Driving the Hood River Fruit Loop 🍓
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🗓 This guide assumes you can set off early on Day 1 from Seattle! We did the trip from Friday to Sunday.
About Oregon's Fruit Loop
The Hood River Valley Fruit Loop is a collection of fruit stands, wineries, lavender farms, orchards, and more! It is roughly a 40-minute drive and has over 30 places to visit! Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams are usually visible, which makes for some truly gorgeous scenery.
Hood River is the perfect base to explore the loop and offers an array of shops, breweries, and restaurants.
It was the perfect long weekend road trip from Seattle!
Day 1
Get on the road as early as you can so you can avoid as much of the Seattle - Oregon traffic you can!
🚘 1 hr 30 mins
Ember Goods is the perfect halfway(ish) coffee stop. Really great shop with great roasts and fun signature drinks. They also have a cute little store with some great clothing and a variety of goods.
🚘 1hr 45 mins (As of Aug 3rd, the stretch before Vancouver is really backed up due to construction.)
Once you get to Portland, head to the Slabtown neighborhood. It's a super cool area with great food options, fun shops, and more. The perfect mix of new development and older buildings!
If you're in the mood for something a little less formal, try the "community-style dining" pasta restaurant Grassa. It offers lots of very flavorful pasta and a great drink selection.
We attached a couple other restaurants that looked great incase you're not feeling pasta!
DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT, leave Portland without trying Fifty Licks Ice Cream. The branding is delightful, the flavors are heavenly, and you'll just be a happier person after. Highly recommend the Chocolate AF, Lavender Salted Caramel, Matcha Mochi (😍), and Blueberry Cheesecake.
Once you're done with your evening in Portland, finish the final hour of your road trip to Hood River. If you can, time this with sunset! Once you get past the suburbs, it's such a beautiful drive.
🚘 1 hr 5 mins
We recommend the historic Hood River Hotel for your stay. The lobby is super charming, and the rooms, while updated, still have an antique vibe.
Day 2
Get up early and take advantage of the beautiful valley you're in! A simple hike is just 15 minutes away from Hood River. On the way to the hike, grab a light snack and coffee from Randonee Coffee Co.
Make sure to go anticlockwise around the loop. At the top of the two hills, you'll have sweeping views of the valley, Mount Adams, Mount Hood, and the Columbia River.
There will probably be an hour or so wait, so after putting your name down, pop to the cute Saturday Farmer's Market just down the street. Hood River also boasts a selection of independent stores with some great selections!
It's time for the main event! Put on your berry-picking gloves, prepare your body for an ungodly amount of fresh fruit, and get on the Fruit Loop!
Below is the official Fruit Loop website's route with all the spots on it. We've attached some of our favorites.
We recommend checking the website of each spot to guarantee what fruits/veg/herbs are currently available for UPICK and to ensure they're open for the season.
Most Fruit Loop spots close around 5, so around that time, head back to Hood River to rest for a bit before going out for drinks and food.
Hood River has a bustling brewery scene with most breweries offering some food as well! After an 8-minute walk from the hotel, you'll find yourself in a really cool section by the river with multiple breweries, bars, and restaurants. Grab drinks and a snack at pFriem, eat some pizza at Solstice, and finish off the night at Ferment. The sunset was insane and these spots all have outdoor seating to enjoy it from.
Lovely little stand with a short but great selection of gelato.
Day 3
Grab breakfast at Golden Goods, a delicious vegan sandwich and bake shop!
After breakfast, head back onto the fruit loop for a couple last stops (these might have been our favorite!)
Hood River Lavender Farms and Stave & Stone Winery are on the same property, so start with picking some lavender and tasting their lavender soft serve before heading over for a drink and bite at Stave & Stone.
Before making the journey back, pop by Hood River for a coffee. If it's the right weather for it, we highly recommend walking into the park and watching the Wake Surfers on the river!
We left Hood River at around 3:30 PM on a Sunday and got back to Seattle at 8:30 PM. We had one stop for food & gas and a few periods of heavy traffic.
🚘 4 hrs w/o traffic (5 - 7 hrs with traffic)
BONUS
If there's some extra time, rent a kayak/paddleboard and enjoy the Columbia River from a new perspective!
There are some great hiking options in the area. These are two that we didn't get to but looked simply gorgeous! Wahclella is an easy waterfall hike with a beautiful natural swimming hole! The Gorge hike gives you incredible views of the river and the high desert landscapes!
Thank you so much for purchasing our guide!
We hope you have the most amazing time visiting Hood River and the famous Fruit Loop.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact olivia.frances.biz@gmail.com.
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- Jack and Liv
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