Discover the Memaloose Hills: Wildflower Paradise just Outside Hood River, OR
Join us at the Memaloose Hills, a top wildflower hike in the Columbia River Gorge.
In today’s video, I’ll share the highlights of the Memaloose Hills hike and everything you need to know to experience this fabulous place yourself.
🔔 If you enjoy, this video, remember to give it a thumbs-up and subscribe to our channel! / @adventurespnw
The Memaloose Hills trailhead is about an hour and 15 minutes’ drive east of Portland, through the scenic Columbia River Gorge. The trailhead isn’t listed by name on Google Maps, so I’d recommend using these coordinates: 45.693734, -121.350680
If you need food or supplies, I’d recommend stopping in Hood River, just 12 minutes before the trailhead.
The trail starts from the Memaloose Overlook parking area on the Historic Columbia River Highway. Parking is somewhat limited, so go off-peak if you can.
The Columbia River overlook next to the parking area is definitely worth a look!
The Memaloose Hills trail starts on the side of the road opposite the parking.
If you time it right, you’ll find yourself in a rolling oak savanna dominated by yellow Balsamroot wildflowers, with many other flower species in the mix.
Generally speaking, April is the time to do this hike, but I’d recommend checking recent trip reports on AllTrails to fine-tune your timing. Here is the link: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/or...
Be aware of poison oak along this trail. It can be tricky to spot since there are so many oak trees…I kept getting tripped up on whether individual plants were poison oak or just young oak trees, but since both are prevalent here, it’s easiest just to avoid brushing up against anything with oak-like leaves.
The Memaloose Hills hike is about 3 miles. It’s a lollipop loop, so you’ll soon come to a junction, and you can go around the loop in either direction.
We went clockwise, but I’d actually recommend going counterclockwise.
It’s beautiful in either direction, but there’s one very steep section that’s easier to walk up than to walk down.
The loop travels up Marsh Hill and Chatfield Hill, both covered in flower meadows.
There are rattlesnakes in the area, so use caution. We didn’t see any snakes, but we saw other wildlife along the way!
Chatfield Hill has another standout view of the gorge.
Thanks for joining us at the Memaloose Hills!