One thing about taking a cross-country ski vacation in the Methow Valley is the surreal experience of driving by the faux Bavarian facades of Leavenworth to the faux Old West facades of Winthrop, passing the faux Italian country retreat of Tsillan Cellars Winery in Chelan on the way.
Another thing, and this is the important thing, is there are about 120 miles of groomed trail systems easily reached from Twisp, Winthrop and Mazama. At many of the places you might choose to stay, you can walk a few yards from your accommodations, step into your skis and take off on one of the trails.
First things first. Where are you going to stay? Sun Mountain Lodge is the big name in the area, a sprawling resort atop, well, Sun Mountain, 9 miles from Winthrop. It has everything, its own trail system, the spa, the fine restaurant, the room rates ranging from $160 to $350 (more for suites) per night.
So naturally, we chose Eagle Pine Chalets, 2 miles south of Winthrop, two cabins well designed for two people. And not too expensive — $225 for three nights, midweek ($95 per night weekends). The cabin had a microwave, small fridge, coffee maker, dishes, utensils, fireplace. It didn’t have a phone or TV, but did have a clock-radio.
In other words, it was perfect for two people who were going to get up, have breakfast, hit the trails and not see the place again until nearly sunset. Our innkeepers, Nigel and Nancy Cushing, were helpful when needed, but otherwise left us pretty much to ourselves.
But there really is a wide choice for lodging in the area, with amenities and prices for high- and low-rollers.
About those trails.
There are four major systems in the valley, with trails that are “I-could-glide-all-day-flat” and “shouldn’t-there-be-a-chairlift-here-steep,” with everything in between. Officially, they call these “easiest, more difficult and most difficult.”
Most of the easy trails are in the Valley Floor and Mazama systems. Sun Mountain and Rendezvous systems have the most miles of trails to satisfy advanced skiers. Just so you know, the Rendezvous system has trails named Cougar Bait and Grizzly Way, whatever that’s about.
Hard-core skiers can reserve huts (including the Grizzly Hut) along the Rendezvous trails and spend days exploring the system.
Dogs are allowed on some trails, and many areas have marked snowshoe trails as well.
Most trails require a pass, $20 per day for adults ($15 for the afternoon only), $10 per day for teens 13 to 17. A three-day pass is $45. Children 12 and under ski free, and — here’s something to look forward to — if you’re still standing at 75, you get to ski free, all day, everywhere.
Passes can be purchased at many of the resorts, at the Town Trailhead in Winthrop and at several businesses in town.
Detailed maps of the trails would really take more space than we have here, but you can contact the Methow Valley Sport Trails Association, P.O. Box 147, Winthrop, WA 98862 (509-996-3287) for information. You can see the maps online at www. mvsta.com/winter/ski.html.
For the record, we skied the Methow Community Trail from the trailhead in Winthrop to Wolf Ridge Resort, about a 10-mile easy round trip. We sampled about 6 miles of easy and moderate trails in the Sun Mountain system and another few miles on the Winthrop Trail (part of the Valley Floor system), which was just outside our cabin.
The weather was great, sunny and about 30 degrees, dipping into the teens at night. The downside of the trip was that it hadn’t snowed in a while, and trails were fairly icy.
Truth is, we’ve always been geared for backcountry skiing, so the best part of our second day there was finding a large open area along the Winthrop Trail where we could get off and play in untracked snow — much more enjoyable with our larger metal-edged skis and heavier boots.
It may be near the end of good cross-country skiing in the Methow, so check on conditions before going any time soon.
If you want to look ahead, contact the Methow Valley Sport Trails Association in September and get its fall and winter publication that covers activities and events scheduled for the season, including the Ski Dog Run, which you’ve just missed this year.
Ron Ramey, 425-339-3443, rramey@heraldnet.com
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