If you’re looking for a relaxing, romantic, and adventure-filled getaway this spring or summer, our cabins in Washington State are the perfect spot! We’re located in the stunning Columbia River Gorge, an area filled with hiking, biking, charming towns, and so much more. While you’re here, don’t miss the chance to visit local U-Pick farms in the Gorge or head into the wilderness for the delicious Washington Huckleberry season!
The scenic Columbia River Gorge is so much more than a beautiful place to visit, filled with outdoor activities. As destinations like the Hood River Fruit Loop make clear, it’s also a destination that boasts a rich agricultural heritage. The fun at local U-Pick farms in the Columbia River Gorge picks up as the growing season comes into full view. The Gorge enjoys one of the longest growing seasons in the Pacific Northwest, and at our area farms, you’ll find a diverse array of fruit cultivation.
Visiting these U-Pick farms is not only a fun way to get out and explore the area, but you wind up with the freshest seasonal produce possible. Local farms offer a variety of U-Pick options throughout the summer, including strawberries, cherries, blueberries, apples, pears, peaches, and more. However, these U-Pick farms are just the start of the berry-laden fun when you stay at our luxury cabins! In addition to cultivated fruits, the Columbia River Gorge is a hotspot for wild huckleberry picking. That season kicks off in late summer, drawing locals and visitors alike into the surrounding forests to forage.
These fruit-forward adventures are just a small taste of what’s waiting for you in this scenic part of Washington and Oregon. For a truly immersive experience in the area, stay in style at our luxury cabins in Washington. Our cozy cabins are perfect for solo adventures, romantic escapes, and activity-filled vacations. Whether your days are spent hiking, biking, or chasing waterfalls, we’d love to share the best of this area with you. Book your cabin and start exploring with us!
U-Pick Farms in the Columbia River Gorge
We love to send people down the Hood River Fruit Loop, a scenic route near Hood River filled with farms, wineries, cideries, and epic scenery. The best time to drive the Hood River Fruit Loop is summer. Not only is this drive gorgeous at that time of year, but it offers access to many of the top farms in the area, many of which offer bountiful produce at farm stands and directly from their farms and orchards.
U-pick farms in the Columbia River Gorge kick off the fun this June with strawberry season, followed closely by cherry-picking opportunities and later raspberries, blueberries, peaches, and more. Mid-late July is also the perfect time to visit local lavender farms in the area, which offer fragrant opportunities to pick your own bunches of their signature flowers. In the fall, U-pick farms along the Hood River Fruit Loop open their orchards for apple and pear picking.
The Hood River Fruit Loop can get busy during peak picking seasons, but it’s always a journey worth taking. Just don’t forget to stop and enjoy the views along the way! Here are a few of our favorite stops throughout the season.
- Strawberries: One of our favorite spots for U-Pick strawberries is Draper Girls Country Farm. Another great option is The Gorge White House, which also just so happens to be an excellent stop for lavender, wine, and cider!
- Cherries: For delicious cherry-picking opportunities, head to Packer Orchards, Kiyokawa Family Orchards, or Hood River U-Pick Organic.
- Blueberries: For delicious, fresh blueberries, the best U-Pick farms in the Columbia River Gorge include Mt. View Orchards, Montavon’s Berries, and The Old Trunk.
- Lavender: For gorgeous lavender farms with U-pick options, don’t miss The Gorge White House, Hope Ranch Lavender, Hood River Lavender, or Wy’East Vineyards.
- Apples: For the best selection of orchard-fresh apples, don’t miss Kiyokawa Family Orchards, Packer Orchard, Pearl’s Place, and Mt View Orchard.
These farms and others along the Loop provide a comprehensive and enriching agricultural experience in the heart of Oregon’s fruit-growing region.
It’s Huckleberry Season in Washington Again!
As you can see, any adventure down the Hood River Fruit Loop, especially from June through the end of September, is bound to be delicious as you visit local farms and farm stands. Of course, there are plenty more things to do in the Columbia River Gorge, but if we want to keep our fruit focus, let’s talk about another one of our perennial favorite summer activities: Wild Huckleberry picking season!
The Washington Huckleberry is a wild, sweet-tart treat found at higher elevations in the heavily wooded forests around the Columbia River Gorge. It’s a cousin of the blueberry, and they thrive on the sunny hillsides of destinations like the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Each summer, we rejoice when Washington huckleberry season comes into focus, usually sometime in mid-August. Depending on the location and weather, the growing season can extend through mid-October. Though these berries can pop up in various places, they grow best on slopes between 3,000 and 7,000 feet.
Huckleberries are pretty prolific in the hillsides surrounding the Gorge on both the Washington and Oregon sides of the river. However, we do have a few favorite spots to go foraging for these plump purple mountain treats. Within the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and not too far from our luxury cabins in Washington, you’ll find the Sawtooth Berry Fields in the Indian Heaven Wilderness. This area is a fascinating place to hike, as it offers plenty of Native American History. Here, you’ll also find designated huckleberry-picking areas. Just pay special attention to the signs.
You’ll also need to get a permit before engaging in berry picking. The Washington Forest Service requires it to ensure sustainable huckleberry populations. If you’re picking for personal consumption, you’re allowed to pick no more than one gallon of berries per day, with a maximum of three gallons per season. While nothing stands in as a good substitute for fresh, hand-picked berries, don’t forget to pick up a selection of huckleberry jams, shakes, syrups, and pies in farmstands, markets, restaurants, and stores in the Hood River area.
At the end of your fruitful day, come back to our scenic cabins in Washington, located in the small town of Carson, across the Bridge of the Gods from the Hood River area. We offer a beautiful, well-landscaped property with plenty of seating areas, not to mention our luxurious cabins appointed with a broad assortment of amenities. There’s no better place to stay in Washington than our stunning luxury cabins. Book your stay today!
