Hood River Beginner Travel Guide

I am not an expert on Hood River, but I have traveled a fair amount and learned what is good information for the first timer. Here are my recommendations for a trip to Hood River for the beginner.

Always the first question is whether it is worth the money and effort to go there. The emphatic answer is yes. It is an amazing place and the best spot to learn down-winding in my opinion. This is for several reasons. First you can get there for a reasonable price and if you live on the west coast the time of travel is short. Second it is safe. I mean in the land travel sense as well as the water situation. You can practice downwind runs with no support at the Hatchery. That is why it is the place everyone goes to for the first time. Lastly there are a lot of other people there doing the same thing and therefore a lot of support to help you in your progress. I have gone up there by myself every time, but I have never been alone. There are always at least 5 to 10 people I know there at the same time

Where to Fly Into

You fly into PDX which is Portland. I have never actually been in Portland and personally have no desire to go into such a crazy city, but fortunately you never have to get close to the city center for this trip.

Car Rental

I have used the traditional car rental and then Turo. I would recommend using Turo. You get the exact vehicle you want, and you can have a pickup at the airport. No lines to stand in at the rental agency. The rental place is a very far walk up and down escalators or elevators and is very annoying if you have multiple heavy bags. I make sure that the Turo person allows airport pick and drop off. This usually means that they just park it in the short-term parking lot, and you find your way to the car and the key is in the car. You do the opposite on the way out. It is a lot easier than the rental agencies. Personally, I would recommend a truck. It allows you to keep your stuff in the back, a clean place to work on your gear, change in and out of wet stuff and finally take a nap in between sessions. I keep a cooler in the bed, so I have a seat and place to make my sandwich rolls. A van would be better, but they are expensive compared to a truck. I always get full insurance, which brings the price to about the same as a rental agency without insurance. My insurance company does cover Turo, and you can check if your policy does. If you pass on the insurance, it is about half the price of a traditional rental.

Supplies

There is a Target right at the airport. It is a great place to get supplies and a cheap cooler to keep stuff in. They have Ice and groceries.

Food Portland Area

There are lots of places to eat in the area. I am only going to mention one since it is that good. If you like hamburgers then this place is a must. I personally think it is the best burger I have ever had. If you are staying on the Washington side, then it is on the way.

Killer Burger:    https://maps.app.goo.gl/nXnz4SczJFfz7CzF9

I love the Peanut butter, Pickle and Bacon burger. It sounds weird but it is amazing. The combo is so good. YUM! You can get it in pint size or regular size. Again YUM!

Getting To Hood River

There are two ways to get to Hood River.

The fastest way is via highway 84 on the Oregon side. It is a two-lane highway and is fast. You can average 65 mph plus all the way there.

The second way is via the Washington side on highway 14. This way will take you an extra 20 minutes, but you will be on the Hatchery side so you will avoid the bridge. It is a single lane highway so if you get behind a truck or someone slow it can be frustrating. If you are not in a hurry since the wind may not pick up until late afternoon, then it is a nice drive and stopping at Killer Burger on the way is worth it.

Places To Stay

Here are the places I have stayed at on my trips so far.

Hood River Inn- Clean and they are redoing the rooms. Mine was redone and it was comfortable and within walking distance of Egg River Dinner and Kickstand Coffee & Kitchen.

Holiday Inn Express. Reasonable rates and the rooms are clean and modern. They include breakfast, but I never ate there.

Airbnb – I have never used it but know a lot of people that come in groups and do use it. If you do that it is cheaper than the hotel.

White Salamon Inn (Washington Side) This is a nice little hotel in town. Clean and easy to get to. Parking is on the street but there always seemed to be a spot close. I liked being on the Washington side better. I was able to drive back to my place to charge my Foil Drive battery and rest, all in a short drive time. It is walking distance to multiple restaurants.

Places To Eat Oregon Side

Egg River Dinner- They open early as well. The breakfast fare is good. It is a diner and is good but nothing extraordinary. They only have regular coffee so if you need something fancy go someplace else. If you want an omelet or just eggs and bacon, then this place gives you it at a fair price.

Kickstand Coffee & Kitchen- I have only been here for dinner. They sometimes have live entertainment. The hamburgers are the best in town. The appetizers are amazing. I had ceviche, Guacamole Trio, Avocado Poke and the Stuffed Avocado with Ahi. They were all tasty and I would recommend all of them.

The Mesquitery Restaurant & Bar- Best steak and grill in town. I had the Scallops which were cooked perfectly with a side of fettucine alfredo. You can pick how many side dishes you want which is nice. The lava cake desert is fantastic.

Bette’s Place- This is the best breakfast in town. They are well known for their cinnamon rolls. I had the Banana & Macadamia nut French toast. They make their own Coconut syrup, which is great, but I did not even need it on the dish. It was sweet enough with whip cream and coconut shred on it.

Ground Expresso Coffee & Café- If you are an early riser like me then this place is open at 6 am. They have great coffee & tea. Breakfast is good. I got the Avo breakfast sandwich on gluten-free bread. They have tables so you can sit and work on your computer or browse your phone.

Lilo’s Hawaiian BBQ- They have good Kalua Pork with rice and Mac salad. It is simple, good and cheap. You can get a small and it can be two meals if you are on a budget. They give you a lot of rice with it so plenty of carbs to refuel from all the foiling you will be doing.

Safeway- I like this store better than the other up the hill. It has all the regular stuff. The fruits are amazing. I ate a ton of blueberries, and they were cheap compared to back home. I buy a cooler (Walmart has them for cheap) and just put ice in it every day. Coconut water to hydrate is the best. Here is my lunch time hack. I get sliced turkey meat, cheese, corn tortillas and some Kerry gold butter. This lasted me for days and I could make a quick snack and never lose my parking spot at the Hatchery. Butter is much better for you than mayonnaise.

Walmart- What can I say except it is a Walmart. It has everything you need for a reasonable price. I usually get things from Target in Portland, but I used this the first time I came up.

Places To Eat Washington Side

Washington Side

Mugs Coffee- They make fantastic coffee, and the breakfast sandwich is great. They open early making it a great spot to stop on the way to the Hatchery. They do have gluten free stuff as well.

Carmen’s Kitchen- They have the usual diner stuff. Nothing exceptional but good standard fare that you can get to go to take to the Hatchery.

Feast Market & Delicatessen- They have good sandwiches and Mexican Coke in a bottle. They also have pastries and some gluten free stuff. I did not eat dinner there, but it looks good. You can walk there from the White Salmon Inn. They do not open until 11 am so it is not convenient if you are heading out early.

Harvest Market- This is a nice grocery store, and it opens early at 7 am. They have a deli and pre-made sandwiches you can pick up. Fruits look good also.

Bubba’s Brew Espresso- They are a drive thru coffee place. They make good coffee and open early at 5:30 am during the week. If you are rising early this is the only place for coffee that is open.

Foiling Which is the Reason you are here

The Hatchery (Washington Side)

The place to start your first session is The Hatchery. I would not even think about any place else until after you feel comfortable there. You can park anywhere and walk to where you need to be. I like to park at the beginning of the parking lot (most downstream). You can see the river from there easily and keep an eye on the conditions. There are not many shaded spots there so keep that in mind. You will get in at the most downstream end of the parking lot. The current will pull you UPWIND. Do not fear this. It is mild and if you put any paddle effort into it you will be heading UPRIVER easily. I fell a million times and still ended up upriver. The worst thing that would happen is you would drift down to Swell City and must walk back to The Hatchery which is not far.

Amateur Tips

1) Let yourself drift downriver. Why? The swells are better down there, and it is less crowded. I had the most success getting up in that area. When you get up you will quickly be at the exit or turnaround area, trust me on this one. I watched my friends on stand up drift almost to swell city and make it back up to where I was just paddling and trying to get up. If you manage to get on foil then you will only wish you had drifter further to get a longer run.

2) Wear booties. I hate wearing booties and rarely do it at home. Even when it is cold. Here you do not need to but be aware that it may be torture to your feet. Between the rocks and the hot pavement, it can be brutal. The best compromise would be to wear a small pack and take sandals or water booties with you. I prone so I do not like anything on my back since it interferes with me getting up. If you SUP, then it is a no brainer.

3) If you plan on using a foil drive and smaller board like I do then get a small version of a SUP. I was riding a 4’5” board and once I got up it was great, but paddling was a pain. You need to paddle upstream as you try and get into swells. I must arch my back and stay very forward on my board with my legs out of the water to counterbalance. This is very tiring. I would recommend and board between 5’ and 6’, mid length is the best type of board. I found that with a mid-length board I could glide into the swells easily. It also paddled easier when going up stream to try and get into a swell.

4) Foil Selection. When I first went up, I took a lot of foils. I tried a bunch but the one that I consistently did the best on was the Unifoil Progression Project 170. I think this is because it is a bigger foil, but not too big. It pumps well and has a low stall speed. The swells there are not fast and if you have a fast wing you will constantly out run the bigger swells and end up in the flats. If you are tired, like I get quickly, then pumping out of it to another swell is tedious. I think that any Mid-aspect wing that you can pump around reasonably is what you should take. If you are doing SUP, which is not my thing, then a larger wing does allow you to get up quickly, but I noticed that the guys learning seemed to be better on a smaller wing. The 1000 cm range. The PP170 is in the 1000 range as well. I did drop down to the PP125 when the wind picked up and the swells got bigger. I can pump that wing even better than the PP170 in the surf but noticed that as soon as the swell size decreased, I had a harder time on it. Part of that is my inexperience.  I took it on a Tunnels run and had a hard time at the beginning of the run staying on foil with the smaller swell size. When it got bigger it was easier. I think once you are better going to a faster smaller wing will allow you to do more turns and stay with the bigger swells.

Helpful Hints

  • Buy an annual pass for parking. They are good for a year. I kept mine and the next year I went the week before and used it for that trip.
  • If it is your first time stay on the Washington side. You are going to mainly stay at the Hatchery so you will not need to cross the bridge and pay the fee. It is faster to get there as well. There is plenty of food choices on that side.
  • Stay at the Hatchery. There is no need to go anywhere else. I am sure there are better places when the wind is up, but that is for those who are at a higher level. The Hatchery will allow you to progress in a controlled setting. When you can do the run from end to end of the parking lot then you still do not need to go any place else. Just do Tunnels runs. That is about 2.5 miles and when you ace that, then the rest of the river is your playground.
  • Practice on your set up at home in the surf. You should know where your foil should go on your board and how it responds. If you are using a Foil Drive then use a mid-length board. I am about 145 lbs and my board is around 50 liters. The length of the board made my ability to get up on foil a hundred times easier.
  • Wait for the right swell. This will save you a lot of frustration. When you feel your board sliding down the back side of a steeper swell, that is you cue to go for it.
  • When you get up turn your front side. For me that is going right, away from the Washington side.
  • Watch for the swells to your side that are to the side of you or just behind you. Aim for the back side of the swell. Do not try and run down a swell peak. It will be gone before you get there. The swells are constantly shifting and where there was a swell will be gone. It is better to aim for the back side of a swell since the new one is going to pop up there by the time you get there.
  • Try and minimize your pumping. Use your glide to carry you from swell to swell. I should rephrase that using the term trough to trough. I found that I did the best when I pumped less and used the energy of the swells. That is the point of it. If you have to pump a lot, then you are not picking the right line. Rethink your approach so that you are just controlling the energy of the wing. Go back to #7.
  • Downwinding is like a chess game. You need to be constantly looking at the swells around you and anticipating where they will be when you get there. Not where they are at that moment. Expect to get lost and lose your way. That is normal. You will fall. That is normal. Things will make sense at a point and then suddenly, they will not again. That is the nature of the sport.
  • Pace yourself. The wind can blow all day long. Take a break and reflect on your technique and the things you can do to improve.

Tunnels Runs

Ok so you are feeling confident or maybe think you are ready for something longer. A Tunnels run is the thing to do. It is about a 2-mile run back to the Hatchery. It requires shuttling, which if you stand around the start area of Hatchery you can hitch a ride with someone. The start of it can be fun groomed swells. I have heard it can be amazing, but each time I have done it the swell is smaller than the Hatchery and maybe a bit more organized. Stay close to the Washington side and you will be rewarded with some larger swells at Swell City. Be forewarned that Swell City can be big, but it can be crossed up swells as well. I have been bucked off a large swell that launched me into another one coming in the opposite direction. I feel like the beginning of the run you need a larger wing, but in the middle and the end you will wish for that smaller wing. Choose your poison, but either way you will be rewarded.

When to Leave

There are flights that leave late. You can foil until 4 to 5 pm and still make it to an 8 pm flight. Especially if you use Turo and just need to park the car and walk to the terminal. I did that and I left very early in the morning. I like the latter way better. I take a 6 or 7 am flight and I am home by 9 am. I can relax and get some dinner, pack my stuff and get a good night’s sleep. Driving to the airport early in the morning is fast and no one is on the road. The airport is also quiet.

Summary

There are other places to downwind in the area and I have been there 3 times and still have not gone to any of the other places. Honestly, they are a drive and require coordinated pickup and drop off. Also there have never been the epic conditions that would call for going to those places when I was there. The Hatchery is popular for a reason. It is a great place to learn and even go when you are advanced. I will say that it is the best place to learn to downwind, based on my experience and talking with others. If you have a desire to get into down-winding then this is the place to go.