Mosier's October Is a Month of Last Calls. Here's Where the Walks Go After Halloween.

On October 31, the two biggest outings east of Mosier close for the season on the same day. The Tom McCall Preserve at Rowena shuts until March 1. The Nature Conservancy says the reason is "the high risk of erosion and ground disturbance in the wetter months." Memaloose State Park's day-use season also ends October 31 and doesn't reopen until April 11.

From then until spring, the walking options for a Mosier household are mostly trails you can reach from Totem Plaza on foot. This year that list is shorter than the City of Mosier's trail page makes it look. Union Pacific's siding work has cut into one of the town's own loops, and the city expects that construction to run until spring 2027.

The October Deadlines, In Order

The closures don't all fall on Halloween. Several of the places people pair with a fall walk wind down earlier in the month:

• Mid-October: Analemma Wines on State Road ends its regular tasting season. It is open Friday 1 to 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday noon to 6 p.m. "from March through mid-October," and it recommends reservations. Its 2026 harvest was still going in late September, and its September 28 update reported the last day of destemming red grapes.
• Through October: Double Strand Wine at 953 Quartz Drive keeps weekend tasting hours, Saturday and Sunday noon to 5 p.m., through the month. Appointments are available at other times.
• October 31: The Tom McCall Preserve closes, including both of its trails, and Memaloose State Park day use ends.

The u-pick farms closed months ago. Evans Fruit Company on State Road says it is "Upick'd out for 2026." Rosedale Fruit Farm lists both its cherry and peach seasons as closed for the year. If you've been saving one more trip up Highway 30, October is the last month to take it.

The Rowena Closure Covers More Than the Climb

It's easy to assume only the steep trail closes. The Conservancy's own page adds to the confusion. One paragraph still describes the McCall Point Trail as "open May through October." The current Overview and Access sections give March 1 to October 31 instead, and they apply that window to the whole preserve, not one trail.

The preserve has two trails, and both close:

So the easy 2.6-mile plateau walk to the cliff edges and the pond isn't a winter fallback either. Dogs aren't allowed on the preserve in any season. The Conservancy points dog owners to lower Mayer State Park at the Rowena exit instead.

With Rowena and Memaloose both closed, the open trails are the ones that start in town.

What Stays Open From Downtown

Mosier Plateau Trail

This is the main year-round walk. Friends of the Columbia Gorge describes the Mosier Plateau as open year-round, starting from downtown. The City of Mosier's description is more detailed. The trail follows Mosier Creek, then switchbacks up to a viewpoint on the bluffs. From there you look west to Bingen, White Salmon, Underwood Mountain and Dog Mountain, and east to Lyle.

The city gives 1.4 miles out and back to the viewpoint, or 2.7 miles if you continue down the north side as a loop. Both options gain about 450 feet. Friends' trail page lists the full out-and-back from downtown at 3.5 miles, so the distance depends on where you start counting. On the way you pass Pocket Park, the Pioneer Cemetery and Mosier Creek Falls. The city asks hikers to clean their boots before and after, since hikers often spread invasive seeds.

One caveat: Friends says it doesn't track trail closures. "Open year-round" describes the preserve's access policy, not this week's conditions.

Mosier Creek Falls

For a short walk, Friends lists Mosier Creek Falls as a one-mile out-and-back from Totem Plaza. It covers part of the plateau route without the climb.

The Twin Tunnels

The Twin Tunnels segment of the Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail is a 4.5-mile paved, car-free route between the Mark O. Hatfield trailheads in Hood River and Mosier. According to the city, the full round trip to Hood River is 11 miles with about 420 feet of gain, and there are picnic tables along the way. Dogs are allowed on a leash of six feet or less.

On the Mosier side, the first lot you reach is for disabled parking only. The regular trailhead lot is farther up the road. Fee information doesn't agree. ODOT's trail page lists $3, and the Forest Service page lists $5. Check the sign posted at the lot. If you walk up from town, you don't need to park.

The paved trail is open. The city still notes that much of the land along it has been closed "till further notice" since the Microwave Tower Fire in July 2024. Stay on the pavement. A State Parks fire restriction in effect since July 6, 2026 allows propane barbecues for cooking in designated areas and bans all other open flames on the trail.

The Loop the Rail Work Changed

The city's trail page still lists an easy, mostly flat two-mile waterfront and lake loop. It starts at Rock Creek Park, runs along the Columbia to the mouth of Mosier Creek, and returns along the south side of East Lake. The city already warns that parts near the lake can flood in winter and spring.

The siding project now runs through that same area. Uplift Local reported in June that Union Pacific is extending Mosier's 6,300-foot siding to about 9,000 feet. The work includes replacing the railroad bridges over Rock Creek and Mosier Creek with two-track bridges, and the project costs about $25 million. The report says construction "significantly reduced the foliage on the north side of the tracks where the city has established a scenic trail." City Manager Andrea Rogers described what was there:

"This is where the city has had a pathway in the past that creates a loop from Rock Creek to Mosier Creek and back. I am hopeful we can reconstruct this, and that Union Pacific contractors will assist us in that."

The work continues. The city's August 26 update reported nighttime work with noise and lights and noted that local land-use rules don't apply to the railroad project. The city also posted a Union Pacific crane removal for September 30 through October 2. Until the city reports the Rock Creek to Mosier Creek path rebuilt, the waterfront loop can't be counted on as a winter walk.

Rock Creek Park has also been free this summer. Gate parts couldn't be replaced after the manufacturer went out of business, and the city plans to have a new system running next season. The posted rate when fees apply is $5 a day or $30 for the season, sold at Mosier Market at 1010 1st Ave. Parking outside the park entrance along Rock Creek Road is free.

One new thing opened this fall near the trailheads. The skatepark at Jacob's Park was built by Main Street Mosier with an Oregon Parks grant and was scheduled to open September 12. It has a short posted closure from September 30 to October 1.

Where a Winter Walk Ends Up

All of these trails start and finish downtown, so that's where you'll be when you're done. Three stops have posted hours and none has announced a fall closure:

1. Randonnée Coffee, 1104 1st Ave. The city describes it as a coffee roaster and tasting room serving pastries and breakfast sandwiches. The Wagon Social Club says it is moving its kitchen inside Randonnée to serve sandwiches year-round. That's a good fit before or after the Plateau Trail.
2. Mosier Company, 904 2nd Ave. It's open Thursday through Sunday, 4 to 9 p.m., with indoor and outdoor seating and no reservations. Patina plays a free patio show there on Saturday, October 10, from 5 to 7 p.m.
3. Garnier Vineyards, 8467 Highway 30 West. The tasting room lists Friday 3 to 6 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 1 to 6 p.m., with no seasonal end date posted. Once Analemma's regular season ends in mid-October and Double Strand's weekend hours end with the month, Garnier is the tasting room near Mosier that still lists weekend hours.

That's the winter setup: the Plateau Trail or the Twin Tunnels on foot from Totem Plaza, coffee at Randonnée beforehand, and Mosier Company Thursday through Sunday evenings. The waterfront loop stays off the list until the city confirms the path along Rock Creek has been rebuilt.

You can find more about the town on our Mosier neighborhood page, and our July cherry-season guide covers the other end of the year.

At Gorge Homes & Land, we keep track of what changes around Mosier, from rail construction near Rock Creek to which trails open and close by season, because those details come up when a home here is valued or sold. If you'd like to know how your house compares right now, get your instant home valuation or schedule a complimentary consultation with Chrissy and Brock.