Hood River Meadows is located in the Mt. Hood National Forest on the southeast flank of Mt. Hood adjacent to Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Resort. At 4477 feet in elevation, Hood River Meadows is the source of Meadows Creek, a tributary of the East Fork of the Hood River.
Most of the trees in this picture are Engelmann Spruce(Picea engelmannii). The meadow is filled with sedges, bulrushes and white bog orchids(Plantanthera dilitata). The sunny fringe are filled with huckleberry bushes which bear a tiny, bluberry-like fruit in the late summer and whose foliage turns a dark red in the fall. Scattered along the wet edges are subalpine spirea(Spirea densiflora).
The east corner of the meadows has a primitive campground. Hood River Meadows is near several trails including the Sahalie Falls Trail, the Umbrella Falls Trail, and the Elk Meadow Trail. Hood River Meadows is also the center of a network of cross country ski trails.
Here is a satellite image of the area, showing the Mt Hood Meadows Ski Resort parking area (light gray area, upper left), Hood River Meadows (medium gray area, upper left), and many of the groomed nordic ski trails.
