North Central Washington

Rainy Lake, North Cascades

Washington Pass

Mazama, Methow Valley

Methow River, Big Valley Wildlife Area

Jordan & Rusty traveled to Okanogan County & Chelan County in North Central Washington for 3 days from October 13 to 15.  They crossed the Cascade Mountains on the North Cascades Highway (Hwy 20) on Saturday morning.  They stopped to walk to Rainy Lake at Rainy Pass.  They descended through Washington Pass into the Methow Valley, where they stopped in Mazama, walked to the Methow River in the Big Valley Wildlife Area, then stopped again in Winthrop.  They drove on to Omak (pop 5,000) where they spent 2 nights in the Okanogan Valley.

Omak, WA

Okanogan Valley from Whistler Canyon Trail

Similkameen River

Shrub-steppe on the Osoyoos Reserve 

Lake Skaha from Skaha Bluffs Provincial Park

On Sunday, they traveled north through the Okanogan Valley.  They stopped to walk the Whistler Canyon Trail, which provided a great view of the Okanogan Valley.  They had lunch in Oroville.  They walked across a pedestrian bridge over the Similkameen River.  They crossed the international border into Canada.  They walked a trail through shrub-steppe at the Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre (pronounced in-ka-meep) on the reserve of the Osoyoos Band of the Okanagan Nation, in Osoyoos.  They traveled farther north, where they walked in Skaha Bluffs Provincial Park in Penticton.  There was a beautiful view of Lake Skaha in the Okanagan Valley.  They had dinner in Penticton, then returned by the same route through the Okanogan Valley to Omak.

Chelan, WA 

Lake Chelan

Pybus Public Market in Wenatchee

Wenatchee, WA

Antique Mall in Wenatchee

Click here for more photos of North Central Washington.

On Monday, they traveled south through the Okanogan Valley to the Columbia River & on to Chelan. They walked along the Chelan Riverwalk Park & the few blocks of shops on E Woodin Ave, the main street. Then they drove along the lake to Lake Chelan State Park, where they walked to the water. They went on to Wenatchee through a beautiful mountain valley called Navarre Coulee, then along the Columbia River. They stayed 3 hours in Wenatchee. Rusty ate lunch at the Pybus Public Market. Jordan took photos of the market & the downtown historic district. They spent nearly an hour in an antique mall. Not far from Wenatchee, they stopped in the town of Cashmere at the Aplets and Cotlets factory store. Then they returned to Seattle on Interstate 90 over Snoqualmie Pass.