If you have never been there, Hood River is a Shangri-La kind of place with abundant fruit orchards and the extremely scenic snow-covered Mount Hood almost always in the background. It is similar to Bend in that it sits in the transition zone between the wet westside and the arid eastside of Oregon. The biggest difference is that it is much lower in elevation.
Another difference is that there are some rides in the area that are very good but "secret" because they are on private land. The land owners in most cases do not want to see any maps or written descriptions of their trails but allow them just the same. One of those trails called the Whoop-De-Do Trail was five star and very close to town but is now closed due to logging. If it opens back up, you will have to ask around to get directions.
Hood River County is a little unique in that it owns and manages a fair amount of timberland. There is a trail close to town on this land in Post Canyon that has to be ridden to be believed.
Other than that, the majority of riding, and there is lots of it, is up on Surveyors Ridge on National Forest land.
At one time there used to be a trail suitable for mountain biking along the East Fork of Hood River but due to the extreme weather events of the last few years much of it has been washed out or is too sandy to ride. (No conection to global climate change is hereby expressed or implied.)
There is a fair amount of riding on the Washington state side but to keep the size of the site manageable it is not going to be covered. The local bike shops have maps showing all the rides on both sides of the river except for the private ones.
