The great outdoors!

How could I have not known about Elliot Glacier Pub? I've driven by and through Parkdale, a pretty darn cute little town many times on my way to hike or explore in the Mt. Hood/Hood River Valley area. But somehow this incredible slice of beervana about 15 or so miles south of Hood River totally escaped me. I read a mention of it recently somewhere, and since w and I were heading up towards Tamawanas Falls for a little leg stretching activity, this seemed the perfect reward. Okay, maybe we jumped the gun on the reward part because we actually hit the pub before our hike. Perfect! The pub is housed in an old building on the main street that runs through Parkdale. You walk into a narrow dining room with a mezzanine above it, order food on the right (in our case a kick ass plate of cheesy good chicken verde nachos), and your beer at the bar on the left. They not only brew all their own...really delicious...beers on premise, but they also make all the food from scratch. But the big payoff comes when you take your refreshing adult malted beverages and walk out the back door to their beer garden where you come face to face with the north face of Mt. Hood looming above you, seemingly within touching distance. This has got to be the best pub view in the state. Awesome!


Here I am in soaking in all sorts of ambiance. Ah, life is good, no?

We got our refreshment on, then hit the road for the hike, which if you're looking for a fairly easy, yet highly rewarding, walk through the woods, this little 4 mile jaunt is the deal. The trail climbs gently along the east fork of the Hood River to beautiful Tamawanas Falls (below). And if you're feeling the need for your own reward after all this "work", then you know where to go! Absolutely put this on your list of Portland day trip activities before the rainy weather sets back in. It is totally worth it!