Hood River Valley is theriver basin ofHood River in northernOregon, U.S. It is bounded by theColumbia River to the north,Mount Hood to the south, theCascade Range crest to the west and an apparently unnamed ridge system to the east which containsHood River Mountain andSnyder Canyon.Mount Hood National Forest surrounds the Hood River Valley west, south, and east. It is entirely contained inHood River County.
The only city in the valley isHood River. The major unincorporated communities areOdell,Parkdale,Mount Hood, andDee.
The valley is known for its tree fruit agriculture—including one of the world's largest pear growing areas—farm tourism, and recreation related to its evergreen forested mountains providing opportunities such as hiking, mountain biking, whitewater sports,[1] camping, and 31 fishing lakes.[2] On the Columbia River is one of the top rated water sports areas in the world, particularly forkite boarding andwind surfing.[3][4] On Mount Hood, snow sports draw thousands daily primarily atMount Hood Meadows, but alsoCooper Spur ski area on the east side of Mount Hood. Alpine hiking and mountain climbing are popular as well.
Justin Spelhaug first came to Hood River as a teenager to windsurf and last April bought a vacation home overlooking the Columbia. "There's world-class recreation," Mr. Spelhaug said, "with Class V rapids, highest-end windsurfing, top-notch mountain biking, and snowboarding and skiing all within a 20-mile radius."
In addition to the local rivers and streams, Hood River County has 31 lakes for fishing.
Thanks to that mighty wind barreling through the gorge, Hood River is considered one of the best windsurfing sites on earth and now is attracting practitioners of the next generation of solo, high-speed water sports, kiteboarding, which uses parachutelike kites as sails. ...Hood River Valley, home to more than 300 fruit farms, nearly all family owned for generations. ...Hood River is one of the largest pear-growing districts in the world, especially winter pears, so look for plenty of Anjou, Bosc and Comice pears in the fall.
...Hood River Valley, 60 miles east of Portland and the source of more than a third of the nation's Bosc pears...
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45°36′N121°36′W / 45.6°N 121.6°W /45.6; -121.6
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