Northwest Road Trip

Trip From Seattle to The Methow Valley

This is is my gift to you, a roadtrip in detail. I have another one for driving down the coast from Washington to the Bay Area I might add.

The Methow Valley in Washington State includes the towns of Twisp, Winthrop, Mazama, and Sun Mountain Lodge (an 8,000-acre resort technically in Winthrop.) Many people in Seattle haven’t visited this area, don’t know where it is exactly, or have never heard of the area–– mostly because it’s a four-hour drive on two-lane highways, and takes longer in the winter. It’s worth the time. The attitude to embrace is “the journey.” The drive is beautiful. Don’t power through, stop in my recommended stops. Do as I say. If you’re from New York, it’s like visiting the Hudson Valley– the Methow has cute towns, good restaurants, shops, and a variety of lodging. It’s often warmer, and when it’s “June-uary” in Seattle, it’s often sunny in the Methow Valley.

In the summer months you can take the North Cascades highway (AKA highway 20) to get there, which is a two-lane highway going through a beautiful landscape. Have an electric car? This highway has charging stations throughout the entire North Cascades Loop.

I don’t recommend going in late June, July, or August as it gets extremely hot and there’s been fires. “Smoke Season” is a thing now. I can’t believe they named it. If you go in the summer for hiking, be aware of wildlife, including rattle snakes, and forest creatures that will eat your little dog. May to mid-June, or for skiing, snow shoeing, or snowboarding go in the Winter, although highway 20 (Cascade Highway) will be closed.

Below is the route we took there (in extreme detail) from Seattle, and a different route going back through the town of Leavenworth, which will be the route you’ll take in the winter. We specifically chose Tuesday through Friday to avoid the weekend crowds. Next time we’ll do Monday through Thursday.

On Tuesday, June 13^th, we left Seattle at 9:00 AM, headed to the Methow. We took a path from North Seattle to avoid rush hour traffic, going North on 99 to 80^th Street to connect with I5 North. By 9:11 AM we were on I5 North heading towards exit 208/SR530 East towards Arlington/Darrington, ultimately connecting with State Route 20, also known as the North Cascades Highway. This stretch was constructed in 1964, it has beautiful mountain views, old growth forests, and waterfalls. Watch out for deer crossings. On the weekends, this highway is packed. Again, this is why we left on a Tuesday.

Driving on SR 530, there’s a funny section when you turn left on State Route 9, then back onto East 530, so don’t let it confuse you. Stay on East 530 for about 28 miles. We hit some construction along this route.

By 10:37 AM, we hit Darrington, where you can stop for gas, food, or coffee. I don’t have any recommendations there as we didn’t stop, and our car was packed with snacks and water. I recommend bringing your own groceries in from the city. Darrington will be your last chance for a while, (until Marblemount) so if you need to stop, this tiny place is it.

Turn left to stay on East 530. Gorgeous trees and mountain views just after you pass the lumber mills. It’s a treat. Take your time.

10:45 AM Slide area for 7 miles. Views of the Sauk River.

10:48 AM 10 miles to Route 20, the North Cascades Highway, considered one of the most beautiful drives in the nation. Look for the ugly spots...we saw some. Just sayin’.

10:59 AM Slight right onto State Route 20.

11:09 AM North Cascades National Park.

The chance to stop is coming up if the North Cascade Visitor Center is open. Look for signs. There won’t be a rest stop this nice for a while.

11:26 AM: Drove into North Cascade Visitor Center, on your right, about ½ mile in. It’s beautiful inside and out, clean bathrooms. Your tax dollars at work.

By 11:38, we were back on the road, Highway 20.

You’ll pass the town of Nehalem.

11:43 AM: Passed the Skagit General Store. Our speed was about 30 miles an hour, so keep that in mind. This is not a drive for the impatient, this is the scenic route. You can’t safely pass cars on this road.

11:48 AM: Beautiful view of Gorge Lake. People stop on this section to snap photos.

11:52 AM: We were stopped for Road work again. We watched the woman holding the stop sign fidget for several minutes, then she lit a cigarette, smoked, shifted her weight from one leg to the other, her free hand griping a walkie talkie thingie. Finally, she flipped her stop sign to slow, and we drove out behind a “pilot car” at a slow pace. This is the kind of thing that used to make me impatient and crabby, this unplanned stop. That ten-minute meditation in the morning, it’s really helping. Wish I’d started sooner.

12:06 PM: Ross Lake to the left.

12:12 PM: Signs for Winthrop (61 miles) and Twisp. This is your destination, enjoy the ride. We listened to a Shirley Horn CD, and some banjo music: The Burns Brothers and Bela Fleck.

12:15 PM: Ross Lake Resort.

12:20 PM: Beautiful roadside waterfall.

12:28 PM: No internet connection here, so put your fucking phone away, it’s a relief. I’m talking to myself here.

12:45 PM: Rainey Pass picnic area to your right

12:47 PM: More signs for Twisp/Winthrop

12:48 PM: More road work, forced pause. Take in the gorgeous Cascade Mountain Range, another glorious roadside waterfall.

After a few minutes, we passed “Cutthroat Lake Trail” and “Cutthroat” center road, plus “Cutthroat Lake.” Dramatic. I wonder what’s going on in these parts. A friend told me it’s named after a fish called “cutthroat.” Huh. I’ll look that up later.

12:55 PM: Tiny restroom to the right.

1:00 PM: Noticed extensive fire damage on a few miles of trees just as we left the North Cascades Highway. Depressing.

1:03 PM: Freestone Inn and Cabins to the right. Here’s a link:

https://freestoneinn.com/

once you see the Freestone, you know you’re close. I don’t necessarily recommend staying this far away from town. It’s a 20-minute drive to Winthrop. I like wandering around on foot.

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Even with all the road construction, and one stop at the North Cascades Visitor Center, it took us four hours to get to our first destination, which was for us...coffee at The Mazama Store.

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By 1:06 PM, we were at The Mazama Store. We love this place. This is where you’ll want to get an afternoon coffee or snack, the espresso stand serves Bluestar Coffee, which is owned by Meg and Dan Donahue. It’s the best. (When you go to Twisp, you’ll want to visit their roaster and coffee house. Here’s a link to Blue Star:

https://bluestarcoffeeroasters.com/

“Twisp is the heart of the Methow.” –Meg Donahue.

The Mazama Store has beautiful outdoor seating. Inside you’ll find a quality items and gifts. If you booked a place with a kitchen, I do recommend shopping in a bigger town if you can. We brought in our own supplies, but love stopping at the Mazama Store, although expensive.

1:33 PM: Hit the scenic route along Goat Creek to Winthrop, where we rented a cute one-bedroom cabin through Airbnb.

Hung out in downtown Winthrop, which is several blocks of western themed buildings, as mandated by the “Westernization Committee” which sounds like a group Gogol might’ve written about. Thankfully, there are no strip malls or fast-food chains that unfortunately take over many small towns. Maybe we need more committees to preserve small businesses, they make towns cuter, tend to be more creative with older buildings.

Important, before I forget: Here's a link to the cute bookstore in Winthrop

https://www.trailsendbookstore.com/

For dinner I recommend MEZA, a small plate place owned by Casey Peplow. There’s a gorgeous back patio. We ate there twice, both times on the back patio. The grilled broccolini, chicken dish, and blistered peppers, all terrific. Everything is gluten free, even the yummy bread and butter, as Casey has celiac.

On our third day, a fire broke out on Loup Loup Pass, near Omak. I could smell the smoke. Always creates a bit of anxiety. We didn’t hike because the air quality was bad. The good news: We’d scheduled a massage and facial at Twispa with Kelsi and Beau in Twisp, and it was incredible. Gotta have a day of beauty on a smoky day. The air was fine in their adorable spa in a small 100-year-old building. Here’s a link https://www.thetwispa.com/new-index

It’s such a small town, we realized our awesome one-bedroom Airbnb is owned by Beau’s (the massage therapist) sister. They grew up on the property in the big house next door, which is a vacation rental now.

Things to do while in the Methow:

Almost everyone I know shops at Hank’s Grocery. There used to be taxidermy in the store, I didn’t go in this time so I’m not sure if it’s still there. It’s a bit spooky seeing all the big game old Hank killed, stuffed, displayed right there in the store. You’ll be walking along wondering if they have tahini, and there’s a giant dead lion, dead paw pawing the air.

Barn Yard Cinema: A small movie theater in Winthrop owned by Genevieve Cole that serves wine and beer as well as traditional movie theater snacks. Single screen. Chairs have cup holders.

There’s a new library in Winthrop, right by a terrific ice-skating rink which turns into pickle ball courts in the summer.

Nectar Spa for services, gifts and skincare.

Jupiter for lunch, healthy, local produce, outdoor seating.

Gather for clothing, jewelry, and gifts.

Hike at Pearrgin Lake outside of Winthrop.

Trails at Sun Mountain Lodge. We found out Chef Jason Wilson is at Sun Mountain Lodge, he’s amazing. He used to own a place in Seattle called “Crush” in Madison Valley, we loved it. Try to get dinner reservations at the lodge, it’s truly beautiful.

Twisp Works: A non-profit organization for artists and makers.

Glover Street Market in Twisp. This is a high-end little market. I like supporting them, but to repeat, we do bring in our own groceries because: Expensive. They also make smoothies at the back counter.

Farmer’s Market: Twisp Community Center Saturdays in the summer, April through October

Tappi in Twisp, rustic Italian food.

My personal favorite part of the days we spent in the valley was my facial with Kelsi. A great esthetician is pure bliss. Did you know Colette became an esthetician after she was a famous writer? She wasn’t a good esthetician, though. At least that’s the word on the street. She didn’t need the money, but really wanted to open a salon. She had the French thing going, but people left looking worse than before. She sucked at being an esthetician. I think she kept at it, though, and people kept paying her to look worse, because: Famous.

We had three full days in the valley, (the smoke cleared that same day) leaving early Friday morning to avoid Seattle rush hour traffic. Here’s our path back, which begins again on Highway 20.

8:01 AM Going back to Seattle. Got back on highway 20 headed East.

Our goal? Lone Pine Fruit and Espresso for excellent coffee. 23041 Us-97 Orondo, Washington. Put that in your map thingie. It’s a 1 hour and 7-minute drive.

8:16 Gas at Hank’s Mini Market at 410 Highway 20. It was $4.99 per gallon. Don’t try to look for cheaper gas, not worth the hassle and you’re looking at pennies, plus it takes you away from the fantastic path I’ve laid out for you. It took ½ tank of gas to get from Seattle to Mazama in our gas powered, compact car, roughly 35 miles per gallon, will take about that on the way back. If you find me charming, feel free to buy me an electric car. You’ll feel good about giving such a person such an expensive gift. I’m good at receiving gifts, you’ll see when you do it.

You’ll drive for around 49 minutes on highway 20, headed to Pateros, then 97 to highway 2. I used to get highway 20 and highway 2 confused! So easy to do.

8:58 AM Pateros. Turn right. South on 97. Views of Columbia River to your left.

9:11 AM You may notice a sign that says 97 ALT to the right. Ignore that, unless directed by an official because of road closures. Keep going straight on 97 South.

9:17 AM Cross over bridge over Columbia River

9:19 AM Lone Pine Fruit and Espresso only 2 minutes away! You’ll see a giant sign that says “Bluestar Coffee” on the top, Lone Pine on the bottom, it’s on the right. Do you feel like this whole thing is a commercial for Bluestar Coffee? Perhaps it is. But I can’t sell something I don’t love.

9:21 AM Arrived for an amazing coffee. The fruit? Meh, just apples. Can get those in Seattle, but if you’re in the mood try the Honeycrisp, Sugarbee, or Cosmic Crisp. My friend Manami disagrees, but sorry, Manami, you are wrong. Those apples are the best. [Correction! I’ve added this a week later, Manami isn’t the one who recommended Kanzi apples over those three, it was another story clubber who shall remain anonymous. Good reminder about fact checking. Manami is not wrong. She is right.]

At Lone Pine you can get sandwiches; they have gluten free bread. Remember, you’ll be on the road for a while, so grab lunch while you can. The espresso is amazing, had ours on the front porch of the store in the travel cups we brought. Oh, they have a nice bathroom, too.

9:33 AM Back on the road, 97 South

9:50 AM Drove past town of Orondo, views of the Columbia River coming up to your right.

9:59 AM Passed Lincoln Rock State Park on left.

10:01 AM Stopped to buy cherries from a stand, Bing and Rainer, both delicious.

10:10 Signs for Seattle/Ellensburg, turn right, cross over Columbia River, enter Chelan County. Stay right West 2 to Seattle, slight right to stay on 2.

Another chance to visit a bakery or get something to eat if you want to stop again:

Anjou Bakery Cafe

3898 Old Monitor Road

Cashemere, WA 98815

10:21 AM Anjou Bakery to your left. We skipped it this time.

10:31 AM Noticed how beautiful this stretch of road is, wrote that down in my notebook.

10:46 AM Noticed cop car parked on the shoulder checking speeds, warned my law-abiding man as a reflex.

10:56 AM Swauk campground to left, Wenache National Forest

11:07 AM Sign: Seattle 93 miles

11:11 AM Passing Teanaway and Teanaway River. I have a friend who owns a place there, it’s gorgeous. Something for next road trip.

I forgot to tell you; we were stuck behind an “oversize load” most of the way. Sometimes the truck would belch out black, stinky smoke like a coal roller. Some dumbass tried to pass on a curve. We shook our heads. “Dumbass,” I said.

11:16 AM Stay on West 97 to 90 West in 2 miles.

11:17 AM 90 Seattle next left sign, right then left up ramp.

11:22 AM Passing Roslyn/Suncadia... love these places. If you wanted to extend your trip, you can stay inside Suncadia. Swanky.

11:33 AM Wenache National Forest signs. Seattle is 69 miles away. We noticed that the traffic going the opposite way is horrific. It’s Friday, Father’s Day weekend, so perhaps everyone is getting out. Did I say weekend travel is harder? Monday- Thursday would be ideal, but so far going into the city is ok.

11:56 AM Seattle 41 miles

12:43 PM Back in Seattle. Total trip including stop at Lone Pine and to buy cherries: 4 hours 45 minutes.

So, there’s my detailed itinerary for your next road trip in the Pacific Northwest. The Methow Valley. Beautiful. You’re welcome.