Best things to do in The Dalles

The Columbia Gorge Discovery Center & Museum is the official interpretive center and history museum about the Columbia River Gorge located on 54 acres (22 ha) in The Dalles, Oregon. Opened in 1997, the 48,200-square-foot (4,480 m2) Center features exhibits about the area's geology, Ice Age prehistory, Native American culture and basketry, exploration by Lewis and Clark and others on the Oregon Trail, settlement, transportation and natural history. The Wasco County Historical Museum is a 17,200 square-foot exhibit wing which tells the history of the people of Wasco County, Oregon.

The center also offers live raptor programs, a research library, meeting rooms, auditorium, gift shop and cafe. The site includes a handicap accessible paved interpretive trail with vistas of the Columbia River Gorge and the Klickitat Hills.

The Western Antique Aeroplane and Automobile Museum (WAAAM) is located in Hood River, Oregon, United States, adjacent to the Ken Jernstedt Memorial Airport. WAAAM is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization committed to the preservation of, and education about aviation, automobile, and other historic transportation-related relics.

WAAAM is open to the public every day 9:00-5:00 except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. WAAAM has special activities the second Saturday of every month. The museum features flying demonstrations, auto demonstrations, and restoration demonstrations, though events vary month to month. The museum's biggest event is the annual Hood River Fly-In held the first weekend after Labor Day every year, and features antique aircraft and automobiles from throughout North America.

A popular destination for hiking, snowboarding, skiing, biking, and fishing, Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area transitions from temperate rainforest to dry grasslands in just under 130 km (80 mi). Up to 1,200 m (4,000 ft) deep, the gorge stretches along the boundary between Washington and Oregon and contains a high concentration of waterfalls, with nearly 100 on the Oregon side alone. An important water transportation corridor for millennia, this river canyon offers you a chance to discover a sprawling world of pristine forests, streams, lakes, wetlands, and prehistoric sites. Take advantage of scenic drives, picnic areas, hiking trails, and panoramic lookouts. You can set up a tent or trailer at one of the area's designated campgrounds.

The tallest waterfall in Oregon, and the second-tallest year-round waterfall in America, Multnomah Falls is a natural wonder imbued with Native American legend. Supposedly, the waterfall was created to woo a young princess who wanted a private place to bathe. Find the bottom of this 186 m (611 ft) icy fall after crossing the Benson Footbridge, and then continue up the trail for different views of the spectacle. After your hike, head to Multnomah Falls Lodge, a relaxing restaurant, gift shop, and information center built in 1925 from every type of rock found in Columbia Gorge.

Mount Hood is a potentially active stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc. It was formed by a subduction zone on the Pacific coast and rests in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located about 50 mi (80 km) east-southeast of Portland, on the border between Clackamas and Hood River counties. In addition to being Oregon's highest mountain, it is one of the loftiest mountains in the nation based on its prominence, and it offers the only year-round lift-served skiing in North America.

The height assigned to Mount Hood's snow-covered peak has varied over its history. Modern sources point to three different heights: 11,249 ft (3,429 m), a 1991 adjustment of a 1986 measurement by the U.S. National Geodetic Survey (NGS), 11,240 ft (3,426 m) based on a 1993 scientific expedition, and 11,239 ft (3,425.6 m) of slightly older origin. The peak is home to 12 named glaciers and snowfields. It is the highest point in Oregon and the fourth highest in the Cascade Range.

Mount Hood is considered the Oregon volcano most likely to erupt,

though based on its history, an explosive eruption is unlikely. Still, the odds of an eruption in the next 30 years are estimated at between 3 and 7%, so the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) characterizes it as "potentially active", but the mountain is informally considered dormant.

Old Saint Peter's Landmark, commonly referred to simply as Old St. Peter's, is a historic building located at the corner of 3rd and Lincoln Streets in downtown The Dalles, Oregon. It was built in 1897 and dedicated on March 17, 1898 as St. Peter's Church, and served the local Roman Catholic congregation as its place of worship until 1968. It was saved from scheduled demolition in 1971 by a group of concerned citizens who formed Old St. Peter's Landmark, Inc., for that specific purpose, and which maintains the building as a museum and site for weddings, concerts and other cultural events.

Timberline Lodge is a mountain lodge on the south side of Mount Hood in Clackamas County, Oregon, about 60 miles (97 km) east of Portland. Constructed from 1936 to 1938 by the Works Progress Administration, it was built and furnished by local artisans during the Great Depression. Timberline Lodge was dedicated September 28, 1937, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

The National Historic Landmark sits at an elevation of 6,000 feet (1,829 m), within the Mount Hood National Forest and is accessible through the Mount Hood Scenic Byway. Publicly owned and privately operated, Timberline Lodge is a popular tourist attraction that draws two million visitors annually. It is notable in film for serving as the exterior of the Overlook Hotel in The Shining (1980).

The lodge and its grounds host a ski resort, also known as Timberline Lodge. It has the longest skiing season in the U.S., and is open for skiers and snowboarders all 12 months of the year. Activities include skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, hiking, biking, and climbing.

Sorosis Park is municipal park in The Dalles, Oregon, United States. The 45 acres (18 ha) in size and has tennis courts, a playground, disc golf course, horse shoe toss, picnic tables, shelter, bbq pit, softball fields, volleyball sand court, and a running trail (8/10 mile). The park was also known for a number of large Ponderosa Pines, which as of 2020 succumbed to the pine beetle infestation. The park also contains a memorial rose garden with the Vogt Fountain as the centerpiece.