Mosier, OR - cherry picking, hiking, waterfalls and small town discovery
I love exploring little towns outside of Portland. Especially when I can plan a day trip out of it. On Saturday we packed a picnic and headed to Mosier, OR to get some cherries. It's peak cherry picking season and I didn't want to miss out. It's an hour and a half drive, so I planned on doing a hike afterwards and exploring the little town.
We headed to Rosedale U-pick cherry orchard. The prices per lb are the same in that area, so you cant go wrong. Each orchard does grow different variety though. I don't know the names, I just like the big, juicy, dark burgundy ones. SOOOOO good.
Yes, I could go to the store and buy cherries, but where's the fun in that. At the orchard I loved watching the boys do their thing. Oren watched all of us pick cherries and put them in a bucket. He's one to stuff his face with both hands when it comes to food, so collecting something into a bucket instead of his mouth is not his way. He hid under a tree and picked cherries right off the branches and stuffed his little tummy. Jasper loved climbing the ladder and handing the cherries to me as we filled the bucket. As excited as he was about this, he was quickly distracted by the ability to actually climb the trees and played pretend with Simon. Simon also helped for a little and got quickly bored and wanted to move on to the next activity, and that was climbing the trees and being adventurous. They really are the best little men. There's a hand washing station and water cups for cold water provided at the pay station. The boys were completely covered in dirt and cherries, so I was glad they had that.
Next on our list was hiking the up to the Mosier Plateau. The hike starts at the city's public parking lot near the totem pole ( can't miss it). As soon as you cross the bridge, the trail is marked by a bench. Walk up the trail and through the historic Mosier Pioneer Cemetery, and the Pocket Park. The trail will continue, passing the Mosier Waterfalls and then climb through switchbacks to reach the breathtaking view of the Columbia River Gorge. Definitely take a break up there, have a picnic, take in the views, then, head down to those waterfalls for a dip in the swimming holes. My husband and our oldest followed the example of the locals and jumped into to the swimming holes from rocks above. They had a blast! The littles and I hung out in the creek above. I was so hot and already drenched in sweat from wearing the toddler, so I just went in my clothes. worth it.
We had a picnic dinner that we packed back near the parking lot. Around the totem pole there are picnic tables, we found one behind this public park, facing the Columbia river and the train tacks. For dessert we headed across the street to an ice-cream shop to treat the boys and myself for being such troopers on the trail. The ice cream store is called Cooper's. The owner makes the ice-cream by hand and has some fantastic flavors. The lavender lemon was so refreshing and absolutely amazing. I had the coffee flavor that literally tasted like the best frozen coffee I've ever had. We loved the retro feel of it and just a super chill vibe. It was a perfect treat.
As the sun was setting on this little town, it was quite and peaceful. We took a walk through the town, admiring the old building, saying hello to the locals as we marveled at the daily view of the Columbia River Gorge they get to wake up to.
Guys, it was a perfect day trip.
Day trip tips:
- Pack snacks and if you have a small cooler, pack at least one meal
- Pack extra clothes, for everyone, extra shoes, extra everything
- Don't rush the day. Just plan a day trip with specific destinations in mind and then just go with it. days are longer now, you'll get it done
- Bring water, sunscreen and hats
Here are some of my favorite things we took on this day trip:
I was gifted a cooler backpack by a good friend and absolutly love it for hikes. Here's similar ones:
Must have a hat, and this one is my favorite!
Favorite baby carrier. I had this one since the boys were new borns - all the way till now (he's two).Favorite carrier.
The red dress is from Zara, they're sold out. ASOS has similar ones, click here .
