Mt. Hood Loop
The chapter's anchor drive. Highway 26 over Government Camp, the East Fork through orchard country, and Lolo Pass on the way home.
- Distance
- 142 mi
- Drive time
- 4h 30m
- Difficulty
- moderate
- Start
- Sandy, OR
- End
- Hood River, OR
- Best in
- spring, summer, fall
The route
There is a version of this drive that takes three hours and a version that takes seven. Both are correct. The mountain doesn't care which one you choose.
The route runs east out of Sandy on US-26, climbs over Government Camp at 4,000 feet, then drops down past Hood River on OR-35 - twenty miles of orchards, wineries, and fast sweepers if you've earned them. From Hood River you can run west on I-84 if you have to be home, or take the longer way over Lolo Pass and through Welches if you've still got coffee in the cup.
Lunch is at Timberline Lodge. Make a reservation. The dining room serves the same elk stew the chapter has been ordering since the seventies.
The first leg is the most rewarding driving road within ninety minutes of Portland. Smooth pavement, generous sight lines, and just enough elevation change to remind you what you bought the car for. Watch for trucks downshifting into the climb out of Rhododendron - they're slow, but the corner geometry rewards patience.
If you go
- 01Top off in Sandy. The next reliable station is in Hood River.
- 02Reserve lunch at Timberline Lodge ahead of time on weekends.
- 03East Fork Hood River pavement is best in the dry shoulder season.
- 04Cell coverage drops past Government Camp. Download the route offline.
