The Cascade Loop National Scenic Byway is in my state. The loop covers a pretty decent range of the scenery typical of Washington state. On Day 3 of our trip around the loop, which was our wedding anniversary, we took a break from driving and walked around the town of Winthrop.
Most years we go to Paradise at Mount Rainier for a few days to hike and just enjoy the mountain air. But this year we decided to see some of the state that we haven’t been to before. It seemed like a good idea to spend our vacation dollars locally. We bought a pass for state parks when we renewed our car tabs this year so we tended to focus on visiting state parks during this outing.
Methow River
Our hotel was beside the Methow River and a hike/bike trail was accessible from its parking lot.
Winthrop
Winthrop is kind of a tourist trap, a little on the kitschy side with an old-west/Nordic theme. Yet it’s pretty cute, and it’s fun to walk around.
The Chewuch River
We wandered out without a map or plan. As we came to the end of town we espied another pedestrian bridge and couldn’t resist crossing it. This led to a trail along the Chewuch River.
The Shafer Museum
Winthrop has a fascinating little museum up on the hill above the town. In addition to all of the interesting machines related to mining and pioneer living, the views were wonderful.
Golden hour by the Methow
After a nap, we went back out to enjoy the golden hour by the river.
Final note
Even though Winthrop town was a little kitschy and a lot of its businesses were not open on the day we were there, we thoroughly enjoyed our brief stay. The setting along the Chewuch and Methow Rivers is beautiful and we had nice weather to get out and enjoy the trails. If you want to go to Winthrop I suggest that you not go on Tuesday and Wednesday since many of the restaurants and shops are closed on those days.
Cascade Loop Scenic Byway series
Other posts about our trip:
I use Raw Therapee and the GIMP, both open source, to process photos. This post describes the process I use.
We really liked Winthrop, despite the kitsch! we must have stayed in the same place as you I think – the views look identical. I remember waking up to see deer on the little island in the river! we didn’t have time to hike the trails (it was only an overnight stop) but we did visit the Shafer Museum, which was fascinating, and had an excellent ice cream in a very popular place by the river, which I believe may be the one with your desserts sign. In the evening we had a good meal in a Mexican restaurant and the next morning had breakfast in the Rocking Horse Bakery, with great coffee and pastries! I would certainly stop there again if in the area, and your photos all brought back lovely memories 🙂
We really loved the trails by the river. Had ice cream, as you did, by the dessert sign to cool off after our walk along the Chewuch. Rocking Horse was closed the day we were there.