Discover Parkdale

Parkdale combines the landscape of the Columbia River Gorge with orchards, rural history, and unusual geological features. Mount Hood rises in the background beyond the orchards. Those planning a trip to Parkdale can therefore combine very different experiences, including visits to historic sites, regional products, train rides, and a look at the traces left by volcanic landscape formation.

Orchards, Farms, and Regional Products

The fruit-growing industry strongly shapes Parkdale's character. Mt. View Orchards is a 51-acre apple and pear farm in Parkdale, Oregon. It offers fruit picking, a picnic area, photo opportunities, a seasonal pumpkin patch, and farm-to-table dinners. Depending on the focus of your trip, a visit can be combined with a relaxing day among fields and agricultural products.

Kiyokawa Family Orchards also represents the region's diversity. The family-run operation has been growing agricultural products since 1911 and offers more than 150 varieties of apples, pears, Asian pears, cherries, and stone fruit. The property includes a fruit stand selling regional honey, jams, and fresh cider. Kiyokawa Family Orchards also has the largest U-pick orchard in the Hood River Valley. Draper Girls Country Farm in the Hood River Fruit Loop complements this offering with daily cider tastings, fruit and flower picking, encounters with goats, and an experience of the farm landscape.

Volcanic Landscape with a History of Its Own

The Parkdale Lava Flow is 7,000 years old. It filled the former Middle Fork Valley and diverted the river to the western edge of the old valley. It is also considered the youngest lava flow in the Cascades between Mount Jefferson and Mount Adams. The Parkdale Lava Beds reveal the lava flow as ʻaʻā lava, with rough, jagged, and cindery surfaces. This aspect of the landscape gives Parkdale a striking contrast to the orchards and appeals to anyone who wants to discover unusual natural formations during their trip.

Museum and Historic Sites

The Hutson Museum opened in 1994 with the collections of Jesse Hutson, who lived in the Hood River Valley. It displays artifacts of Indigenous peoples and pioneer relics that illustrate early life in the upper Hood River Valley. The Ries-Thompson House is the oldest surviving residence in Parkdale and dates from around 1900. The Hutson Museum and the Ries-Thompson House are designated as National Historic Sites.

The museum grounds also include Red Barn Park, with interpretive information panels, and a USFS amphitheater where lectures and demonstrations are held. Parkdale Park offers a picnic shelter, picnic tables, a small amphitheater, a historic house, a barn with an upper floor, and an outdoor shelter with an antique fire truck. Public use is free and does not require reservations; facilities are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Parkdale as a Starting Point for Different Travel Ideas

The Mount Hood Railroad offers another special perspective. It provides scenic rides between Hood River and Parkdale, as well as round-trip train rides and railbike excursions. Parkdale is the terminus of the railroad, which has transported products to markets since 1906. When choosing a vacation rental or vacation home, you can therefore consider whether orchards and farm experiences, culture and local history, or a ride on the Mount Hood Railroad should be the focus of your trip. The available activities allow for a variety of day plans without limiting Parkdale to just one type of vacation.

If you would like to compare additional destinations for your travel plans, you can also visit the pages for Hood River and Cascade Locks.

Back to the higher-level travel overview: Hood River.