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My wife and I are taking 10 days to drive around Oregon in late May and looking to get into the backcountry for a night. Something scenic and not too much mileage, but enough to get out there. most of our plans on the books so far are concentrated around Hood River so somewhere elsewhere such as Hood Nat'l Forest would be ideal.

Thanks

Hood River is a great town to spend time in - lots of restaurants, brew pubs, art galleries and nice scenery. When I think of a nice back pack trip, I think of the Goat Rocks Wilderness across the Columbia River in Washington State. I'm not sure if that is too far afield for you, but it might be the ticket.

I'm dying to find some wild mtn goats but that spot is a bit too far north for our plans. Thanks for the tip though.

Camping in Western Oregon and backpacking in the northern Oregon Cascades in May can be problematic. There is the threat of rain and likely snow on the ground in higher elevations. A nice one night backpack not far from Hood River is Elk Meadow. Beautiful views of Mt. Hood. I have been there in May and there was not very much snow on the ground but it varies from year-to-year. There are a lot of books that offer many aalternatives.
For camping there are state parks and USFS campgrounds. I believe that each of these agencies publishes directories.
If you are going to be traveling to Eastern Oregon, you might want to consider hiking in the Elkhoen Mountains. Very scenic, not crowded and likely to be mostly snow free in May. The Elkhorn Crest National Scenic Trail treverses the area.

I would add the Strawberry Mountains to this list. The hike into Upper Strawberry Lake is fantastic with great views and a nice waterfall. Bonus: there are mountain goats in the Strawberrys, often on the cliffs above the lakes: