6 Best Sights in White Salmon, Southeastern Washington

The Coyote Wall trail, about 5 miles east of town off Highway 14, affords hikers unobstructed views of the Columbia River and the surrounding mountains, including Mt. Hood. The trail leads from a disused section of roadway up a gradual slope, through tall grass and wildflower meadows, from sea level up the side of a sheer cliff that rises to about 1,900 feet elevation. You can descend the way you came up or by looping back down through an intriguing valley of basalt rock formations (known as the Labyrinth)—the full round-trip is about 8 miles, but you could hike part of the way up the trail and back, taking in the impressive vistas, in less than an hour.

Celebrated Woodinville winemaker Michael Savage operates this intimate tasting room at the vineyard on which he grows the grapes in several of his most acclaimed bottles, including a vibrant Riesling, a lean and elegant Pinot Noir, and a complex Gewürztraminer orange wine. Enjoy the sweeping Gorge and Mt. Hood views while you sip.

The focus at this intimate winery with lovely seating set among beautiful gardens is predominantly on elegant, full-bodied Rhône-style wines. The friendly, knowledgeable tasting room has garnered plenty of awards for its aromatic Cuvée Elena Grenache-Syrah-Mourvèdre blend, as well as a first-rate stand-alone Syrah, and several racy, dry whites—Picpoul, Grenache Blanc—that seem tailor-made for the Gorge's warm summer nights. Note that several other outstanding small wineries—Domaine Pouillon and Tetrahedron among them—are in this same rural town.

Just a short drive west of White Salmon, this friendly boutique winery has one of the prettiest tasting-room settings in the area—it's high on Underwood Mountain, with outdoor seating that affords spectacular views looking east toward Hood River and deep into the Gorge. The cleverly named wines here—Puck, an Albarino, and Three Witches, a Rhône-style blend of Cinsault, Carignan, and Counoise—are paired with little amuse-bouche-style nibbles, typically chocolate, prosciutto, or fruit.

Appreciated for its sleek, glass-walled tasting room and landscaped courtyard as well as for producing complex, eclectic wines, COR is one of several excellent Lyle wineries. The Cabernet Franc is one of the best in the state, but don't overlook the distinctive Merlot-Malbec and co-fermented Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer blends.