The Dalles, OR Outdoor Activities

Indian Creek Golf Course's layout snakes through the Hood River Valley between a network of sprawling orchards and wineries with panoramic views of Mount Hood and Mount Adams creating a dramatic backdrop. Water comes into play on 11 holes, including three creeks that bisect fairways to disrupt play and tempt players to take fairway naps to the melodic babbling of their playing partners. On the par 5 fourth hole, precision is paramount, as the dogleg right is entirely fortified by water to the right and the small, narrow green make short putts strenuous with hard-to-read-breaks.

Indian Creek Golf Course won an Environmental Excellence award from Audubon International for its efforts in areas of wildlife and habitat management, chemical-use reduction, and water-quality management. The course and its surrounding land act as a sanctuary to a variety of wildlife, including several species of caddies now endangered because rampant cart use. Course at a Glance:

• Par 72
• Three sets of tees
• 6,150 yards from the back tees
• Rating of 71.3 and slope of 129 from the back tees

Rentals are available in day-long packages. Adult downhill skis and adult snowboards cost $30 for one day's rental and $45 for two days, while junior boards and downhill skis run $20 for one day and $30 for two days. Meadowlark's friendly and knowledgeable staff of mountain professionals is happy to guide customers toward the equipment that will serve them best as they take on nature's craggy surges with confidence-instilling snow gear.

No strangers to the great outdoors, the guides of Sage Canyon River Company help visitors tackle the great outdoors on whitewater-rafting, camping, and fishing expeditions. Adventures range from three-hour jaunts to multiday trips into the wilds of the Oregon frontier, giving outdoorsmen many options for experiencing nature. Thrill seekers can steer a raft or oversize rubber duck through calm waters amid desert-rock formations or crash through Class IV rapids—including the challenging Oak Springs on the Deschutes River—under the direction of a trained guide. For adventures that tend to keep the water outside of the boat, fishing trips journey into Sherars Falls and Macks Canyon in search of trout and steelhead, with fly- and reel-casting opportunities.

With the Columbia and Willamette Rivers in its backyard and Mount Hood rising from behind a sweeping skyline, Portland boasts stunning views. Determined to give their customers front-row perches to these vistas is Portland Spirit, which launches a cache of cruises that put the city’s sights in the forefront. The Landmarks of the Gorge Cruise ushers participants past historic attractions such as the steely mists of Multnomah Falls and the tree-dotted monolith of Beacon Rock, and the Outrageous Jet Boat Portland Bridges Cruise introduces onlookers to the city’s 10 suspended structures named after Jeff and Beau Bridges. With a quintet of vessels and myriad private events for guests, Portland Spirit also customizes jaunts for any occasion.

With more than 960 skiable acres on the face of Mount Hood, many visitors to Mt. Hood Skibowl rarely glide past the same tree twice. Named for the bowl-like shape of the mountain's upper portion, the resort uses the natural landscape to its advantage on two terrain parks and 65 trails that descend the mountain's 1,500-foot vertical drop—34 of which are fully lit, and no more than 10 of which attract slaloming polar bears at any one time. Professional skier and mountain biker Petr Kakes and his team of instructors hold beginner and advanced ski and snowboard lessons to prep students for these slopes.

Though there's much to explore on the trails—the longest of which runs 3 miles—visitors can also cavort outdoors in the Snow Tube and Adventure Park. Here, the staff maintains carved, winding snow-tube paths in two tubing parks served by a conveyor lift. An indoor playground filled with climbing structures and slides entertains children as young as 3. Seven on-mountain lodges and restaurants provide places for visitors to refuel or change into ghost-prospector costumes to scare off meddling kids. During warmer months, the slopes transform into the Mt. Hood Adventure Park at Skibowl, which boasts more than 20 outdoor attractions such as ziplines, a bungee-jumping tower, a concrete luge track, and a mountain-biking park.

In the shadow of the Deschutes River’s towering buttes and sheer rock faces, High Desert River Outfitters’ rafts soar over swirling rapids. The outfitter’s river guides have been navigating this river since 1990 and have mastered its most challenging rapids and eddies. In addition to firsthand experience, all guides boasts extensive training in swift-water safety and rescue, as well as certifications in first aid and CPR. They welcome adventurers of all ages, carefully tailoring trips to suit skill levels.

Groups can embark on leisurely half-day sojourns that provide a quick riverside glimpse of the surrounding landscape. Additionally, on any trips that last a day or longer, guides prepare barbecue lunches for all their guests to provide them with the energy necessary to control the rafts and physically remove any stowaway mountain goats.