11 Best Things to Do in the Hood River Fruit Loop
Directly south of Hood River you’ll find the Fruit Loop, a 35-mile scenic byway through Oregon’s largest fruit growing region. Along this drive there are dozens of orchards and vineyards that will tempt you with offerings of fruit, vegetables, flowers, wine, beer, and cider. Look for Mt Adams to north and Mt Hood to the south as you drive. In late summer, blooming hollyhocks and sunflowers line the roads to the orchards.
Although beautiful all year long, the best time to visit is from June through October to take advantage of the fresh produce and U-pick farms. Bring your friends, your kids, and your friend’s kids. The Fruit Loop has something for everyone. Here are my suggestions for the best things to see and do in the Hood River Fruit Loop.
1. Go Fruit Picking
Let’s face it, the Fruit Loop is first and foremost about the fruit. While you can buy fruit pre-picked, there is something special about collecting it straight from the tree. Picking your own fruit also tends to be cheaper than buying pre-picked fruit, which I appreciate since I eat an amount of fruit during the summer that could easily be called absurd.
There are tons of U-pick fruit, flower, and vegetable options in the Fruit Loop depending on the season. The exact timing of fruit seasons varies year to year based on the weather, so if you are looking for something specific, make sure to check out the Fruit Loop’s website or orchard social media pages for updates. If your timing is right, there is plenty to look forward to, including:
Strawberries (June)
Raspberries (July)
Cherries (July and August)
Blueberries (July and August)
Peaches (August and September)
Apricots (July)
Apples (September and October)
Pears (August, September, October)
There are many great orchards where you can pick fruit, but since fall is right around the corner, I suggest making sure that Kiyokawa Orchards is on your list of stops. They grow over 150 varieties of fruit and their specialties are apples, pears, and Asian pears. Harvest starts at the end of September and continues into October. Dozens of apple varieties will be coming into season in September and many are unlike anything you can find at the grocery store. As a bonus, they also make delicious apple cider.
2. Visit a Farm Stand
Even if you don’t pick it yourself, there are plenty of opportunities to get great fruit in the Hood River Fruit Loop. There are over a dozen farm stands that sell fresh produce as well as other goodies like jams, salsas, and honey. Produce at the farm stands comes fresh from the orchards, so you know it will be in season and delicious. It can be fun to mix U-pick options with farm-stand fruit so that you can try everything.
Here are a few suggestions of great farm stands to check out:
Draper Girls - This is a great stop not just for the fruit, but also for the fantastic garden out back. Look for the old-timey farm swing with a field of hollyhocks and sunflowers behind it. Skip to #6 on this list for info on their farm goats.
Packer Orchards - Look for the sunflower fields in summer and a corn maze and pumpkin patch in the fall.
Kiyokawa Orchards - Check out the rows and rows of apple varieties starting in early September.
Mt View Orchards and Brewery - This orchard is great throughout the summer and fall, but late summer is the best time to visit to see the sunflower fields blooming in front of Mt Hood.
Smiley’s Red Barn - Besides the large selection of produce at the farm stand, you can play a game of corn hole out front or try out a cider or cocktail from Fox-Tail Cider & Distillery next door.
3. Try Out the Samples
Who doesn’t love a sample? Many stores and farm stands in the Hood River Fruit Loop let you try out their some of their produce and other goods before committing. In particular, Smiley’s Red Barn had a generous table of jams and honeys to try out at their farm stand. The next entry, the Apple Valley Country Store, is also a great stop for samples, offering a generous variety of their jams, sauces, and syrups made from local produce.
4. Visit the Bakery at the Apple Valley Country Store
The Apple Valley Country Store is a fun grab bag of bakery and gift shop that makes it one of the best stops in the Fruit Loop. Have a slice of one of their fruit pies that are baked fresh daily using fruit from the area. Feeling more like an ice cream? Try out a marionberry or huckleberry milkshake. There are plenty of non-food items as well including some quirky souvenirs and gifts. If you happen to leave with a trivet that has a quilted kitten face on it, don’t say I didn’t warn you.
5. Go Wine Tasting at a Vineyard
Wine tasting is without a doubt one of the best things to do in the Hood River Fruit Loop. The vineyards in this area are part of the Columbia Gorge AVA (American Viticultural Area, aka designated wine growing region), which enjoys a variety of growing conditions that allows for an impressive selection of grapes. You can enjoy some phenomenal wines without leaving the beauty of the orchards and vineyards. Here are some great wineries to try out:
Marchesi Vineyards is one of the first vineyards you will reach if you are coming to Hood River from Portland, making it a good stop on the way into or out of the Fruit Loop. Marchesi makes excellent wines with a focus on Italian varietals. I have a fondness for the Emma Sangiovese, both because it shares my name and because of its lovely acidity and spiciness.
Wy’East Vineyards has a fantastic patio space that overlooks a field where their alpacas graze. Their wines sourced from both estate grapes and those from a bit farther east in the Gorge are always a treat. The tasting fee is waived with a bottle purchase, so there is a good chance you will want to take something home.
Mt Hood Winery is a great place to sit on an Adirondack chair and take in views of Mt Hood. On less than perfect days, their indoor tasting room is also a stunner with its wall of gigantic windows looking onto the mountain. Their wines reflect the versality of the region, with varietals like Pinot noir, Syrah, Merlot, and Chardonnay.
Stave and Stone Winery has an unbeatable shaded patio that looks onto its vineyard with Mt Adams in the background. To accompany their delicious wines, Stave and Stone has artisan cheese boards that are well worth exploring like the baked brie board served with seasonal fruit.
Grateful Vineyards is surrounded by everything beautiful. From the shaded pergolas, you look out onto the grapevines with Mt Hood in the distance. In late summer, enjoy the blooming sunflower field next to the lawn. Reservations are recommended, but you will still probably be okay without one.
6. See the Animals
Visiting the farm animals is one of my favorite things to do in the Fruit Loop. It can also be a trip highlight if you’re traveling with kids. Here are a few places where you can spot animals:
Feed the goats at Draper Girls. If you pass through the farm stand and the flower garden, you will reach the goat pens. For $5 you can buy a bag of goat feed from the farm stand that will be a big hit with the goats. If you’re lucky, you might see the farm cat on the premises while you’re there.
Visit Carlos the Steer at Mt View Orchards. Follow the dirt road from the parking lot on foot past the U-pick fruit trees to reach Carlos’s pen. His horns are truly colossal.
Watch the alpacas graze at Wy’East Vineyards. Behind Wy’East’s beautiful patio space is a grassy field that is home to the vineyard’s alpacas. You can watch them lounge in the sun and munch on grass while you enjoy a wine tasting on the patio.
7. Visit a Lavender Farm
If you visit the Fruit Loop from June - September, then you are in time to catch lavender season. I have never seen a more beautiful or photogenic farm than one growing fields of lavender. There is a steady hum of bees as they move through the delicate purple blooms, which give the air a soft perfume. Here are a few of the best stops in the Fruit Loop where you can get great photos:
Hood River Lavender Farms is a dedicated lavender farm that offers U-pick lavender when in season. Bring a picnic, explore the farm, and take photos for free.
Hope Ranch Lavender has views of both Mt Hood and Mt Adams from its lavender field. They dry and distill lavender on-site to create the products they sell. Look for lavender oils, lotions, and candles as well as dried lavender for cooking.
Mt View Orchards is not exclusively a lavender farm but does have an impressive field backed by both a sunflower field and Mt Hood on one side and U-pick dahlias on the other. There is no entrance fee to visit.
Find details in my article on the best lavender farms near Portland.
8. Have Lunch at the Orchard
All that fruit picking is sure to have you working up an appetite. There are many meal options in the Fruit Loop. Here are a few good stops to consider:
Split a pizza at Grateful Vineyard surrounded by flowers and fruit trees. Picnics are also welcome here.
Order a board or sandwich from the food cart at Wy’East Vineyard while you enjoy a wine tasting.
Get a giant burrito from Solara Brewery.
Try out a sandwich or burger at Apple Valley BBQ.
9. Find a Playground with a View
The Hood River Fruit Loop is a fantastic day trip for families. If fruit picking gets old, there are opportunities for dedicated play time. Check out the playground at Mt View Orchards, which is framed by a dahlia field, fruit trees, and a great view of Mt Hood. The farm stand is right nearby in case snacks are needed.
10. Have an Ice Cream at the Gorge White House
The iconic Gorge White House has a little bit of everything that the Fruit Loop offers. There are flower gardens, U-pick fruit opportunities, and snacks galore. You’ll want to spend a little time walking around and exploring the grounds before settling down to a meal from the food cart, a cider tasting, or an ice cream cone.
11. Have a Beer or Cider at a Brewery
A day spent outdoors often calls for a cold beer or cider. Here are the best stops in the Fruit Loop to refresh you after fruit picking:
Solara Brewery is all about the back patio, where picnic tables on a grassy lawn offer a great view of Mt Hood. It’s a great place to grab a beer from the ever-changing tap list of unique, small batch brews.
Fox-Tail Cider and Distillery makes hard cider and spirits using apples from the orchard. Try out a cider tasting or cocktail when you visit. I recommend the raspberry gin fizz on a hot day.
Mt View Orchards started brewing beer on site at Mountain View Brewery in 2020. They use fruit from the orchard as part of the brewing process, but don’t expect a fruit flavored beer, just good old fashioned IPA, stout, and more.
In summary, the best 11 things to do in the Hood River Fruit Loop are:
Go fruit picking
Visit a farm stand
Try the samples
Visit the Apple Valley Country Store bakery
Go Wine Tasting at a Vineyard
See the animals
Visit a lavender farm
Have lunch at by the orchards
Find a playground with a mountain view
Have ice cream at the Gorge White House
Have a beer or cider at a brewery
Enjoy the Fruit Loop!
Love,
Emma
