Winthrop -- an Old-West Town on
Washington's Cascade Loop


Grubstake & Co., Winthrop, Washington

Hearty breakfasts for a frigid fall morning
Winthrop
Washington's Cascade Loop


WINTHROP, WASHINGTON, is a time machine.

As it enters town, Highway 20, part of the Cascade Loop, crosses a narrow bridge over the river and jogs left. Beyond that turn, directly ahead, is an 1870's town. Old-west false fronts line the main street. Board sidewalks amble under wooden canopies. Corrugated tin roofs gleam in the sunlight. Hand-painted ads for patent medicine decorate the buildings.

The fact that most of these buildings are vintage 1970, rather than 1870, doesn’t diminish the effect. No matter when crafted, a plank sidewalk makes a delightful creaking sound when you walk on it. The warm colors of the wooden buildings, the old-fashioned lettering of the signs, and the whimsical zig-zag of the false fronts add to the town's frontier ambience.

[Click on any picture to see a larger image.]

Riverside Street through store window, Winthrop, Washington First morning light, Bridge Street, Winthrop, Washington Facades and nearby hills, Winthrop,Washington


View from plank sidewalk, Winthrop, Washington Aspens and barn, Winthrop, Washington Daybreak, Winthrop, Washington




WINTHROP SITS IN the aspen forests of the eastern slope of the Cascade range. In fall, the aspens turn bright gold, and the maple leaves turn to oranges and reds. These are Winthrop's October colors, ablaze in the first rays of the morning sun, deepening in hues in the late afternoon light.

Winthrop is located on State Highway 20 in Washington's North Cascades. It's 240 miles from Seattle via Interstate 90, U.S. Highway 97, and state routes 153 and 20. Directions and a map are here. A shorter 200-mile route, subject to winter closure, follows Interstate 5 from Seattle north to Burlington and then travels eastward over the summit of the North Cascades. Directions from Burlington and a map are here.


[Click on any picture to see a larger image.]

Scattered autumn leaves, Winthrop, Washington Winthrop on a fall morning Methow River, Winthrop, Washington

In town, Winthrop, Washington From Sheri's patio, Winthrop, Washington Facades, Winthrop, Washington

Resource Guide

Real Estate

John L. Scott Real Estate, 910A Highway 20, Winthrop 98862; telephone (509) 996-3360.



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