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Trip Itineraries

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The trademark refrain of the Okanogan is “Open for Adventure” and this spectacular region takes their tag line seriously! Extending from the North Cascade Mountain Range in the west to Grand Coulee Dam in the east, bordered by Canada to the north and Lake Chelan to the south, Okanogan Country seems to have been created for incredible scenic drives and major league recreation. From snow driven activities to a wild river ride, from horseback riding to being pampered at a first class resort, Okanogan Country offers thrills, spills, and an exceptional taste of Washington’s outdoors.

 

Okanogan Country is one of those places that feeds the imagination and nourishes body and soul. Magnificent mountain ranges, pristine lakes, wild rivers, ghost towns and inspiring views - it’s a land that time has honored with abundant resources, beauty, and a sense of mystery. Once you begin to uncover its secrets, you’ll find yourself returning again and again to discover more!

 

Suggested Itineraries

These suggested itineraries are for planning purposes only, not navigation!

 

Heart of Okanogan Country
Take a tour through the Heart of Okanogan Country. Beginning with part of the famous Cascade Loop Scenic Byway, you will travel down the Methow Valley, along the mighty Columbia River and up the valley of the historic Okanogan River. The area’s geography is as diverse as its recreational offerings.

 

On this drive the rugged Cascades, populated by dense forests and crystal clear waterfalls and rivers, give way to old-west country; soft plains bordered by gentle evergreens and wide powerful rivers. The formidable peaks of the Cascades and the tumbling Methow River contrast with the peaceful lakes and silent streams scattered throughout the Okanogan Valley. Okanogan Country is deluxe Northwest — lush, wild, and waiting for you to discover its riches. Trip details

Northern Okanogan
Okanogan is the third largest county in the United States in terms of land area and yet the fourth smallest in Washington State in terms of population density. The East County Loop takes you on a tour of the many roads that once served Okanogan Country’s far-flung communities and now provides scenic by-ways ideal for driving tours. Excellent services are available in the towns of Omak, Okanogan, Tonasket and Oroville and the Visitor Information Centers in each town provide useful information and clean restrooms.

 

Gold Digger Cellars in Oroville also provides a nice stop to taste locally produced wines (try the Chardonnay). Trip details

 

Methow Valley

The Methow Valley and the North Cascades are often referred to as the ‘American Alps.’ The county’s western most community, Mazama, is forty minutes closer to a glacier than it is to a stoplight and home to a host of mountain oriented businesses including a climbing guide service, a heli-ski operation, a survival school and over 40 miles of cross country skiing trails. As with many of the county’s other mountain-based communities, Mazama’s early history is derived from serving as a way station for native American trade routes linking the Methow Valley to the coast; then, later, as a hub of mining and timber operations; then, finally, as a second home community. The roads developed to serve these various industries now make for spectacular road trips through some of the west’s most varied and appealing country. Trip details

Okanogan Highlands Historical Loop

The Okanogan Highlands Historical Loop, is a nice way to discover the back roads that can add adventure to any proper road trip. This 150-mile loop links the tiny communities of Oroville, Molson, Chesaw, Curlew, Republic and connects back to Hwy 97 at Tonasket. Chesaw got its start during the 1896 mining rush to the old north half of the Colville Indian Reservation and is home to one of Okanogan County's wildest, woolliest events, the Chesaw Fourth of July Rodeo.

 

A short detour between Oroville and Chesaw will lead to the Ghost Town of Old Molson — the site of a museum operated by the Okanogan County Historical Society. This museum features a complex of early 20th-century buildings, including a bank, an assay office, two homestead cabins and is open from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Continue east to Curlew and the Ansorge Museum Hotel and antique car museum. Further south, the Stonerose Fossil Site is fun and great for learning of the area’s distant past. Plan a full day for this excursion.

International Discovery Loop

Some very interesting and scenic loop tour options — with some international flair — occur in this part of the state. To travel the International Discovery Loop, take US Highway 20 east from Tonasket toward Republic. You’ll encounter the Stonerose Fossil Center where you can actually go on a fossil dig with archeologists from the interpretive center.

 

From Republic, you can choose to head north on SR21 through the Colville National Forest past beautiful Curlew Lake. When you pass through Curlew, be sure to take a few minutes to visit the historic Ansorge Hotel, which has been completely restored to its original 1903 elegance. Cross the Canadian border at Ferry and take Highway 3 west to Osoyoos then head back south on Hwy 97 toward Oroville to complete the loop.

Fish and Wildlife Loop

If water, wildlife and an outdoorsman’s paradise are your goals for this visit, try the Fish and Wildlife Loop through the Many Lakes region. On the this tour nearly every road leads to water and boundless recreation in any season. You’ll visit Conconully (home of the famous Outhouse Races in winter and the Cowboy Caviar Fete in summer), the historic Conconully Dam, travel through the Sinlahekin Wildlife Area to Loomis where you may see Bighorn Sheep right in town and explore some of the finest fishing lakes to be found. Some of the area’s most picturesque lakes are Spectacle, Palmer and Conconully Lakes in the northeastern section of the county, and the international, Osoyoos Lake near Oroville.

 

Some of the must see opportunities Okanogan Country

· At the junction of Highways 155 and 174 is the monumental Grand Coulee Dam, one of the largest electricity producers in the country. Sharing the Columbia River with 10 other U.S. dams, Grand Coulee is the first dam encountered on the river after it enters the U.S from Canada. Lake Roosevelt, the reservoir created by the dam, contains 9 million acre-feet of water and stretches over 150 miles back to the border.

· Lake Roosevelt has plenty of campgrounds accessible by boat and houseboat rentals available that are owned and operated by the Colville Confederated Tribes.

· Chief Joseph Dam, just outside the town of Bridgeport, has committed to an extensive archaeological program to excavate prehistoric sites on the shores of Rufus Woods Lake. These sites included housepit villages and temporary camps. Rock art commemorates the culture and lifestyle of the earliest inhabitants of the region some 7,000 years ago.

· View the hard work of nature’s builders at the Sun Mountain beaver ponds located near Winthrop.

· For those with stout hearts, drive to Hart’s Pass – the highest publicly maintained road in Washington State – for spectacular panoramas into the Pasayten Wilderness, Okanogan National Forest and North Cascades National Park. If you don’t mind a short hike you can also visit the old mining sites at Barron, a ghost town that at one time held over 4,000 residents!

· Hike into Rainy Lake (1 mile, paved) or stop at the Washington Pass Overlook.