Things to Do in Winthrop, WA: Old West Town & Methow Valley (2026)

The best things to do in Winthrop, Washington, are walking the Old West boardwalk downtown, touring the Shafer Museum, and skiing or biking the Methow Trails. Winthrop is a town of 504 people in Okanogan County, where the Methow and Chewuch rivers meet on the North Cascades Highway.

The false fronts aren’t original. In 1971, with the North Cascades Highway about to open, local businesses rebuilt two blocks in 1890s Old West style, with help from a designer who had worked on Leavenworth’s Bavarian makeover. By the time the highway opened on September 2, 1972, 22 buildings had been remodeled.

Downtown Winthrop’s Old West boardwalk

Riverside Avenue, which carries State Route 20 through town, is lined with false-front buildings and a wooden boardwalk. A design review board still enforces the look under the town’s Westernization ordinance. Three Fingered Jack’s, which opened in 1972, was once fined by the state for calling itself a saloon before that word was legal for bars.

★ Good to know The visitor center is in the old library building at Mack Lloyd Park, just west of downtown.

Shafer Historical Museum

The centerpiece is “The Castle,” the log home Winthrop founder Guy Waring built for his wife in the 1890s on the hill above town. Local merchant Simon Shafer bought it in 1943 and turned it into a museum, and a village of pioneer buildings has grown around it. Owen Wister visited Waring here twice and drew on the area for The Virginian.

★ Good to know It’s at 285 Castle Avenue; hours change by season, so check before you go.

Methow Trails

Methow Trails bills itself as the largest cross-country ski area in North America, with about 120 miles of groomed trails radiating from Mazama through the upper valley. You can ski, snowshoe or fat bike, and kids 17 and under and adults 75 and over ski free.

★ Good to know Buy a trail pass online, at the Methow Trails office or from a local retailer before you head out.

Pearrygin Lake State Park

This park just northeast of town covers more than 1,200 acres around a lake used for swimming, boating and fishing. It has camping and hiking in summer. In winter it becomes a Sno-Park with trails for cross-country skiing, snowmobiling and fat biking.

★ Good to know Burn bans often apply in late summer, so check the park’s alerts before you plan a campfire.

North Cascades Smokejumper Base

The Methow Valley is the birthplace of smokejumping, and the first experimental jumps were made here in the fall of 1939. The base sits at the airport about halfway between Winthrop and Twisp on the East County Road. Tours are offered.

★ Good to know Call the base before you drive out to line up a tour.

Winthrop National Fish Hatchery

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service opened this hatchery on the Methow River in 1942. It raises spring Chinook and coho salmon and steelhead. Visitors can follow a self-guided map around the grounds.

★ Good to know It’s at 453A Twin Lakes Road, a short drive from downtown.

Old Schoolhouse Brewery

This riverside brewery and gastropub at 155 Riverside Avenue pours award-winning beers brewed with Winthrop water. It regularly hosts live music. It’s the natural place to end a day on the trails.

★ Good to know It’s family-friendly and sits on the river right in downtown.

Also in town

Mack Lloyd Park has a bandshell and a memorial to fallen firefighters, the Spring Creek Bridge carries a trail across the Methow River, a pedestrian bridge crosses the Chewuch to 12-acre Sa Teekh Wa Park, and the town runs a seasonal ice rink in winter.

When to goCome in summer for the lakes and trails, or December through March for skiing. The Balloon Roundup is usually the first weekend of March, ’49er Days follows the spring highway opening, and the Methow Valley Rodeo runs on Labor Day weekend.

How long to stayOne day covers downtown, the museum and a lake; give it a long weekend in ski season.

Heads upThe North Cascades Highway west of Mazama closes every winter, usually until April or early May, and summer wildfires can bring smoke and closures, so check WSDOT and local alerts first.

Getting herePangborn Memorial Airport (EAT) in Wenatchee is the closest airport with scheduled airline service, about 1 hour 45 minutes south by car.

Why does Winthrop look like an Old West town?

It was remodeled on purpose. In 1971 local businesses rebuilt two blocks with false fronts and a boardwalk to greet traffic from the new North Cascades Highway, which opened in September 1972.

Is the North Cascades Highway open in winter?

No. State Route 20 closes every winter between Ross Dam and Silver Star Creek near Mazama. From the west side you’ll need to come over Stevens Pass and up through Wenatchee instead.

Can you cross-country ski in Winthrop?

Yes. Methow Trails grooms about 120 miles of trails in the upper Methow Valley, and Pearrygin Lake State Park has its own winter Sno-Park trails.

What is Winthrop, Washington, known for?

Its Old West downtown, the Methow Valley’s trails, and being the birthplace of smokejumping in 1939. Its design idea came from Leavenworth. See more small towns in Washington.

Where to find them

Downtown Winthrop Riverside Avenue, Winthrop, WA 98862 Website Directions
Shafer Historical Museum 285 Castle Avenue, Winthrop, WA 98862 Website Directions
Methow Trails Winthrop, WA 98862 Website Directions
Pearrygin Lake State Park 625 Bear Creek Rd, Winthrop, WA 98862 Website Directions
North Cascades Smokejumper Base 23 Inter-City Airport Rd, Winthrop, WA 98862 Website Directions
Winthrop National Fish Hatchery 453A Twin Lakes Road, Winthrop, WA 98862 Website Directions
Old Schoolhouse Brewery 155 Riverside Ave, Winthrop, WA 98862 Website Directions