Take it in
stride
BY ANN McCREARY
Day hikes in and around the valley range from easy to challenging So many hikes, so little time. That’s often an issue faced by visitors, and busy residents as well, who want to explore the hills and mountains around the Methow Valley but have a limited timeframe. “We find that an increasing number of visitors are looking to fit several recreational opportunities into their time in the Methow Valley, so a hike or walk is usually shared with some other activity each day,” said Joe Brown, owner of Methow Cycle and Sport. Brown’s bike and outdoor equipment shop is located at the north end of Winthrop on Highway 20, so for many people it’s a convenient stopping place to gather information as they enter town over the North Cascades Highway. As a result, “we get a lot of questions from visitors for day hikes that are accessible from town, whether Winthrop, Mazama or Twisp,” Brown said. “A high percentage of those visitors are looking for a hike or walk that is short, interesting and easy to navigate, with many adventuring as a family including children and/or dogs,” he said. In order to offer ideas for an appropriate hike, Brown said, “we really listen to how much time the individual has, what they are looking for, and how fit 26 Methow Valley Summer
and able they might be.” Brown likes to reference a trail map of the Methow Valley put out by AdventureMaps, which provides good graphic and written guides to hiking and biking trails in and around the valley. Diane Childs, owner of Winthrop Mountain Sports in downtown Winthrop, also fields a lot of questions from people about hiking in and around the valley. She said it usually takes a few questions – and explanations – to determine the best outing. “We have to ask the questions about how long do you want to go, and do you want hills? A lot of people want great views and don’t want to go uphill,” Childs said. “They need to realize how the valley is laid out. You either start low and there’s a lot of uphill, or you drive to Harts Pass and Rainy Pass and start higher.”
On the ‘must-do’ list If people have time for only one hike, are reasonably fit, and have a few hours to devote to hiking, Childs says she recommends Maple Pass Loop. Many locals, she added, say Maple Pass is a “mustdo” hike for them each year. “You can’t beat it for what you get in that distance,” she said. “You
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