"Small Town on the Dry Side of the Mountains" Mosier by glabah

The first community that you will come to going east in the Columbia River Gorge from Hood River is Mosier. This is a fairly small community with only a few businesses, and several good sized new housing developments.

It is much like many of the other small communities on the Columbia River Gorge, but it is unique in that it is the first community going east that is on the "dry" side of the mountains. Hood River is somewhat drier, but there is a significant change in the density of the forests between Hood River and the mostly dry grasslands around Mosier - the trees here are much smaller, and within a few miles eastward, there will be very few trees indeed.

• Pros:Small town on dry side of Cascade Mountains. Close to recreation offered by Columbia River Gorge.
• Cons:Small town, with not too much of certain types of activity. Recent Google data center in The Dalles makes housing expensive.
• In a nutshell:Not vital if you miss it as there are many attractive places in the Columbia River Gorge, but there are good recreation options in the area.