The Hook

The Hook is a small watersports site at the west end of Hood River’s Columbia River waterfront. Its rock rim forms a protected cove used for beginner windsurfing lessons and practice on smoother water. Come to launch a windsurfer, kayak or stand-up paddleboard, or watch the sails from shore. If you’re not here for water sports, it’s a short riverfront stop rather than a place to build a day around.

A broad concrete ramp slopes down to the Columbia, wide enough to carry kayaks, paddleboards and rigged sails. The cove’s shape came from a dredge-and-fill plan begun in 1962: a rock rim enclosed a basin meant to receive sand dredged from the river bottom. The fill never happened. The project-era name was West Cove; the unfinished basin is now a protected launch area. For a photo, keep rippled water in the foreground with the wooded far bank beyond.

Use the Hook parking area off Portway Avenue at the west end of the waterfront. The ramp gives direct water access, but a Hook-specific accessible route was not verified. Rules for swimming and launching kiteboards are unclear; check posted Port rules before entering the water. Parking hours and payment rules can change, so verify them before you go.