Memaloose Hills: Columbia River Gorge Wildflowers & Mount Hood
For a few weeks every spring, the eastern end of the Columbia River Gorge turns into a wildflower meadow with Mount Hood sitting right behind it. Fields of yellow balsamroot and purple lupine roll across open hills, the snow-capped peak floats in the distance, and if you time it right you get one of the best scenes in Oregon. I made my Mount Hood wildflower print up on the Memaloose Hills, and it's one of my favorite spring shots I've taken. Here's where it is, when to go, and the thing you really need to watch out for.
Where this is: Memaloose Hills
The Memaloose Hills sit near Mosier, on the drier eastern side of the Columbia River Gorge. This is the part of the gorge where the thick evergreen forest gives way to open grassland and oak, and that shift is exactly what makes the wildflower display so good out here. Instead of hiking through trees, you're walking across rolling hills covered in blooms with big open views.
It's still a bit of an under-the-radar spot compared to the famous gorge hikes, but the payoff is huge. From the high points on the hike, Chatfield Hill and Marsh Hill, you can see Mount Hood and Mount Adams on a clear day, plus the Columbia River stretching east and west below you.
The hike
The Memaloose Hills loop is about 3.2 miles round trip with only 550 feet of gain, so it's an easy one, family-friendly on the effort side. The classic starting point is the Memaloose Overlook off Interstate 84 near Mosier.
One important heads up on parking: hikers are no longer allowed to park at the Memaloose Rest Area on I-84, so check current access before you go and use the Marsh Cutoff Trailhead as your alternative. Trail access out here changes, so it's worth a quick look at a recent trail report before you drive out.
When to go
Peak bloom is April into May. That's when the balsamroot and lupine go off, along with paintbrush, buttercup, and larkspur mixed in. Aim for a clear day so Mount Hood actually shows up behind the flowers, since that's the whole shot.
Go on a weekday if you can. These hills are a popular spring destination and they get crowded on nice weekends in April and May. Early morning on a weekday gives you the flowers, the light, and a lot more space to yourself.
Watch out for ticks (and a couple other things)
Be careful out here, because this is tick country. The eastern gorge grasslands are full of them in spring, so wear long pants, stay on the trail, and do a thorough tick check on yourself and anyone with you when you're done. It sounds paranoid until you find one.
Two other things to know: there's poison oak in the oak woodland sections, so learn what it looks like and don't wander off-trail into it, and the rattlesnake population is fairly dense through this stretch of the gorge. None of this should scare you off, it's a gorgeous and easy hike, but the grasslands out here are wilder than the forested gorge trails and worth respecting.
Shooting the wildflowers and Mount Hood
The magic composition is simple: a foreground full of balsamroot and lupine, with Mount Hood centered in the distance. Get low to the flowers to build depth, and shoot on a clear day so the mountain reads sharp behind the blooms. Golden hour softens everything and warms up the whole scene, which is when I like it best. A single scattered oak or evergreen in the frame gives your eye something to anchor on.
Nearby
If you're chasing wildflowers in the gorge, the Tom McCall Preserve at Rowena Crest is close by and puts on a similar balsamroot and lupine show with its own Mount Hood and Mount Adams views. You could easily hit both in a day. The little town of Mosier is right there too for a coffee or a bite.
Take the meadow home
If you'd rather have that spring scene on your wall than wait for the two weeks a year it looks like this, that's exactly what this print is. Wildflowers up front, Mount Hood behind, the eastern gorge at its best:
Mount Hood Wildflower Print — Memaloose Hills →
It comes in sizes from a small 5x7 up to a 24x36 statement piece, printed on demand on matte or lustre paper, unframed with free shipping. It's a warm, alive piece that brings a little of that Oregon spring into a room year round.
If you want more of the gorge, I also wrote up the view of Vista House from Chanticleer Point, which is a completely different side of this same stretch of river. I'm a landscape and cityscape photographer based in Portland, and the Columbia River Gorge is one of the places I keep coming back to shoot.
