Wenatchee/Columbia River Valley

Following the Wenatchee River, orchards flank the riverbanks and deliver travelers to the "Apple Capital of the World", Wenatchee. Numerous family-owned fruit stands dot the highway selling local fruit and produce in season. Wenatchee has also become a thriving wine destination, so look for boutique wineries and wine tasting rooms. 

Because Wenatchee is located at the confluence of the Wenatchee and Columbia Rivers, it naturally offers an abundance of water activities such as paddle boarding, swimming, fishing and boating during the warmer months. Winter welcomes ski, snowboard, snowshoe and snowmobile enthusiasts with some of the best powder snow conditions in the state. Mountain biking and hiking trails in the foothills surrounding the valley are prolific and easily accessible. Want to stretch your legs, but on the pavement rather than the hillside? Explore Wenatchee's 11 mile paved Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail skirting the shores of the Columbia River on both banks with parks, habitat areas, playgrounds and swimming holes. 

Ohme Gardens has been a popular destination for global travelers for decades. The 70+year old alpine oasis is perched high on a bluff overlooking the Columbia River and Wenatchee Valley. (April-Oct) Pybus Public Market is a new, but hugely popular destination located on the Columbia riverfront. Housed in a recently renovated, historic steel warehouse, Pybus Public Market delivers an abundance of culinary offerings: global cuisine, local produce, wines and imported cheeses everything you need to stock you cooler for your next day on the Loop! 

Continue on, following the Columbia until you reach the friendly little community of Entiat. Lots of new riverside development is afoot here, so look for new camping access on the water soon! Entiat is a gateway to back country hiking and camping, and it's also home to a truly cool interpretive center, the Columbia Breaks Wildfire Center.

Info:

Entiat Ranger Station 509-784-1511 Visit their Website 

Entiat Valley Chamber 509-784-1307 Visit their Website 

Rocky Reach Dam 509-663-7522 Visit their Website 

Wenatchee National Forest Headquarters 509-664-9200 Visit their Website 

Wenatchee Valley Chamber of Commerce 509-662-2116 Visit their Website