Cozying Up To Fall At Mt. Hood Village RV Resort

By Guest Author: Matt Wastradowski

When it opened in 1984, Mt. Hood Village RV Resort was the first of its kind on the slopes of Mt. Hood: an outdoorsy retreat that welcomed families and retirees alike with cottages, cabins, campsites and a wide range of on-site amenities and activities.

More than 40 years later, the resort remains one of the only properties of its kind in the area, making it an ideal basecamp in the Villages of Mt. Hood and a gateway for outdoor recreation on the slopes of Oregon’s tallest peak and in the surrounding forests.

I’ve driven by the resort countless times during my travels on Highway 26, but I’d never thought to spend the night — until I decided on a quick fall getaway to Mt. Hood. I knew I might beat the fall foliage to the Mt. Hood National Forest by a week or two, but I was nevertheless excited to while away a lazy day and evening during a quiet time of year in the area.

Here’s more about my night at Mt. Hood Village RV Resort — and why you should consider a stay on your next visit, no matter what time of year you arrive at Mt. Hood

After receiving my key at the registration desk, I drove to my home for the night: a cottage in the resort’s Fern Crest neighborhood. As with all of the resort’s cottages, it included a front deck with Adirondack chairs and a grill — as well as a well-stocked kitchen, flat-screen television and cushy sofa inside. I was happy with a comfortable queen bed — and families will no doubt appreciate the kid-friendly bunk beds. 

After settling in, I took a walk around the property, where the first hints of yellow were appearing on maple trees in early October, and admired the range of accommodations across the 140-acre resort.

My first stop was the on-site Mt. Hood Tiny House Village. In all, eight colorful tiny homes sleep between three and seven guests and somehow fit restrooms, queen beds, kitchens and sofas into their compact layouts.

Other overnight stays across the 140-acre resort include circular, vinyl-sided yurts that sleep up to five; cozy cabins with basic amenities (such as en-suite restrooms and kitchenettes) and more than 300 RV sites — many of which are shaded and all of which come with electric, water and cable television hookups.

The interior of one of the cottages at Mt. Hood Village RV Resort.

Taking a look at the Mt. Hood Village RV Resort amenities, I realized there was far more fun than I could fit into a one-night stay; I could have easily enjoyed a whole weekend without ever leaving the property and would have stayed happy and busy the whole time.

The fun includes an indoor pool and hot tub (open Memorial Day through September); a clubhouse that’s home to a pool table, foosball table, and table tennis; outdoor playgrounds; on-site walking and biking trails and more. Helpful amenities, meanwhile, encompass laundry facilities, restrooms and showers for campers and an on-site general store that sells snacks, souvenirs, apparel, camping equipment and even board games and card games to play back in the cottage or tiny home.

Given its central location at the base of Mt. Hood, the resort sits surrounded by several excellent eateries, as well as great outdoor recreation.

After my walk, I headed just up the road for dinner at Koya Kitchen — which dishes sushi rolls, bowls of steaming ramen and Asian-inspired noodle dishes out of a food truck in the heart of Welches. 

Deciding on dinner was nearly as tough as figuring out where to sit; Koya Kitchen’s seating areas range from an indoor bar, where diners can sip sake under a veritable greenhouse of hanging plants, to an outdoor patio that hosts a converted school bus, a shady picnic shelter, an open-air A-frame structure, several picnic tables and Adirondack chairs. I happily scarfed down my steaming plate of chicken yakisoba at a picnic table under a stand of Douglas-fir and western red cedar, grateful for the laid-back vibes and this brisk autumn weather that allowed me to savor it all outside. (If the weather had been slightly cooler, I might have opted for a steaming bowl of ramen — and suspect I would have been just as happy.)

Guests at Koya Kitchen can dine in a heated A-frame in the forest.

The next morning, I eased into the day over a bacon-and-egg bagel sandwich and tea at Coffee House 26 in Welches; I’m not much of a coffee drinker, but I admired the shop’s extensive selection of caffeinated beverages. The spacious shop doubles as a bookstore, with a few shelves of popular fiction titles and regional books for sale.

Before heading back home to Portland, I stopped by Wildwood Recreation Site — less than a mile from the resort — to see if the season’s first chinook salmon had arrived for spawning. (Pro tip: Wildwood Recreation Site is typically one of the best places near Mount Hood to see spawning salmon.) I listened to the Salmon River rushing nearby en route to the park’s underwater viewing windows. When I arrived, I was joined only by a few babies darting about; nevertheless, it was fascinating to see the baby salmon so close — and I had a blast walking amidst the towering forest. If you’re interested in visiting, see why Wildwood is a great wheelchair-accessible adventure.

The underwater viewing area at Wildwood Recreation Site.