This Idyllic Cascade Mountain Valley Blends Washington's Artsy Culture With Its Wild West Past

The Cascades are one of the great natural jewels of North America. They carve through 700 miles of the continent, ranging from the northern fringes of California to the peaks of British Columbia over in Canada. Within, you'll find some seriously incredible locations. There's the 440-mile Cascade Loop through pretty mountains and lakes, the sprawling recreation hub of the Willamette National Forest, and the soaring top of Mount Rainier, complete with its 28 glaciers. Oh, and there's the idyllic Methow Valley, a cleft of the eastern Cascades that has frontier charm, artsy towns, and stacks of outdoor pursuits up its sleeve.

Bending into the mountains for 55 miles, the Methow Valley is a land of Wild West ranches, fire-warmed highland lodges, and wiggling Nordic ski runs. Adventure abounds in all directions, but especially up beyond the town of Winthrop, the eastern entry point to the roaring waterfalls, shimmering ice fields, and alpine terrain of the North Cascades National Park. Talking of Winthrop, it's but one of several enchanting urban centers in the valley, each offering cowboy charms alongside theaters, microbreweries, and local farmers' markets.

You can arrive in Methow from the east or from the west. For the former, aim to jet into the international airport in Spokane and cruise for a little over two and a half hours through the heart of the Evergreen State to enter the valley via the city of Pateros. From the west, the fastest way in will likely be a straight shot along Interstate 90 from Seattle (that takes a little over three hours). However, the scenic route is the so-called Great Northern of Highway 2. It only takes five minutes longer than the interstate, but it will whiz you by old gold towns under the gaze of Mount Baker.

The Methow Valley is made up of a string of towns that begins with Pateros in the southeast and ends with Mazama in the northwest. As you move between them, you'll be going up and up, starting at around just 1,050 feet above sea level, but ending closer to 3,000 feet on the very cusp of the Cascade Crest. Each place has its own character and charms, nuances, and attractions.

One of the most surprising is little Winthrop, a spur-spinning town that looks like it's been plucked from the set of a Sergio Leone Western. Step on the creaking cowboy boardwalks there as you move between Three Fingered Jack's Saloon — a vintage watering hole that bills itself as "one of Washington's oldest legal saloons" — and the Old Schoolhouse Brewery — a riverside pub that serves beer made with uber-clear water flowing straight down from the Cascades.

Just a touch over 10 minutes down the road from all that is Twisp. Welcome to the beating cultural heart of the whole Methow Valley. There's a real energy to the town, what with unique public sculpture works and lively farmers' markets all part of the billing these days. Spend a night, and it's possible to catch a show at the Merc Playhouse, a theater that occupies a former haberdashery store.

This cut-out of the North Cascades is hallowed territory for active travelers. No matter the season, there's something to do. Springtime melts open trails like the one through the wildflower fields to Lewis Butte, while summer sees folks splashing around in the swim spots along the Methow River, and fall means leaf peeping amid the cottonwoods and maples that abound in Mazama and along the nearby North Cascades Highway.

Perhaps most proudly of all, the Methow Valley lays claim to the largest network of cross-country ski trails on the continent. They're known, simply, as the Methow Trails, and they weave and wind up peaks, through woods, and along riversides for a whopping 124 miles. Snow is all but guaranteed, too, thanks to a local microclimate that traps wet weather systems coming off the Pacific Ocean in cold air generated by the mountains. In fact, the nearby North Cascades National Park is one of the world's snowiest places!

Warmer times of the calendar are great for swapping ski poles for walking boots. Head up to Winthrop, where access to the panoramic lookouts of the North Cascades reserve is usually on offer until the fall. You can also get on sprawling trail networks in the Okanogan National Forest and the Pasayten Wilderness, meaning everything from lake hikes to canyon trails is on the menu in these parts.