“Whenever someone mentions Winthrop we always tell the about the time. Well here lies the problem-you can’t tell one story. There are so many.
The beginning of our trip always begins the same with packing up the bags for the dogs and I but the adventure is never the same. The dogs see the bags and know the time has come to go over the North Cascades to see Pops. The excitement builds coming over the pass but once we get to Rendezvous they are whining and howling as they know where they are. In the Methow Valley, in Winthrop. Where pups and people play. As we drive up, I stop and open the doors and the two dogs bounce out first to find Pops, the second to see the horses. They know an adventure awaits us.

A favorite time is always saddling up the horses and going for a ride. The smell is invigorating and grounding. You know the one,where your horse starts to warm up with the ride and the heat of the morning mixes with sweat and the smell of sagebrush. Mix it together and it’s intoxicating. What will you see today? Grouse, ring neck pheasant or quail or maybe deer? A memory I will forever cherish, stopping to watch two bear cubs frolic in the meadow while pops and I watched in silence on our horses. Watching the two little ones chasing each other and tumbling through the field without a care in the world. Not to be forgotten, good ride is always followed by the swimming hole on the Chewuch River.

One thing is clear, it’s the people that bring you back. Being a city girl we don’t watch out for each other typically, only ourselves. You can walk into Tenderfoot General Store and see the locals having coffee shooting the breeze. Always helping each other out or swapping stories. One example is when the fires get close. Everyone pitches in. Ask any local where the fires are and they know where they are and who might need help and are there to offer a helping hand.

Shopping is always fun. Looking for treasures at the antique shop. Shotgun Nellies is always a favorite, stopping to watch the art of glass blowing, picking up fishing supplies at The Outdoorsman. Certainly can’t go home without East 20 Pizza, not being a pizza lover that says something. Wonderful food and great service. Three Fingered Jack’s Saloon is another favorite after all being in a western town you can’t miss the opportunity to wander into an old saloon.

This year has had some firsts for me. I am here experiencing my first Christmas at the End of the Road. Another first, 49ers Days, absolutely perfect celebration for a Western town. The town fills up to enjoy a real cowboy and pioneer celebration. Seeing pack trains and wagons going thru this little western town makes you imagine what it was like. Memorial and Labor Day weekends are a set date to go to the rodeo. The rodeos are a family event consisting of a picnic lunch and great entertainment for the day, at a price any family can afford.

So see, when you ask me about Winthrop, there is never just one story. The townspeople with a warm smile and a story to tell you about the town that’s always told with pride is an experience you’ll never forget.”

“I was camping at Pearrygon Lake with my two kids and my son talked me into driving up to Sun Mountain Lodge because he knew I loved it up there. Little did I know that he conned me into going up there so he could use their nice bathrooms for his 15 minute afternoon bathroom break ……it still makes me laugh.”

The River Says: “Welcome Home”

Whenever someone mentions Winthrop, I always tell them that it is my second home.

With a bit of a dreamy look upon my face, I talk about how I’ve been going to Winthrop since I was a very little girl. I was always so excited when Mom & Dad said it was time to go again. The drive, the time with my parents and sister, the views, the stores, the mini golf course….and of course Sheri’s Sweet Shoppe! By the end of the drive I was more than ready to sit down on one of the saddles and dive into a waffle cone with moose tracks and sprinkles.

In the morning, when it came to breakfast, little Kate was always ready for biscuits and gravy from Three Fingered Jacks. Even as an adult, walking in there brings all the memories flooding back and as I settle in to order a cup of coffee and biscuits and gravy, I know I have finally arrived back in my second home.

These days, as I pull into Winthrop, breathe in the air, and allow my eyes to soak up the view, the calming heart beats in my chest are less about my childhood memories and more about the way I have grown with this place. Since I began vacationing in Winthrop as a child, I have endured loss, grief, depression, anxiety, PTSD, and more; I have grown up and had jobs and pets, I have dated the most amazing woman and gotten the absolute joy of marrying her, I have found and reveled in the joy of life.

Winthrop has always been there to welcome me home even when I didn’t know what home was, has always been there to celebrate with me, has always been there to remind me who I am.

I haven’t been to Winthrop with my parents and sister in several years, but they laid this foundation for me and instilled a love of this spot in my heart. I have continued to return to Winthrop every summer, something is always pulling me back. Friends have come with me and for the last three years I have brought the love of my life to the map dot I love most.

The first time I introduced her to the sounds and smells of Winthrop, we had only been dating for a few months. It was Labor Day weekend. We got to participate in the duck race – somewhere I think I still have our ticket from that! The views from our room were impeccable and we spent our days laughing, dipping our feet in the river, laying around on the grass, exploring, and most importantly loving each other. It made me beyond happy to watch her enjoy our vacation.

That weekend we added a lock with our initials on it to the bridge leading into town. Sheri’s Sweet Shoppe provided us with many chocolates to enjoy as we read to each other in the evenings (dark chocolate peanut butter bells for me, milk chocolate cherries for her), and the sounds of the river were calming. Winthrop is always able to calm my heart, whether I am anxious and feeling lost or simply nervous about the first vacation with my girlfriend.

We came back the next year to celebrate our first anniversary. Another lock on the bridge, another weekend full of delicious food and the sweet music of the river. I was less nervous this time and as we spread a blanket on the grass, toasted each other with champagne, and exchanged presents, I knew I had finally found my forever to bring with me every summer.

It was the next summer that was the most exciting though. We returned, for a longer period this time, for our honeymoon! One more lock on the bridge, many more chocolates tasted. We were bummed to find that Three Fingered Jack’s Saloon wasn’t serving breakfast any longer, but enjoyed exploring other breakfast spots. I had a crepe that was filled with bacon and it was divine.

Enough about the food though – we were on our honeymoon, so we went all out! This included a kayak trip on the Methow River and WOW that was so much fun! We laughed and screamed and took pictures. As we paddled down the river I reflected on how lucky I was to have a spot like this and a love like that. A home within a home.

What else do I speak of? Of course, there is no speaking of Winthrop without mentioning the Old Schoolhouse Brewery! I talk about watching live music there, splitting pretzels with my wife, drinking really good beer while I watch the river flow. The Methow Valley Ciderhouse is an absolute must and when I talk about it it’s always to say they have the only cider I drink anymore and that one year when we were there they had the most mouth watering nachos (seriously, can y’all bring those back?!).

Most recently, I talk with love in my eyes about how I needed a weekend away in the midst of my life crumbling, but knew we couldn’t afford it. We could afford to just go for the day though, and my wife knew how much I needed to escape just for a little bit to a place that made me feel less broken. She called and found out that Three Fingered Jacks was indeed serving breakfast again and even though she is the exact opposite of a morning person, she insisted we leave early in the morning so that we would make it for my beloved biscuits and gravy.

We left the dogs with my friend the night before, made sure the cat had enough food and entertainment, and got out of the house just as the sun was rising. The music and long drive were soothing and the closer we got to Winthrop the more I began to temporarily forget everything that was going on. The biscuits and gravy were just as delicious as I remembered and we spent the day shopping, taking pictures of each other, and eating ice cream. For the first time in months I had a real smile on my face. We bought so much chocolate to bring home and were impressed that people still remembered us from prior years.

I was happy. I had been able to come home for one day.

When someone asks about a vacation spot or mentions Winthrop, I can go on and on about why I hold such a deep love for this little town. Not much has changed there since I was little and that reliability is a beautiful thing.

I tell them how I adored it as a child and how even though I’m not a child anymore I still make a point to come back each year because this place helped me grow and the sounds of the river were always and are still – “welcome home.”

Once upon a time, I was a small child with stars in my eyes, a messy ponytail, seated on a saddle outside of Sherri’s with ice cream dripping down my face.

I’m not so small anymore and my short hair doesn’t get as messy, but every year I return, take a seat on a saddle – and I still have stars in my eyes and ice cream dripping down my face.

“”We don’t have WiFi.”

“What do you mean you don’t have WiFi?” I said in exhausted disbelief.

Vacation planning began in March with state highway maps of Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Washington spread out on the dining room table. Each day of our trip was neatly planned with one or two historical or educational sites to see along the way. An occasional shopping mall thrown in to appease my wife and teenage daughter AND a reservation at a campground each evening that had good WiFi. My daughter was taking an online class for college. It was now the middle of August. After five days of driving, my family of four had reached its destination – Winthrop, Washington our gateway to North Cascades National Park.

We discovered the beauty of the other National Parks we had visited over the years was unequaled to that of the North Cascades. We also discovered the distinctive charm of Winthrop, Washington, a town providing Western hospitality at its best.

My family was delighted with dining alfresco at Duck Brand Hotel & Cantina and 3 Bears Cafe & Quilts. The Rocking Horse Bakery provided excellent coffee and sandwiches to pack for hiking in the park. Between trips to the park we filled the hours with visits around town. We went to the Shafer Museum, the Smoke Jumper Base and the Winthrop National Fish Hatchery. I purchased a coffee cup downtown made by an artist named Dean and have used it almost everyday for two years. It fits my hand.

As for the WiFi, it was there all along. It seems the campground host at Pine Near RV Park was trying to lighten the day of a weary traveler from Wisconsin. She was providing Western hospitality at its best.”

“I have only visited Winthrop on a couple of occasions, but I enjoyed all the shops. What I remember most is the smell of the trees and the sound of the creek running past the window of my room at the inn.

It was a time to get away from city noise and traffic, to enjoy the quiet and calm of being near the forest. Of seeing the occasional deer and imagine myself living there year-round. It wasn’t so much what I did while I was in Winthrop, but more about what I didn’t do. I was able to sit back, relax and just breathe.”

Winthrop? Oh ya, we love Winthrop! We’ve been visiting there for the past couple of summers with our young children and foresee it becoming an ongoing tradition.

We have had so much fun dabbling in the endless outdoor rec options in a landscape so unique while also having a great time visiting the shops and eateries. It’s really the perfect balance of adventure and comfort and it’s strikingly beautiful.

The last time we visited our route took us back west via the North Cascades Highway. We’d never driven that stretch of Washington and were super excited to see the rugged peaks we’d only seen in pictures.

We knew, based on a little relaxed reading from a perfectly placed Adirondack at Sun Mountain Lodge, that we would need to get gas at the last stop out of town, Mazama, or be without for the next 75 miles or so to Marblemount.

Now maybe it was the lack of sleep from road tripping with our 3 month-old and his 3 year-old sister or maybe the last gas station wasn’t well signed, but I’d say either way, that we were totally to blame for our oblivion. As you may have guessed, we completely missed the gas station. So there we were, in what must have been some hypnotic trance, taking in the scenery, that our gas light came on 35 miles past Mazama!

I’m sure you can just imagine the language used in those first moments, likely scarring our children for years. Then we drove in silence. It was like we could hear how fast the gas was pumping from the tank into the atmosphere. The iconic mountains around us felt almost equal in immensity to how stupid and totally negligent we felt for having two babies in the car with us in this predicament.

Every mile felt more gloomy than the last until at some point we started realizing (or hoping) that maybe we could actually make it. Our conversation tracked every uphill and downhill, noting the quantity of gas each might use as if we had some merit in what we were talking about. Somewhere during this nonsensical banter we found ourselves coasting into Marblemount and up to the gas pump.

It was surreal to watch the numbers spin as the car refueled. To know that this story was over and that somehow one of the many scenarios we pictured never had to play out was a huge relief but the disbelief lingered.

Our 16 gallon tank took almost 18 gallons that day. I don’t think I’ll forget that trip for much more than this story but we certainly learned our lesson and hope sharing a silly story can help someone else remember to remember.

Cheers to adventure!

“I have been coming to Winthrop since I was 6 months old! My family and I loved camping at Pearrygin Lake every year when I was little. There was so many of us that half of the camp sites would be full of family members. We have a family photo posted inside of Sheri’s that will always be a reminder of the amazing times my family was able to get together and create memories that’ll last a lifetime. Winthrop will always have a special place in my heart and will always remind me of the memories that I shared with my family.”

“Sue, my skiing buddy, sent me a text asking if I wanted to go to the Methow Valley for a few days after New Year’s. I jumped at the chance because I’d heard it’s the best cross-county skiing in the nation. We left Portland at 5 AM, had breakfast in Yakima, and got to Winthrop by 1! After we got our passes and skied the Community Trail until it got dark. We were in heaven! We’d never skied on such nice groomed trails.

We ran into Kristen from Methow Trails and she took our picture for the Photo of the Day. The day we were skiing in Mazama and a man passed us and said, “You’re the Photo of the Day!” We felt like locals.

Sue and I returned to the valley for three more years. We even came in the summer and did some mountain biking. Sue passed away from cancer in June of 2019. I treasure all of the times we spent together, but some of the best memories are from our trips to the Methow.”

We stepped back in time, into the old west, and casually strolled along wooden boardwalks. We enjoyed local brews on the deck overlooking the Chewuch River at the Old Schoolhouse Brewery, with the unmistakably sweet scent of Seafoam in the air. Which led us to Sheri’s Sweet Shoppe, where we devoured delicious homemade ice-cream. Watching the world slowly pass by, on a warm summer sunset. #WeLoveWinthrop”

Last spring we needed a quick getaway. My husband and I were only able to get away for just one night and wanted to take our dog Bear with us. I started looking on TripAdvisor for some place close by that was dog friendly. Winthrop sure is that. We had only been over the North Cascade Highway once before but never stayed in Winthrop or Twisp. Wow what a beautiful drive and a beautiful place just over the mountains. We stayed at AbbyCreek Inn. Very nice. I think everyone there had a dog with them, very cool, dog owners understand that well.

We were even able to have dinner with our dog on the porch of The Methow Valley Ciderhouse. It was so much fun. Good cider to.

The next morning we had breakfast on the porch of 3 Bears Cafe & Quilts very good. We went to the gas station convenient store for things to drink my husband was standing outside with Bear and the cashier told him to come in too even with our dog. Everyone in town was so nice . They made us so comfortable.