Travel Journals
Your ultimate guide to Hilton hotel brands
Think hotels have too many brands? You’re not the only one.
It can be confusing to decipher distinct brand identities when individual hotel companies have so many. For instance, Marriott International ended up with 30 brands following its 2016 takeover of Starwood Hotels & Resorts. Meanwhile, Paris-based Accor clocks in at more than 40 brands.
TPG will spend the next few months examining each of the major hotel companies and their many brands, starting today with Hilton. While Hilton might be Marriott’s chief rival in the hotel arena, it follows a different ethos when it comes to its brands.
For starters, Hilton’s brand line-up is a lot smaller, with only 18. The McLean, Virginia-based company also tends to favor organically launching hotel brands as opposed to acquiring them from existing companies. The Hilton brand spectrum also ranges from ultra-luxury — with its Waldorf Astoria collection — to the more affordably priced, extended-stay brand Homewood Suites. It even boasts a timeshare arm with Hilton Grand Vacations.
If you’re already confused, don’t fret. You’ve come to the right place for a crash course in Hilton brands.
Waldorf Astoria
32 hotels and resorts located across 15 countries and territories
Hilton’s pitch to hotel owners and developers: “In landmark destinations around the world, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts reflect the culture and history of their extraordinary locations. With a fresh, modern expression of its rich, authentic legacy, Waldorf Astoria provides guests the exceptional environment and the personalized attention of True Waldorf Service that creates unforgettable experiences for our discerning travelers.”
TPG’s takeaway: Waldorf is one of the hotel brand grand dames. A wide array of historical figures and celebrities — from Winston Churchill to Frank Sinatra to Paris Hilton — have stayed (or lived) at the original Waldorf in New York City. Although it stands out for its place in history, Waldorf is no longer a big fish in a small pond of luxury hotel providers. The brand faces tough competition in the points world from Marriott’s St. Regis and Ritz-Carlton brands as well as Accor’s Raffles. Smaller, high-end brands such as Aman and Capella appeal to ultra-luxury connoisseurs who don’t mind cash rates.
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The True Waldorf Service initiative is a great selling point for those who want or need butler service during a stay, but that’s a baseline expectation in this stratum of hotel brands. The robust Hilton Honors points and loyalty network gives Waldorf some competitive advantage. However, we are watching to see what happens as Hilton beefs up this iconic brand into more cities — and tries to differentiate it from the pack.
Reviews: The Trump-turned-Waldorf Astoria in D.C., Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal, Waldorf Astoria Maldives
LXR Hotels & Resorts
Nine hotels across seven countries and territories
Hilton’s pitch to hotel owners and developers: “Found in the world’s most alluring locations, LXR Hotels & Resorts immerse you in truly profound travel experiences. We’ve connected legendary luxury properties into a network of hotels offering singular service and remarkable experiences.”
TPG’s takeaway: Major hotel companies like Hilton desperately want to beef up their luxury footprints. However, that doesn’t mean every luxury hotel owner wants to tap into a Waldorf license agreement and go through all the hassle of retrofitting a property to that brand’s design and experience standards. Enter: LXR Hotels & Resorts. These hotels enjoy inclusion on the Hilton Honors loyalty network but maintain the unique, bespoke feel of an independent top-tier hotel.
Reviews: Oceana Santa Monica, Hotel 1000
Conrad Hotels & Resorts
44 hotels and resorts across 22 countries and territories
Hilton’s pitch to hotel owners and developers: “Never just stay. Stay inspired. Smart luxury is at the core of everything Conrad Hotels & Resorts does. We offer access to a world of infinite connections, intuitive services and inspired experiences along our guests’ journeys. We are the destination of a new generation of smart luxury travelers for whom life, business and pleasure seamlessly intersect.”
TPG’s takeaway: This is essentially the JW Marriott of the Hilton brand family — but not just because they are both named after their respective founders. The brand operates in a bit of purgatory between the upscale spectrum of Hilton Hotels & Resorts and the luxury segment commanded by Waldorf and LXR. Think of these properties as affordable luxury options that work in both cities and resort destinations. While you stay at one, you can debate if Conrad Hilton’s last words really were, “Leave the shower curtain on the inside of the tub.”
Reviews: Conrad Los Angeles, Conrad Miami, Conrad New York Downtown
Canopy by Hilton
37 hotels across 10 countries and territories
Hilton’s pitch to hotel owners and developers: “Positively Yours. For those seeking an energizing experience, Canopy by Hilton is the hotel brand that creates ‘a positive stay’ with its simple, guest-directed service and thoughtful, local choices.”
TPG’s takeaway: Canopy is one of Hilton’s newer kids on the block. It was initially included in a wave of brands like Moxy and Aloft that aimed to attract younger travelers — though Hilton refrained from using the m-word (millennial) as much as its competitors. Fast forward to today, and the brand is more of a play for the lifestyle hotel sector. Its properties integrate more into their surrounding neighborhoods and offer elevated food, beverage and dining experiences for guests.
Reviews: Canopy New Orleans, Canopy Reykjavik City Centre
Signia by Hilton
Two hotels across the U.S.
Hilton’s pitch to hotel owners and developers: “Signia by Hilton is a new portfolio of premier hotels in highly sought-after urban and resort destinations. Each Signia by Hilton hotel offers unparalleled, dynamic meetings and events capabilities with world-class design, state-of-the-art technology, signature food and beverage experiences and premium wellness offerings, all backed by the Hilton name and award-winning Hilton Honors program.”
TPG’s takeaway: While it was a head-scratcher to see Hilton move ahead with a convention brand in the depths of the pandemic (though the brand itself was launched prior to then), the hotel company did just that. The brand fills a hole in Hilton’s network by allowing it to compete with the likes of Omni and Gaylord in the convention business.
Hilton Hotels & Resorts
601 hotels and resorts across 95 countries and territories
Hilton’s pitch to hotel owners and developers: “For nearly a century, Hilton Hotels & Resorts has been proudly welcoming the world’s travelers. With more than 584 hotels across six continents, Hilton Hotels & Resorts provides the foundation for exceptional travel experiences and values every guest who walks through its doors. The most recognized name in the industry, Hilton remains synonymous with the word ‘hotel.’ From inaugural balls and Hollywood award galas to business events and days to remember, Hilton is where the world makes history, closes the deal, toasts special occasions and gets away from it all. As the flagship brand of Hilton, Hilton Hotels & Resorts continues to set the standard for hospitality, providing new product innovations and services to meet guests’ evolving needs.”
TPG’s takeaway: It’s the namesake brand with locations all over the world. Think of it as the hotel version of a McDonald’s and Starbucks: It offers standardized service that isn’t always going to knock your socks off but reliably offers a clean place to sleep, shower and get on with your travel. Of course, there are a few properties that stand out (such as the Beverly Hilton, which typically hosts the Golden Globes) and give Hilton its global brand power.
Reviews: Hilton Mauritius, Hilton Tel Aviv, Hilton Reykjavic Nordica
Curio Collection by Hilton
133 hotels and resorts across 34 countries and territories
Hilton’s pitch to hotel owners and developers: “For the Curious. Curio is a collection of independent, remarkable hotels whose only unifying characteristic is their glorious individuality. Each hotel is hand-picked for its distinct character and personality, appealing to passionate travelers seeking local discovery.”
TPG’s takeaway: Curio is another of Hilton’s soft brands that seem more like a boutique hotel collection rather than one with rigid brand standards like Canopy and DoubleTree. The portfolio’s outposts are mainly located in North America and Europe, but Curio-flagged properties now dot Asia and the South Pacific. Consider this a way to get a rich, local experience without paying the higher rates of an LXR-branded hotel — all while earning or redeeming Hilton Honors points.
Reviews: Maison Astor Paris, WB Abu Dhabi, SAii Lagoon Maldives
DoubleTree by Hilton
649 hotels and resorts across 51 countries and territories
Hilton’s pitch to hotel owners and developers: “Come for a stay and see how nice travel feels. Something happens when you stay at a DoubleTree by Hilton hotel. Maybe it’s all the little things we do to show we care. From thoughtful touches and friendly service to our warm chocolate chip cookie welcome, we’re here to make your stay as comfortable as possible, right from the start. The niceness you experience with us stays with you long after you check out, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.”
TPG’s takeaway: Who cares about the guest rooms? We’re just here for the free chocolate chip cookies! DoubleTree is a middle-tier brand catering to business and leisure travelers. It may not be the stuff of a dream vacation, but it offers consistency across its portfolio largely focused on North America and Europe. However, the brand does have a presence in destinations like New Zealand and Fiji.
Reviews: DoubleTree Wellington, DoubleTree Amsterdam, DoubleTree Fiji
Tapestry Collection by Hilton
90 hotels across 12 countries and territories
Hilton’s pitch to hotel owners and developers: “Weave your own story. Tapestry Collection is a gathering of unique hotels that have been chosen because of a commitment to weaving their own story, meant for the traveler who never wants exactly the same experience twice.”
TPG’s takeaway: Rounding out Hilton’s soft brand trinity is Tapestry Collection. The boutique hotel movement centered on the world’s largest cities, but there has been a wake-up call across the industry that travelers to smaller cities also like the feel and experience of a cool, one-off property. These independent-minded hotels that tap into Hilton’s loyalty network are usually more affordable than their siblings in the Curio Collection and are typically found in smaller markets.
Embassy Suites by Hilton
261 hotels across five countries and territories
Hilton’s pitch to hotel owners and developers: “Embassy Suites by Hilton defines the upper-upscale, all-suite hotel category with its mix of two-room and studio suites, along with an atrium space designed to house the value-added food & beverage offerings, including free made-to-order breakfast and complimentary Evening Reception. With significant market share premiums and consistent best-in-class customer service, Embassy Suites engenders enormous loyalty amongst owners and customers alike.”
TPG’s takeaway: It is beauty. It is grace. It recently won TPG’s award for best free hotel breakfast in the U.S. The suites-only hotel is good for those looking for more than just a limited-service hotel: Along with the free breakfast (complete with made-to-order omelets), Embassy Suites offers a daily evening reception with free snacks and drinks. My hometown Embassy Suites back in Memphis, Tennessee, is even home to one of the city’s nicer Italian restaurants.
Tempo
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Hilton’s pitch to hotel owners and developers: “Tempo by Hilton is a stylish and contemporary lifestyle hotel brand dedicated to exceeding the expectations of the ambitious, yet balanced, class of discerning traveler — the modern achiever. Thoughtfully designed and uplifting, Tempo offers dynamic public space including an open lobby concept with dedicated spaces to relax and work, as well as premium culinary options, such as the brand’s signature coffee fuel bar, a casual breakfast café and an inviting bar experience. Each Tempo will include well-being offerings, state-of-the-art fitness facilities and programs, as well as flexible meeting and working spaces.”
TPG’s takeaway: Tempo is another Hilton play for the lifestyle hotel segment, this time at a more affordable price point. These hotels are meant to feature a midcentury modern style — so travelers can feel like they’re sleeping in a West Elm catalog. They have co-working spaces, elevated fitness centers and even wellness rooms, designed in partnership with Peloton.
Related: Can Hilton win over new travelers with its just-launched brand?
Motto
Three hotels across the U.S.
Hilton’s pitch to hotel owners and developers: “Motto by Hilton is Hilton’s new micro-hotel with an urban vibe in prime global locations that empowers guests by giving them the freedom to create their own experiences in the world’s most sought-after cities. Motto offers travelers centrally located, reasonably priced and less traditional lodging that provides a one-of-a-kind experience. At its core, Motto is a beacon for today’s modern, global community of travelers, delivering a flexible innovative hospitality experience with guest-empowered service.”
TPG’s takeaway: At first glance, Motto might seem like Hilton’s version of Marriott’s Moxy or Hyatt’s new Caption brand. However, the vibe here doesn’t avoid family travel, either. TPG’s hotels team toured the new Motto in New York City and saw how three adjoining rooms with different floorplans connect to create a two-bedroom suite; there’s even a living room in between thanks to flexible furniture that can make a bed double as a living area couch. It may have a small footprint today, but Motto could grow to become a formidable player in the family travel space for those looking to get to a major city.
Reviews: Motto Philadelphia
Hilton Garden Inn
960 hotels across 56 countries and territories
Hilton’s pitch to hotel owners and developers: “Hilton Garden Inn is the laid-back sophisticated brand offering heartfelt service and award-winning amenities.”
TPG’s takeaway: It’s hard to fit Hilton Garden Inn into one box. You’ll find them everywhere from Grand Forks, North Dakota, to Tangier, Morocco. Given that it’s one of Hilton’s larger brands, Hilton Garden Inn is clearly a hit with business travelers as well as leisure travelers looking for a standardized product that offers made-to-order breakfast and amenities like a business center and gym.
Hampton
2,839 properties across 35 countries and territories
Hilton’s pitch to hotel owners and developers: “Hampton by Hilton is the industry’s leading upper-midscale brand. Every Hampton Inn and Hampton Inn & Suites is committed to the 100% Hampton Guarantee providing an exceptional guest experience and consistent, high-quality accommodations and amenities. When you invest with Hampton, you join a brand of more than 2,500 hotels in 29 countries and territories around the world backed by Hilton’s power, reputation, scale and performance engine.”
TPG’s takeaway: Hampton Inns may come in all shapes, sizes and locations, but consider this Hilton’s workhorse in the roadside and airport hotel space. With more than 2,800 locations, Hampton is Hilton’s largest brand by far. The brand is generally a mainstay off highways. It offers a clean, consistent product to road warriors on the hunt for a spot to pull off, grab some shut-eye and enjoy a free breakfast the next morning.
Tru
227 hotels across three countries and territories
Hilton’s pitch to hotel owners and developers: “Catch The Spirit. Welcome to Tru by Hilton, a place that embraces vibrant simplicity and is fun and engaging. We stand for the love of simplicity, we embrace the human spirit, and we champion the value-conscious traveler. This is a back-to-basics experience with soul.”
TPG’s takeaway: When TPG first did a Hilton brand lineup, we said Tru was focused on cost-conscious millennial travelers. In my opinion, the way to appeal to this audience is by launching a vacation platform like Airbnb. After all, are any millennials really staying loyal to any of these millennial-minded brands? That said, Tru and its simple, smaller rooms are taking off with more than 200 hotels largely located across the U.S.
Homewood Suites
533 hotels across four countries and territories
Hilton’s pitch to hotel owners and developers: “Homewood Suites by Hilton is the upscale, all-suite, residential-style, extended-stay leader in satisfaction and performance. This innovative brand offers travelers a unique approach to longer stays by allowing guests to stay in their routines while on the road for business or leisure. Homewood Suites offers developers a cutting-edge blueprint for success that has fueled unprecedented growth and demand for the brand. Homewood Suites is an exciting investment opportunity for a balanced hotel portfolio and is flexible enough to complement a variety of site locations.”
TPG’s takeaway: Those on the hunt for a higher-end, extended-stay booking will find solace at Homewood Suites. Suites typically include a kitchen, bedroom and living room along with free breakfast and a complimentary evening happy hour. Extended-stay hotels can often feel like sterile corporate housing, but Homewood Suites has a nice hospitable touch to elevate it over the pack.
Related: Best budget hotels for families who need space
Home2 Suites
560 hotels across three countries and territories
Hilton’s pitch to hotel owners and developers: “Home2 Suites by Hilton is a fresh take on the mid-scale, all-suite hotel targeted to the value-conscious extended-stay (5+ night) traveler. The brand’s innovative prototype combined with our sustainable practices and products ensures cost-effective development and operation. Home2 Suites drives a strong value proposition for owners while offering unique amenities for guests, including our eco- and pet-friendly spaces plus free breakfast, laundry and fitness centers and more.”
TPG’s takeaway: This is the place to stay when looking for an extended-stay reservation on a budget. Properties in the Home2 Suites portfolio generally offer a pool, outdoor space, a gym and a laundry facility for those needing a place to call (temporary) home.
Hilton Grand Vacations
73 resorts across seven countries and territories
Hilton’s pitch to hotel owners and developers: “A vacation state of mind. At Hilton Grand Vacations, we are committed to the idea that life is incomplete without vacations. With an ever-growing collection of resorts in spectacular settings around the world, Hilton Grand Vacations invites you to experience a lifetime of vacations in spacious, comfortable elegance with our innovative vacation ownership program. Guests enjoy accommodations offering the comforts of home, amenities tailored to each destination, and the legendary service synonymous with the Hilton name.”
TPG’s takeaway: The timeshare sector may not be the sexiest product in the travel orbit, but it — along with all-inclusive resorts — garnered attention from the hotel business community during the pandemic.
Timeshare brand Wyndham Destinations acquired media brand Travel + Leisure in 2021 for $100 million and now goes by Travel + Leisure Co.; this move is a major way to court younger travelers to this type of travel that is typically associated with a more mature demographic. Similarly, Hilton Grand Vacations made its own acquisition play and bought Diamond Resorts for $1.4 billion in 2021. The beefed-up Hilton Grand Vacations has a presence largely in the U.S. and Caribbean, but there are even some properties in Japan.
Members book stays using either Hilton Honors points or ClubPoints accrued via membership in the HGV network. TPG previously noted timeshares are usually lackluster in terms of redemption rates and wasn’t advocating this as an option to redeem points. However, given all the branded blitz in this sector over the last two years, it is certainly one to watch. This is especially true as the competition to court younger travelers — who represent the fastest-growing demographic in timeshare and vacation club membership — heats up.
Windsurfers can catch some air at Doug’s Beach State Park, just east of Lyle, Washington.
The Pacific is cold, the Sandy River is mobbed, local public pools have limited hours and long lines, and your secret mountain swimming hole is either not so secret anymore or still inaccessible after the fires of recent years. The giant Columbia River is here for you. Sure, I-84 and train tracks can complicate access. Industrial neighbors, container ships, and barges aren’t always the backdrop of your summer beach dreams. But you can find water lapping on sand or stones at many spots along the river’s run, from where it meets the Pacific all the way through the Columbia River Gorge and farther inland.
Here are some spots within an hour and a half of Portland, organized by river mile: Mile 0 is where the Columbia meets the Pacific Ocean at Cape Disappointment, and river mile 101 is where the Willamette joins the Columbia.
In some places, currents, debris, and nearby industrial activity or boat launches make swimming or even wading unwise. Always obey posted signs, and use the river at your own risk.
Looking west at Jones Beach, near Clatskanie.
Jones Beach
River mile: 46
Closest town: Clatskanie, Oregon
Travel time from downtown: 1 hour, 25 minutes
Wave to the cows, horses, and deer on your way to this windswept expanse of sand popular with fishers. Bring a picnic blanket—the few picnic tables here look like they might have come from the set of The Road Warrior, as does the askew sign letting visitors know that ATVs are not allowed. —Margaret Seiler
Along the road at Dibblee Beach.
Dibblee Beach
River mile: 65
Closest town: Rainier, Oregon
Travel time from downtown: 1 hour, 5 minutes
Most of the signs at this Columbia County park aren’t about water safety or park etiquette—instead, they threaten huge fines for neglecting to pay the day-use parking fee. (OK, we get it!) That dubious welcome aside, this lengthy stretch of sand just west of downtown Rainier is, like Jones, popular with fishers. —MS
Fishing at Prescott Beach.
Prescott Beach
River mile: 71
Closest town: Prescott, Oregon
Travel time from downtown: 1 hour
The Columbia County park day use fee is required here, too, but you won’t find all the menacing signs like at Dibblee. You will find scattered benches, picnic tables, and fire rings/grills. There’s a designated fishing area, and you’ll want to bring a designated driver so you can stop at the storied Goble Tavern on your way home. —MS
A front-row seat to industrial activity at Trestle Beach.
Trestle Beach
River mile: 83
Closest town: Columbia City, Oregon
Travel time from downtown: 45 minutes
Not the most peaceful spot thanks to the Knife River facility dropping sand and other materials onto barges right in front of the beach, but still a sandy strand lined with trees and popular with dog owners and fishers. The gate to the parking area is locked promptly at the posted time (generally 5pm, but it changes to 7pm in the summer), so don’t get stuck. —MS
Tiny Columbia City is home to the even tinier Pixie Park.
Pixie Park
River mile: 84
Closest town: Columbia City, Oregon
Travel time from downtown: 45 minutes
You might think this park, on property owned by the Daughters of the American Revolution, was so named because it’s just so darn adorable, but it actually owes its moniker to a boat known as the Pixie. The Caples House Museum is nearby. —MS
Reeder Beach, one of Sauvie Island’s five beaches.
Sauvie Island
River mile: 94
Closest town: Portland, Oregon
Travel time from downtown: 35 minutes
Sauvie Island is technically home to five beaches—Reeder, North Unit, Walton, Collins, and Warrior Point. One of the more popular of the five, Walton is a solid all-around family beach, and on hot days it can be hard to get a parking spot nearby. (Make sure to pick up a parking pass, required in all wildlife areas on Sauvie Island. As of 2025, weekends and holidays through Labor Day also require a free beach pass, which can be booked online two weeks in advance.) The beach offers soft sand, temperate water, and a picturesque view straight across to Washington. If you can handle a little nudity, the clothing-optional Collins Beach boasts clearer water and fewer crowds. —Katherine Chew Hamilton
Kelley Point: better for a picnic than a swim.
Kelley Point Park
River mile: 102
Closest town: Portland, Oregon
Travel time from downtown: 20 minutes
Kelley Point is a beautiful place to ride your bike, sit on a log, have a picnic, and watch the ships go by, as the City of Portland technically prohibits park users from swimming or entering the water here due to “unsafe and unpredictable conditions.” Several people have drowned at the park, including two within one week in 2016, because of the high currents where the Willamette and Columbia meet. Given the number of trash barges we’ve seen floating along, staying out of the water sounds OK to us. —KCH
Wintler Community Park
River mile: 110
Closest town: Vancouver, Washington
Travel time from downtown: 18 minutes
This eastern terminus of the five-mile Columbia River Renaissance Trail from downtown Vancouver offers restrooms, picnic tables, a steep sandy beach, and a view of the action at PDX airport across the river. There’s a parking fee required from May 1 to September 30. —MS
Broughton Beach
River mile: 110
Closest town: Portland, Oregon
Travel time from downtown: 18 minutes
By Salty’s, the Sextant, and the airport, this Metro-managed beach always has something odd happening: an unexplained intact melon just sitting there, a man with a guitar sitting alone on the hood of his car playing a song you swear you heard in a dream. Oh, and there’s a giant, windswept sandy beach with room for you, me, and everyone we know. Metro requires a day-use parking fee, and if you get hooked on the bike path that runs along Marine Drive you might want to invest in the annual pass. (The pass also works at Metro’s Chinook Landing Marine Park, about nine miles east of Broughton, but that park is primarily a boat launch site and not really a beach. Chinook Landing has an archery range, too.) —MS
One of the spots at Cottonwood Beach is lined with several grounded historical boats.
Cottonwood Beach
River mile: 123
Closest town: Washougal, Washington
Travel time from downtown: 30 minutes
One of the Lewis-and-Clarkier spots on this list, Cottonwood Beach has plenty of interpretive signs about the Corps of Discovery’s stop here and the Indigenous groups that long called the area home, along with several historical watercraft. Get there early on a summer day to claim one of the little private patches of sand down the hill from nicely distanced picnic tables. Multiple signs remind visitors that there’s no alcohol allowed (with an added sign proclaiming “NO TOLERANCE” in case it was unclear), so make a post-beach stop at the 54˚40″ brewery taproom for a Half Cocked IPA and perhaps some pizza. —MS
Clothes or no clothes? The choice is yours at Rooster Rock.
Rooster Rock State Park
River mile: 129
Closest town: Oregon
Travel time from downtown: 30 minutes
Rooster Rock, divided into family-friendly and clothing-optional areas, is far enough away to feel like an escape from the city while easily fitting into a half-day trip. When temperatures rise, people cram onto a small sandy peninsula, beer cans crack open, Bluetooth speakers blast reggaeton, and you might catch people floating by on swan-shaped inflatables. The clothing-optional area brings its own party vibe. There are restrooms and picnic tables for enjoying a feast with a view of the water—note that if you’re planning on bringing a cooler to the sandy beach, you’re in for a bit of a walk. The water may have its fair share of floating debris, but the picturesque scenery and carefree vibes make up for it. —KCH
Viento State Park
River mile: 161
Closest town: Oregon
Travel time from downtown: 1 hour
Dodge some of the Hood River crowds and score some shade by taking a dip a few miles west of town at Viento State Park, also popular with windsurfers (viento means wind, after all), where you can also camp—the tent sites up the hill are farther from the water but are a bit calmer than the ones you’ll find between the railroad tracks and I-84. —MS
If the beach gets boring, there’s a climbing wall and playground just steps away at Hood River Waterfront Park.
Hood River Waterfront Park
River mile: 169
Closest town: Hood River, Oregon
Travel time from downtown: 1 hour, 10 minutes
This plush spot offers a roped-in section for swimming, a sandy crescent for sunbathing, a bird’s-eye view on the kiteboarders and windsurfers weaving their way across the river, clean restrooms, and a notch-above-the-ordinary playground with a rock climbing wall. No need to pack a picnic, either—you can easily walk to any of several great lunch spots, including Pfriem Family Brewers, Solstice Wood-Fire Pizza, or Ferment Brewing Company. —Julia Silverman
Blooms on the beach at Mayer State Park.
Mayer State Park
River mile: 181
Closest town: Mosier, Oregon
Travel time from downtown: 1 hour, 20 minutes
While this area is better known for the Gorge views offered uphill at the Rowena Crest Overlook, down at river level Mayer State Park provides a rocky beach and duck-packed coves to explore, plus a boat launch and lifejackets to borrow. A day-use fee (or an annual state parks pass) is required to park. —MS
Splashing around at Doug’s Beach, on a rare day with no windsurfers.
Doug’s Beach
River mile: 184
Closest town: Lyle, Washington
Travel time from downtown: 1 hour, 25 minutes
Just east of Lyle, Washington, Doug’s Beach State Park offers a shaded beach and picnic tables. You’ll need a Discover Pass to park here along SR-14 (the lot is well patrolled, so don’t risk going without), and be very careful crossing the tracks. —MS
We like consuming words on the page almost as much as we like consuming food on the plate. Welcome to the Scout Book Club: a brief and regular rundown of what we’re reading, what’s staring at us from the bookshelf begging to be read next, and what we’ve already read and recommend.
In this edition, we hone in on a handful of books that hit the road – because what’s summer without a road trip (or a few)? From the casse-croutes of rural Quebec through the flat yet mercurial plains of Manitoba, to the lush wilderness of BC; swerving back in time to seedy 90s-era San Francisco, and from California to New York on a gastronomical (cum-gastrointestinal) rip around Covid-era USA’s varied hot dog destinations…Strap yourself in – it’s gonna be one helluva ride!
Poutine: A Deep-Fried Road Trip of Discovery (Douglas & McIntyre), by Justin Giovannetti Lamothe | If you’re planning on visiting the Quebec region in the not-too-distant future, before you do, consider Poutine: A Deep-Fried Road Trip of Discovery as essential preparatory reading. Heck, it might even prime you for inauguration into the lively conversations and arguments that a poutine eaten in its home province supposedly inspires – if you dare to engage. And even if you simply fancy yourself a real-deal food-lover, this book is sure to enlarge your appetite for the titular famous Quebecois dish – both literally and metaphorically – and add an extra layer of context and appreciation to your next fries-with-cheese-and-gravy experience, wherever and whenever that may be. To summarize Quebecois journalist Justin Giovannetti Lamothe’s 2024 book with an easy analogy, think of it as itself a poutine: A simple investigation into the origins and history of the classic casse-croute fare provides the base (i.e. des frites); while its evolution (and/or mutation) and the political discourse surrounding it stands in for the generous heaping of cheese curds on top; and finally, the author’s personal attachments and anecdotes provide the gravy that holds it all together. Unsurprisingly, there are ‘cheesy’ moments aplenty – from the history of rural Quebec’s dairy industry and Lamothe’s father’s deep connection to it, to the science behind what makes fresh cheese curds so dang squeaky, and the heated debates that this ingredient can inspire – but there also many moments of deep personal realizations, rumination, and father-son connections triggered by the titular dish, proving how important a role food can play in our memories, relationships, and sense of community and identity. DETAILS
Available from such local independent bookstores as Massy Books, Iron Dog Books (special order only), and Upstart & Crow (special order only).*
Blue Hours (Freehand Books), by Alison Acheson | With her latest novel to be added to an already impressive cannon, local author Alison Acheson transports Keith, a writer, along with his seven-year-old son and their old Golden Retriever, Daisy, from Vancouver to Gimli, Manitoba in a borrowed ol’ VW van named “Hopper”. The impromptu road trip is an attempt to process (or distance themselves from) the grief of the all-too-recent death of wife and mother, Raziel (aka ‘Raz’), while also paying a long overdue visit to her sister and brother-in-law. In a gender role-reversal, Keith has always been the primary caregiver (or, more affectionally, ‘house-band’) for Charlie, leaving Raz to indulge in her wanderlust and artistic whims as a professional photographer – as well as her extra-marital ones, he accidentally discovers post-mortem. Raz’s hidden affairs lend a new (blue?) light to Keith’s grief, which he struggles to navigate, while also negotiating his son’s sadness and silent coping methods. Although not an altogether original plot twist, what makes Blue Hours compelling is Acheson’s gender-bending treatment of it, and her special sensitivity to nature, animals, children and elders, and all of their unexpected or inexplicable healing powers. Also worth noting, for all you book- and music-lovers out there: each chapter of Blue Hours leads with a short playlist of corresponding songs, creating a full-length soundtrack to the novel, should you want the extra layer of audio experience. DETAILS
Available from such local independent bookstores as Massy Books, Iron Dog Books, and Upstart & Crow.*
Looking for Her (Baraka Books), by Carolyn Marie Souaid | Although its plain-written prose doesn’t necessarily suggest that Looking for Her was written by a prolific and award-winning poet (it was), the second novel from Montreal writer and artist, Carolyn Marie Souaid, undoubtedly taps into her extensive experience working with Inuit communities in Quebec and teaching abroad in Nunavik. Although 43-year-old protagonist, Cate, is a full generation younger than the author herself, like Souaid she too is a writer and teacher – in Cate’s case, a literature professor at McGill University on sabbatical to focus on completing a piece of scholarly writing. Her first real encounter with the Inuit community comes after a chance meeting with a young woman paramedic, Isabel, who connects her with 19-year-old Nuna, who has moved from up North to live with her problematic boyfriend and is need of stability, a change in address, and a ‘proper’ education. Cate and Liam (her husband, a beloved high school teacher) agree to bring Nuna into their fold (and household), with the former acting as her tutor and eventually – unwittingly – also as her caretaker and pseudo-mother-figure. Cue the drama! The new living and teaching arrangement turns out to be an in-immersion school on colonialism and White-centricism for Cate – although it’s all a bit “too little, too late”. As suggested by the title, Looking for Her culminates in Nuna’s sudden, unexplained disappearance, which bonds Isabel and Cate together (while simultaneously tearing Cate’s marriage to bits) for a full-on woman hunt and investigation into Nuna’s personal life and mysterious past. This entails haphazard mini road trips through rural Quebec, complete with stops at dingy motels and roadside diners and bars, gas station and Tim Horton’s grub for sustenance, and drunken escapades. The investigation is multi-pronged, though, as Cate digs deeper into her own misunderstandings, oversights, assumptions, and the myriad mistakes she made with Nuna, by well-intendedly but recklessly stepping into the role of White Teacher and not taking the time to second guess her methods or motives, or really listen to her. DETAILS
Available as a special order from such local independent bookstores as Massy Books, Iron Dog Books, and Upstart & Crow.*
Raw Dog: The Naked Truth About Hot Dogs (Forge Books), by Jamie Loftus | Jamie Loftus, the author of Raw Dog: The Naked Truth About Hot Dogs, is first and foremost a comedian – so it’s no wonder that her book about a Covid-era summer spent “hotdogging” across the USA (i.e. road tripping from one hotdog stand to another hotdog restaurant in a cross-country marathon, averaging four or five dogs eaten per day) with her then-boyfriend (and their cat and dog) is supremely entertaining and, at times, f*cking hilarious. However, what is pleasantly unexpected is that in addition to humorous anecdotes and asides (and a slew of poop-related jokes – Loftus’ masochistic streak is strong!), Raw Dog is also smart, candid, and critical. Loftus (the leftist) doesn’t skip over how classicism, racism, and sexism all factor into the hot dog industry past and present, or the crude how-its-made details (including the many infringements on both human and animal rights that come hand-in-hand with the associated factory farming and manufacturing of the food stuff). Much like the piece of gastronomic Americana it is devoted to, Loftus’ hot dog travel-diary-cum-compendium is equal parts appetizing and appetite-turning. In a word, this book is a “trip” – and one I definitely recommend taking. DETAILS
Available from such local independent bookstores as Massy Books (special order only), Iron Dog Books, and Upstart & Crow (special order only).*
Bad Nature (Henry Holt and Co.), by Ariel Courage | Desperation, death, and self-destruction are at the wheel with Hester, the 40-year-old lawyer and misanthrope driving the cheekily titled Bad Nature – Ariel Courage’s 2025 psuedo-road trip tale – leading readers from her home base in NYC to her father’s last known place of residence in California. After an unpromising cancer diagnosis, Hester sets off on her own, in order to find and murder her estranged painter father. However, it’s not long before she gains an unlikely co-pilot for her journey – “John”, a twenty-something-year-old hitchhiker, nomadic photographer, and eco-activist on his own mission to document various corporate-committed ecological obscenities contributing to environmental destruction, sickness, and community displacement. Although it’s incredibly difficult to imagine these two opposite characters coping for long stretches of time confined together in such close quarters and with such obviously conflicting morals, somehow it works, and in the end this unexpected human connection plays a big part in determining the route that the remainder of Hester’s short life will take. Pit stops along the way veer from extravagant hotels and casinos, to cagey dump sites and farmsteads, and Bad Nature spends more time dwelling on family dynamics and human nature than it does on environmentalism.DETAILS
Available from such local independent bookstores as Massy Books, Iron Dog Books, and Upstart & Crow.*
Girls Girls Girls (G.P. Putnam’s Sons), by Shoshana von Blanckensee | The new novel from Shoshana von Blackensee, Girls Girls Girls, brings up valuable questions about everything from queerness, consent, sex work, power and gender dynamics, to religion, family, grief, and assisted suicide – all from the context of a queer young woman coming of age in the mid-nineties in a strict, Jewish household, desperately longing for the freedom to simply and unapologetically be herself. Raised with her sister, Rachel, primarily by their Orthodox Jewish mother (with her less stringent Bubbe acting as a valuable sounding board and support), eighteen-year-old Hannah hits the road to the USA’s queer mecca (San Francisco) with her best-friend-cum-girlfriend, Sam, at the first opportunity they get. A tale of firsts – first love, first sex (gay and straight), first heartbreak, first drug experiences, first encounter with death – Girls Girls Girls is also a “first” of its own, as von Blackensee’s debut novel. Which might explain why, at times, it can feel clunky and awkward in its revelations (the amount of major milestones that Hannah knocks off over the course of a mere eight months seems a bit too contrived) and cliched in its choices; and despite bringing multiple big issues into the fold, few of them actually summon any ramifications and/or are afforded serious contemplation. (For instance: a drug-fuelled, non-consensual sexual encounter between a minor sex worker and her paying client is reconciled with a confession of addiction as the latter’s excuse; and the sexual assault of a stripper while on the job is mentioned in passing simply as a horror story that partially inspires Hannah to rethink her career choice). This stands in stark contrast to the emotional gravitas and details afforded to a family member’s sudden sickening and death by cancer (owing, probably, to the fact that von Blanckensee’s day job is as an oncology nurse), which means that the most powerful passages are those about the relationship between Hannah and her feisty yet ailing grandmother – a surprising, welcome twist to an otherwise predictable story. DETAILS
Available from such local independent bookstores as Massy Books (special order only), Iron Dog Books, and Upstart & Crow (special order only).*
*It would be remiss for me not to mention Vancouver’s various independent and used book stores, and encourage you to pay them an in-person visit to seek out these and other titles.
As thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts prepare to descend on the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, North Dakota Tourism invites riders to extend their stay and discover the open roads.
The state offers a bucket list worthy experience of epic landscapes on the endless horizon on a road trip on two wheels.
Riders will embrace the wide-open spaces, friendly faces, out-of-the-way diners, and rugged scenery of ND.
Indeed, there are 70,000 square miles of landscapes to explore
There are many scenic byways and highways, each offering a distinct adventure:
Old Red/Old Ten Scenic Byway: Historic routes through buttes and prairies.
Sheyenne River Valley National Scenic Byway: Tree-covered hills and winding rivers.
Standing Rock National Native American Scenic Byway: A journey through rich Lakota and Lewis & Clark history.
Killdeer Mountains Four Bears Scenic Byway: Dramatic Badlands landscapes.
Sakakawea Scenic Byway: Vews of the Missouri River valley.
Highway 200 and 200A: A cross-state ride showcasing diverse topography.
Whether you seek historical immersion, natural vistas, or simply the joy of an open road, North Dakota provides the perfect prelude or postlude to a Sturgis Rally trip.
For more information on motorcycling routes, visit https://www.ndtourism.com/motorcycling.
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