All of the following descriptions assume the much more common west wind that blows upriver. Running counter to the river current, the west wind helps build up waves like a wind running counter to a tide race current also does. (There are occasional winds from the east that allow runs in the opposite direction downriver - Gorge resident Carter Johnson reports that the east wind typically needs to be blowing at least 20 mph to make downstream downwinders worthwhile (for surfskis).)

Stevenson to Hood River

This stretch is about 18 - 19 miles. It is usually broken into smaller runs that people choose based on where the conditions they are looking for (stronger or milder) seem to be centered. The 13+ miles from Home Valley to Hood River is the traditional stretch for the Gorge Championship downwind race.

1. Stevenson, (WA) to Home Valley (WA) (5.5 miles)
   1. Put-in (Bob's Beach county park) and takeout (Home Valley county park) on Washington side of the river.
   2. Or put-in at Skamania County Fairgrounds adding 0.6 miles or so to run (launch from pond by fairgrounds and paddle out under a bridge into the river).
   3. On the Washington side of the Triangle Rock at the end of the run there are rocks that can damage your ski. Best to go on the Oregon side of Triangle Rock to avoid potential damage. Home Valley Run - Hitting Rock Video
   4. Webcam shots?
2. Home Valley (WA) to Drano Lake (WA) (7 miles)
   1. Put-in (Home Valley county park) and takeout (Drano Lake) on Washington side of the river.
   2. Home Valley has a large park with ample parking (usual launch site for Gorge Downwind Championships)
   3. Drano Lake is on north side of Washington Hwy 14. You have to paddle under bridge to leave river and go into lake.
   4. There is public boat ramp with ample parking for put-ins/take-outs at Drano Lake - turn off on north side of Hwy 14
   5. 2 Alternate Drano launch/takeouts on west end of lake along road that goes to Little White Salmon Fish Hatchery. But parking is very limited and involves somewhat steep walk between road and Drano Lake. There is a rail and ramp for the easier one to walk farther down the Hatchery road and a steep narrow trail for the one close to the Hwy 14 turn off.
   6. During salmon fishing seasons (spring and fall runs) there can be a large circling group of fishing boats on the “lake” side of the entrance from the river - do your best to travel in the same direction, possibly on the outside of the circlers and try to avoid interfering with shoreline fishing lines. Usually a friendly bunch if you avoid getting too much in their way. Drano fishing video
3. Viento (OR) to Hood River, OR (8 miles) Downwindfun
   1. Put-in (Viento State Park) and take-out (Hood River Waterfront Park or Event Site) on Oregon side of the river.
   2. A good line can be working the Oregon side for the first half of the run and then ease over toward the Washington side for the second half for the fastest runs. [On bigger days as you approach Swell City, anything from mid river almost to the Washington shore can get cross-waved, big, and challenging - to get somewhat less turbulence, either stay well right or go all the way left and hug the Washington shore. But unless you get to the Washington shore well before Swell City, you will have to go through turbulence to get there.] Slight changes in the direction of the wind can change the line and can make the end of the run huge or flat. The flow rate will change where the eddy lines are.
   3. Remember that you are paddling upstream so the biggest runs are often stacked in the strongest opposing current and the fastest line is usually somewhere between the biggest runs in the current and the flatness over to the side (some sections have little or no flat on side - depends on contour of river).
   4. Swell City (WA)
   5. The Hatchery (WA) (Washington side in the later part of the runs to White Salmon and Hood River)
      1. Spring Creek Hatchery State Park - An excellent place to practice by doing laps. Ride downwind and use the shoreline eddy to “easily” paddle the upwind section of your laps (skirt the edge between getting too far out and into the waves and getting too close to shore and shallow rocks).
      2. Site for a Gorge Small Boat group weekly get together for laps, food, and socializing on Thursday evenings (as of 2023 a growing group social sometimes with demos or skill presentations)
4. Drano Lake (WA) to White Salmon River (WA) (Washington side alternative to Viento run - 6-7 miles).
   1. See info above (from Home Valley run to Drano Lake) about Drano Lake
   2. Take out at White Salmon River (just as you pass Underwood, WA. across river from Hood River)
   3. The White Salmon takeout is on the east side of the White Salmon river mouth up a steep hill to limited parking. DO NOT attempt take out on west side small marina after turning into the river mouth. The marina is Native American private property and carefully guarded.
5. White Salmon River Mouth Laps (WA)
   1. The stretch upstream from the Hatchery to the mouth of the White Salmon River can also be an excellent place to do laps (sometimes with large waves). The river bends and typically will have much less upstream waves close to the Washington side so going downriver should be reasonable to return to your wave catching starting point. There is a green buoy a ways out from the shore at the mouth of the White Salmon River that you may want to aim for when your are riding waves upstream to keep you in the waves until you get close to shore for your turnarounds.

East of Hood River Event Site

• We used to be able to hop on the wake of the Sternwheeler and ride it up and down the river when the wind wasn't blowing, but unfortunately that option is not available for the forseeable future. Announcement of Service Cessation Jan 1, 2023 (there are still tour boats on the river, but no true paddlewheelers with such quality wakes )
• UPDATE August 2023 announcement via “The Sternwheeler” facebook group is that the Sternwheeler is back!
• Some days are better than others for wake riding Jan 2024 Storm, but when conditions are good it's the ultimate party wave
• …

Seasonal Variations

Current Conditions and Forecasts

• River Flow and Temperature
  • River Flow From Dalles Dam (section from the Dalles down to Cascade Locks)
  • Water Temperature at Hood River
• Immediate Forecasts from Knowledgeable Locals
  • The Gorge is My Gym A good forecasting site for surfskiing the Gorge.
  • VictorTheInflictor
• Wind App Forecasts
  • Wind Alert Detailed forecasting for free or an upgrade for a subscription.
  • Windy - Hood River
  • iWindsurf Pressure Gradients from Dwight on standupzone.com: “If you see the gradient up from PDX to the Dalles you are going to have west wind in the central gorge. If the Dalles to Pasco is up then out East works better. When they are both strong that means the whole gorge is funneling wind. If the gradients are bigger out east those are the driving days! If it warms up and goes easterly for a while and then the coast to PDX cools off quickly, those are your epic days.”
    • Gradient Animation for the Gorge
  • …

Local (and Nearby)

• Carter Johnson who lives part of the year in the Gorge and organizes the Gorge Championships (he also started the Vortex race series but they have been passed on to other organizers as of 2023) is occasionally available for coaching and downwind runs in a double ski. But he can be quite busy (carterjohnson25 at gmail.com)
• Sam Taylor
  • Head Rowing Coach at Lewis & Clark College (Portland, OR) with 20+ years of collegiate coaching experience. I've also worked with junior, masters, and pre-elite athletes in both sculling and sweep. I'm USRowing Level 3 Elite Coach certified and a Coaching Education Instructor, and I'm also a life long endurance athlete with experience in rowing, cycling, running, and paddlesport.
  • coachsamt@gmail.com
  • Masters Training for Paddlers Video from Sam
• Van Douglas Salmon Bay Paddle based in Seattle employs Van as their Gorge based surfski coach - as of 2023

Special Circumstance and Farther Afield

• Gorge Champs Week
  • Online Coaches some of these regularly are on hand for the Gorge Championship week so you may be able to combine online with some onsite coaching.
  • The world's best surfskiers and OCers have traditionally offered Seminars and Coached Downwinders during “Gorge week” before the Gorge Championships. This was interrupted by Covid and has been a bit slow in getting re-established but in 2023 some of these are coming back - such as the ones being offerred by Michele Eray and Maggie Hogan - Three Oceans Gorge Lessons
  • Well known instructors from Bellingham frequent the Gorge for the Champs and various other races and might be available for scheduled consults

Usually there are plenty of options, but with the Gorge Championships every July the more convenient and popular options tend to book up earlier, some many months in advance of summer. There are some Airbnb options (not super-numerous) including some that are pet friendly. Since 2021 the Gorge Championships have been centered more on the Washington side with hqtrs at the Skamania County Fairgrounds in Stevenson and may continue to be located there in the near future, so it may be more convenient to secure lodging on the Washington side for upcoming Championships. If you stay on the Oregon side, you may want to invest in a Toll Bridge Pass and you may also want to check the Hood River Port website to see if there are any maintenance issues with the Hood River Bridge which is old and scheduled for replacement.

• Gorge Champs Lodging Link
• Skamania County Lodging (scroll down and click on “Find All Options”)
• Skamania County Fairground Information (county changes their website from time to time and may break this link)
  • If the county link is broken, try your own search for “Skamania County Fairground Information”
  • Google Map
  • The Dyrt Review

Camping

• Stealth Camping
• Top Gorge Campgrounds
• HipCamp
• Google Map of Campgrounds Closer to Stevenson (move the map around to see additional campgrounds)
• Tucker Park on the Hood River

Other Popular Options

• Riverside Lodge in Stevenson
• Society Hotel in Bingen

We hope that good eateries are staying in business. But with recent boom in real estate since Covid recovery, it has become very difficult for service folks to find affordable housing, rent or own.

• Backwoods Brewing Co. - Carson, WA.
• Everybody's Brewing - White Salmon, WA. not just brews, good food also
• Hood River Taqueria - 1210 13th St, Hood River, OR 97031 (they have a website but it does not use https)
• Lampoei's Thai Kitchen - Windance parking lot. 108 OR-35, Hood River, OR
• Manny's Loncheria - Hgwy 14 and Underwood, WA. road
• Mo Ko (Mosier Company) Mosier, OR
• 6th Street Bistro - Hood River, OR
• White Salmon Baking Co. (if you want a breakfast sandwich early, get there well before opening to get a reasonable place in line)
• More Suggestions 1, More Suggestions 2, More Suggestions 3

Surfski/OC Rental

General Rental Advice

• Gorge Champs Rentals Page in 2023 Carter Johnson is offering some of his own surfskis for rent, and he has a list of contacts on the rental page who may have skis to rent. (do we even see a couple of OCs on Carter's list??)
• The supply of local surfskis and dealers may fluctuate. Dealers do send trailers of surfskis for the Gorge Championships and if you work on this early enough (long before the race) you may be able to reserve a rental surfski for Gorge Race Week from one of them. Such rental surfskis are often sold at a discount by the dealers after the race, so this can be a way to pick up a relatively new surfski at a discount. You may also want to check with the Gorge Small Boat Group or Whatcom Paddlers Discussion Group (both are easy to join) and ask them if they know of available surfskis or OCs…
• …

Paddle Clothing

• Giant Fish Portland, Oregon - high end, high quality lightweight/medium tops and bottoms, limestone neoprene. Small online company with products designed and dedicated for paddlers
• Immersion Research White Salmon, WA. . They make their boating gear - whitewater oriented including paddle tops, pants, drysuits… local custom fitting may be an option for walk in customers.
• Promotion one of their bases is in Hood River where they have a large water windsport clientele. They make their gear onsite and have been known to quickly make custom versions of their water protection clothing on request if you visit their store and they can measure you. They also offer a large selection of deeply discounted factory second wetsuit gear at their store (if the reason for the discount is a cosmetic blemish - who cares, right?).

Safety Gear

• North Shore Inc - water/wind sports including safety gear 1020 A Wasco St. Hood River, OR 97031

Surfski Dealers