Moms’ weekend in Hood River, Oregon: Wine, beer, hiking + laughter

One weekend. Eight moms. Two hikes. Plenty of wine and good food. An absurd amount of snacks. Our Moms’ Weekend trip to Hood River added up to a fun, restorative trip we won’t soon forget.

The eight of us have been friends since we were in moms’ group together, when our kids were babies. In some cases, we’ve known each other since our littles were just weeks old. Now that our kids are toddlers, many of us get together every week for homeschool preschool.

We keep in close touch—but even though we hang out often, we seldom get the chance to truly connect. After all, it’s hard to have a sustained conversation when kids are running sprints in the house, asking for more goldfish crackers and getting into fistfights over Paw Patrol toys.

We needed a Moms’ Weekend.

We planned our Moms’ Weekend in Hood River for months, putting it on the calendar so everyone could plan around it. We chose a house in Hood River, decided who would cook which meal and scoped out fun things to do.

When you have eight moms planning a trip, it’s going to be organized—and awesome.

Once we set out, leaving our families behind (except for one mom who brought her second baby—squee!), we also shed responsibilities. We didn’t have schedules or anywhere to be. We had a wide-open Moms’ Weekend in Hood River with some of our closest friends. It was primed to be epic.

Moms’ Weekend in Hood River

And of course it was!

The eight of us loved Hood River. I’ve driven through the town plenty of times but never spent any significant time in this town along the Columbia River Gorge.

The house we rented was within walking distance of downtown, thanks to the (super-steep) Second Street Stairs that run down from the hills. It put us in a prime location to enjoy Hood River and the beautiful outdoors around the Gorge.

In addition to getting out and doing stuff, though, we spent plenty of low-key time relaxing together. We played Telestrations After Dark (my favorite grown-up game, which is like a mix between Pictionary and Telephone [affiliate links]), watched a movie, cooked and ate delicious food, and just chatted.

What to do in Hood River, Oregon

Just because we spent our fair share of time lounging in jammies and crunching potato chips didn’t mean we didn’t get out of the house—and make the most of our trip.

If you’re looking for ideas of what to do in Hood River, here are my highlights.

Wine tasting in Hood River

Hood River wineries are all over the place—it can be overwhelming to choose! Although wine tasting wasn’t the focus of our Moms’ Weekend in Hood River, a few of us did stop at Marchesi Winery.

Pronounced “mar-kay-zee” (not “mar-cheese-y”), Marchesi Winery served a beautiful tasting flight of reds. Best, though, was snuggling under a fleece blanket with my friends while sipping wines and petting the winery’s resident dog and cats.

The view from Marchesi Winery was beautiful. We caught a break in the rain and leisurely drank our wine while admiring the vineyard.

Beer tasting in Hood River

Hood River is perhaps most known for its wines, but it’s also a hub for beer. After all, Full Sail, Session and other breweries are headquartered in Hood River.

We went to pFriem (rhymes with “dream”), a family-friendly brewery in Hood River near the Columbia River. It’s across the street from a great playground with a climbing wall in the Hood River Waterfront Park, so we’ll definitely be back when we drive through with the kids.

We didn’t have kids when we visited Hood River, though, so we focused more on the beer—and pFriem has a lot of it. In fact, we ended up going to the brewery on a meet the brewer night, so we chatted with Head Brewer Gavin Lord. He schooled us not only on tasting notes but the historical context of each of the four brews we tasted. (The crowd favorite was the Hoppy Belgian Ale, which was so smooth!)

I also learned that pFriem releases about 4 new beers each week, so there’s always something new to try. A few of us also filled pFriem’s signature growlers (in a can, not a typical glass growler) with their Triple IPA—a deliciously strong but not overly hoppy ale that the hubbies back home loved.

Hiking near Hood River

The Columbia River Gorge around Hood River is absolutely breathtaking. My favorite way to appreciate the views is by hiking, so we made sure to explore by hiking in Hood River.

We headed to Catherine Creek, a fairly easy hike on the Washington side of the Gorge. It’s clear why this area is part of the Columbia River Gorge Scenic Area: It offers beautiful vistas of Oregon, including vineyards and the back side of Mt. Hood. Although we saw only a few flowers in bloom, Catherine Creek’s meadows are famous for its wildflowers in the spring.

Even if we were too early for wildflowers, we were just in time for mountaintop yoga! (No idea if that’s actually a thing.)

The Catherine Creek loop got steep in parts as we scrambled up a rocky path that hugged the basalt cliffs, but a few moms turned back partway and still had a great hike.

On our drive back to Portland from Hood River, we stopped at Beacon Rock. The steep but fairly easy 1-mile hike takes you to the top of a gigantic basalt rock with 360-degree views of the Columbia River Gorge (at least when it’s not foggy!). The weather didn’t cooperate with our plans, but the hike on the Washington side of the Gorge was a great way to prolong our Moms’ Weekend in Hood River (and stretch our legs mid-trip). Note that you’ll need a Discovery Pass to park there, which is $10 for a day pass or $30 for an annual pass—you can pay by card in the parking lot. What’s more, our route took us to Beacon Rock by crossing the beautiful Bridge of the Gods. (If you go, look for the trolls where you pay to cross, and don’t neglect to make a toll troll joke!)

Nightlife in Hood River

I’m not a night owl by any means, but I did end up going out to see some music with a few others on our Moms’ Weekend. We went to River City Saloon, a casual bar downtown with a pretty big dance floor. For only a $5 cover, we danced along with locals to a Portland jam band. The night before, they hosted a no-cover bluegrass show.

I didn’t continue to party, but others in the group continued to The Moth Lounge. The bar has a bit of a weird vibe, but they also have fun karaoke!

The best of a Moms’ Weekend

Even if we did talk about our kids half the time, the best part of our Moms’ Weekend in Hood River was connecting to each other as friends—not just as mothers.

Much of the time, friendships with moms center on our children—and no surprise, since social gatherings are play dates and we’re usually focused on the kids. But a Moms’ Weekend gave us the time and breathing room to have real conversations—and laugh our tushies off along the way.

It felt amazing to leave my responsibilities behind, if only for two days. A Moms’ Weekend in Hood River left me filling refilled—and eager to see my family when I got back home.

Have you been to Hood River, Oregon? What’s your favorite thing to do there?

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Want even more ideas of what to do in Hood River, Oregon? Check out these links to other blogs’ tips and recs.

Eat, Drink, Play in Hood River at Urban Bliss Life

Kiyokawa Family Orchards in Hood River at Urban Bliss Life

Celilo Restaurant in Hood River at Portland Food Photographer

The Gorge White House in Hood River at Urban Bliss Life

Hood River BnB at the Good Hearted Woman

Hawkins Cellars on the Columbia River Gorge at Portland Food Photographer

A romantic getaway in Hood River by the Good Hearted Woman