Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Traveling Tuesdays: The Methow Valley


Winthrop WA


There are three large towns in Washington State’s Methow Valley. Winthrop is known for its great cross-country skiing. More than 120 miles of well-kept trails offer a delightful way of traveling across the deep snow during the winter.  Winthrop is on the North Cascade Highway (Hwy 20), which is closed in the winter.


28 miles northwest of Winthrop is Mazama, with an elevation of 2,106 feet. A noted high point in the area is Goat Peak. Mazama is 28 miles south of the Canadian border.
 
Mazama Lakes from Chain Lakes Loop Trail





Do you enjoy long-distance hiking? Harts Pass to Canada Thru Hike on the Pacific Crest Trail is a 39 mile point-to-point 4-day hike from near Mazama into Canada. The best time of year to take the hike is from mid-July through September. Contact the Methow Valley Ranger Station for updates on weather, as you’ll reach a top elevation of 7,126 feet and weather is variable.
Methow Valley taken from Mazama


We actually went to visit a friend in Mazama and skipped the hike. It was a lot of fun, though, because we stopped at the Mazama Store for a delicious sandwich. Yes, we did get tee-shirts to show we’d been to Mazama.
 






Mazama River



Twisp is known as the heart of the Methow Valley. Camp out or stay at one of the local bed & breakfasts, and browse through museums, jewelry shops, and art galleries.  There’s even a Saturday Farmers Market from April through October.







Old Stage Coach Stop in Twisp



The drive is beautiful and the stops between these remote areas interesting.  You can access the Washington’s DOT to see weather and traffic cams for the area. When I talked to my friend the other day, he said the road will be closing soon, keeping them close to home until late spring.

What interesting place have you enjoyed traveling to?


15 comments:

  1. There is a lot of gorgeous scenery there. I would love to visit someday.

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  2. How gorgeous! I'd love to spend a couple of weeks there with my family.

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  3. Pictures are amazing! I would love to travel there sometime!

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  4. The Pacific Northwest is gorgeous, and these pictures are great! I love traveling anywhere with my family.

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  5. These all look like nice places to visit. I recently went to CT and MA and they were both beautiful. The fall leaves were amazing. Catherine S

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  6. Wow, looks like a beautiful place to visit. The Pacific Northwest is on my bucket list of places to visit.

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  7. I'd really like to see some of those natural-looking areas. Washington really has some incredible landscapes.

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  8. This looks like a wonderful spot to appreciate nature. I have traveled to Washington once before, near the Seattle area, and loved my experience.

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  9. Great pictures. What a beautiful place.

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  10. Well this summer I have traveled internationally 5 times and I just got my passport this year and I am looking forward to traveling more overseas. As for your pictures they are beautiful how you captured these from the drive!

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  11. What a beautiful place. I would love to be surrounded by those views.

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  12. Great post! Thank you for sharing the beautiful pictures and a recount of your time there.

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  13. Wow! This is so picturesque and looks super relaxing! I would love to hang there.

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  14. I would love to go hiking here. These photos are so beautiful. It would be so peaceful to be there in nature.

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  15. I love these 'out of the way' places posts of yours! What a beautiful area. Each photo is so inviting. Reminds me of some of our travel around Yellowstone a bit. Thank you for sharing this!

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