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 1.9 | 3.4 | 4.5 |
July is the driest month (0.2 in) and August the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.5 inches fall in December, the wettest month. The climate in Hood River →
Questions about parks and trails in Hood River
Where can I hike in Hood River?
The longest trail networks: Eliot Park, 0.4 miles; Port Marina Park, 0.2 miles; Waterfront Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Hood River is conserved land?
8% of its land, against a typical 4% for an Oregon town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Hood River’s trails?
Eliot Park and Port Marina Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Hood River?
2.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.9 of painted or protected lanes, 0.1 of off-road paths and 0.3 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Hood River?
40,990 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hood River or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 95 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Hood River have?
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #22 of 142 in Oregon. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Hood River neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →