A Dog's Guide To Mt. Hood Territory

Do you stare at paintings on the wall all day or appreciate creative grooming styles? A trip filled with local restaurants and breweries, sculptures crafted by both nature and people and beautiful parks and boutiques can offer endless bonding opportunities with your human.

Just off I-5 in Lake Oswego, Phoenix Inn Suites, Hilton Garden Inn and Residence Inn by Marriott are all pet friendly, making them perfect for you and the family to unwind after a day of driving. Their staff also know of all the great pet-friendly restaurants in the area. For dinner, cozy up at La Provence’s flagship location with dog-approved outdoor tables and delicious French fare. Plus, many of their ingredients come from their own farm in Canby, so you know everything is fresh!

Take your human for a walk at one of Lake Oswego’s stunning dog parks. We love Hazelia Dog Park at Luscher Park, thanks to its thoughtful design, which offers two areas: one for timid and shy pups and one for those who are more outgoing.

Now that your legs and paws are warmed up, head to Lake Oswego’s downtown for an art tour featuring local and international talent. Gallery Without Walls is a unique outdoor sculpture exhibit containing 80 permanent and loaned works of art, all of which are so lovely, you won’t even think to pee on them. It’s open year-round and is free to enjoy, but if you want to take a piece of it home with you, approximately 30 of the sculptures rotate and are for sale. One of the sculptures is even of a dog.

Don’t miss the giant spinning flower sculpture in Millennium Park as you make your way to Stickmen Brewing’s Lakeside Smokehouse with its recently expanded covered and heated patio. Split some house-smoked BBQ with your human. They can also try one of Stickmen’s unique craft beers, such as their Japanese-style lager, Gaijin Dream, which is brewed with pilsner malt and flaked rice and finished with Willamette and Sorachi Ace hops.

Hopefully you saved some room for desert, because world-famous Salt & Straw has Pup Cups. Crafted with the same attention to detail and ingredients as their human treats, Salt & Straw starts with the coconut-based ice cream, and then adds sweet potato, carrots and apples. The end result is a dessert that's yummy and still good for you. 

Relax back at your hotel before dinner at Tavern on Kruse, where the front patio is pet friendly. Tip: To ensure availability, make an outdoor patio reservation.

You’ll want to rest up to take in one of nature’s massive sculptures the next day: Willamette Falls.

View it from the Highway 99E lookout, or sign up for a SUP pup lesson with Base Camp Paddle Board Adventures. Their boards come with traction dog mats, so you have an easier time staying upright with your human in tow. You’ll also get to meet the other SUP pups before setting out for your doggy paddle.

Afterwards, it may be tough to tear your humans away from main street’s boutique shops like White Rabbit Gifts and Refinery, a consignment boutique, but remind them you all can take the Oregon City Municipal Elevator — which happens to look a bit like a giant frisbee — up to the McLoughlin Promenade and the McLoughlin Historic District, where you will encounter squirrels and numerous historic homes.

Before you head on to your next adventure, make a stop at Corner 14 Foodcarts, Spirits and Brew. All of the food carts there are amazing, but we’re going to guess that you might most love Walter French’s mascot. Plus, you get a free treat when your human buys a sandwich. And across the street at Oregon City Brewing Company, your human will find a huge variety of their craft beers and many other local brews on guest taps. For a keepsake, they have Brewdog crowler plush toys and collapsible doggie bowls.

For all of you adventure-seeking pups wanting to spend some time in the wilderness, you’re in luck! Our Mt. Hood National Forest area is perfect for pooches. Mt. Hood Oregon Resort in Welches and the newly renovated Best Western Sandy Inn are both pet friendly and near everything you’ll want to do. Plus they’re easily accessible from US-26 along the Mt. Hood Scenic Byway.

Start warming up now for Burnt Lake Trail, one of our favorites. This eight-mile round trip boasts a lake at the top with a stunning view of Mt. Hood as its backdrop. Make sure your humans are in a good mood, so you can jump in and splash around when you get there. And please remind them to bring a water bowl, stay on leash and pack out anything leftover (such as a bathroom break surprise!).

Afterwards, think about the good times you just had on Chicali Cantina’s covered outdoor patio. They even have a doggie menu with entrees and a dessert. Let your human know that if the monkey light is on inside the restaurant, it means that they have a drink special going. Different colors indicate different specials.

With a good night’s sleep, you’ll be ready to head out to Estacada, where a day of water fun awaits. Wake up with a crepe brunch from Le HAPPY in Sandy and enjoy the brand new covered patio… while eating crepes! Did we say crepes?

Visit Milo McIver State Park’s off-leash dog park, just past the lookout point highlighting Mt. Hood. Oh, and if your family has any horses in it, the equestrian trails are just beyond that. Meet fellow dog travelers before taking your human to the Estacada Lake boat ramp where you can go on a guided paddle tour with Clackamas River Outfitters. They absolutely love canines and can’t wait to meet you and your humans. If you’d like to eat at Milo McIver, stop by Ant Farm Cafe & Bakery in Estacada for the perfect picnic boxed lunches.

Finally, before heading back to your hotel, find out all that makes Estacada special by touring their building-sized murals complete with QR codes leading to interesting facts and stories. For example, did you know that you can find white and black truffles in Mt. Hood National Forest? Dogs are preferred to pigs as Oregon’s mighty truffle hunters!