Mountain-biking, autumn beauty await in Winthrop

Winthrop Chamber of Commerce or 509-996-2125.

A FEEL FOR THE PLACE: Winthrop is about 190 miles from Seattle via the North Cascades Highway (Highway 20).

While Highway 153 is washed out near the town of Carlton, southerly access to Winthrop for visitors coming through Wenatchee and Pateros is open via a detour (Twisp-Carlton Road) that “takes the same time, goes the same distance and is more scenic,” said Kristen Smith of the Winthrop Chamber of Commerce.

Remember that the North Cascades Highway is typically closed for the winter from late November to April.

BY THE NUMBERS: Population is about 400 in Winthrop’s square-mile town limits. Elevation 1,765 feet.

The National Climatic Data Center reports that Winthrop (and nearby Mazama) experienced the coldest-ever recorded temperature in Washington, minus 48 degrees, in December 1968.

WHAT’S IN A NAME: Named for Theodore Winthrop (1828-1861), a noted writer, lawyer and world traveler who was one of the first Union officers killed in the U.S. Civil War.

TOWN TRIVIA: Owen Wister, the Harvard roommate of town founder Guy Waring, wrote “The Virginian,” acclaimed as America’s first Western novel, after honeymooning in Winthrop.

The Methow Valley town of Winthrop has long been known for its Old West theme, with false-front stores and wooden sidewalks, the perfect place to practice your bowlegged walk and wear that Stetson you always fancied.

The other big draw for many has been winter sports, thanks to a network of 120 miles of cross-country ski trails (see mvsta.com) along with an outdoor public ice rink.

I visited early this summer and enjoyed a side benefit of that trail network: Some stretches are also great for mountain biking, a sport that makes the best of autumn, when the air crisps up and trees turn golden.

Other draws for an autumn visit to Winthrop:

3 shops worth a stop

The Iron Horse is the place to pick up that Stetson. This 6-year-old shop carries hundreds of Western-style head toppers, ranging from National Rifle Association fundraiser hats to the Voodoo top hat ($135), a sassy leather bad boy with Buffalo nickels on the band. This is also the place to pick up decorative iron work such as a goat-head fire poker by celebrated local blacksmith D.J. Stull or iron house numbers by shop co-owner Shawn Johnston. 229A Riverside Ave.; 509-996-3336 or winthropiron.com.

It’s hard to resist Shotgun Nellie’s, specializing in Western decor, when the life-size cutout of John Wayne in big hat and bandanna stands outside the door to corral shoppers. Here’s where to find that deer-antler lamp you’ve needed to properly finish the den. 94 Bridge St., 509-996-8030.

If you’ve made it over the North Cascades Highway with outdoor plans but left something out of your knapsack, Winthrop’s new Cascades Outdoor Store is stocked with the insight of owners Brian and Amy Sweet’s more than 2,000 nights in the backcountry. For my biking, I picked up an Epic bar, an energy bar made with beef or turkey and dried fruit. 222 Riverside Ave.; 509-996-3480 or cascadesoutdoorstore.com.

3 places to eat

The Old Schoolhouse Brewery has at least three things going for it: (1) award-winning beer, (2) one of the best brewpub menus around (and I’ve sampled, ahem, a few), and (3) Winthrop’s best dining deck, edging the Chewuch River. No, wait, there’s a fourth thing: It really is in a cool old schoolhouse (complete with bell tower, seen on the beer label). 155 Riverside Ave.; 509-996-3183 or oldschoolhousebrewery.com.

Rocking Horse Bakery had me the moment I saw its logo: a rangy looking equus twanging a Fender Stratocaster. They do sandwiches and such, but bakeries are for breakfast, and this one rocks. Tackle a cinnamon roll the size of a lunch plate for $3.50, or Raspberry Dowdy ($4). 265 Riverside Ave.; 509-996-4241 or rockinghorsebakery.com.

The Arrowleaf Bistro is in an old white house set politely back from the street. Locals recommend it for the food, such as a recent menu including bacon-wrapped dates ($8) for starters, to go with bison meatballs, Parmesan fries and local greens ($24). 253 Riverside Ave.; 509-996-3919 or arrowleafbistro.com.

3 places to stay

There are plenty of nice cabins and lodges spread around the Methow Valley, but for the full Winthrop experience, stay in town where you can walk to the shops and eateries:

Hotel Rio Vista, hugging the main drag, doesn’t look like much from the parking lot, but the far side fronts on a beautiful view of a wild, bird-crowded island where the Chewuch and Methow rivers converge, and every room has a private balcony. Starting at $116.50 on October weekends. 285 Riverside Ave.; 800-398-0911 or hotelriovista.com.

Named after one of the town’s first saloons, the Duck Brand Hotel and Cantina has five rooms above the restaurant. Fun and funky-looking lodging dating to 1981, set back and above the street, some with balconies. Starting at $95 on October weekends. 248 Riverside Ave.; 509-996-2408 or duckbrandhotel.com.

Methow River Lodge & Cabins has spacious rooms with lodgelike decor and balconies overlooking the Methow River. It’s down the road and across the river from downtown, but by foot you can cross the spiffy, new cable-stayed pedestrian bridge and be in the middle of things in about seven minutes. Starting at $125 on weekends through mid-October. 110 White Ave.; 509-996-4348 or methowriverlodge.com.