Wenatchee Hotels

The Wenatchee Valley is one of Washington state's most famous and picturesque fruit regions, with climate-perfect hot summers and cold winters to produce crisp, juicy apples. The town of Wenatchee is the heart of apple country, and in late April the area offers grand blossom-touring opportunities. Take your time meandering along orchard-lined roads—the valley is cozy and intimate in scale, so it's hard to get lost and fun to try. Wenatchee's Washington State Apple Blossom Festival celebrates the start of the season in early May. If you're lucky enough to visit in fall, you can buy fresh Red and Golden Delicious, Gala, and Criterion apples at fruit stands overflowing with harvest bounty.

Located at the confluence of the Wenatchee and Columbia rivers, Wenatchee is blessed with high mountains with lush forest and pristine alpine lakes hidden from the too casual viewer. Wildlife abound along the rippling streams that feed the wild waters of the Wenatchee River, finally merging with the mighty Columbia. King Salmon fighting to return to their birthplace can be viewed from the Rocky Reach Dam. Nature is at its unspoiled best beside cultivated fields and orchards heavy with fruit. Picture yourself enjoying the best of all worlds.

Wenatchee sits on the banks of the mighty Columbia River—the lifeblood of this arid region. You can get splendid views of the valley, river, and Wenatchee from Ohme Gardens, a 9-acre alpine retreat with cool glades and water features that sits on a promontory 600 feet above the river. The Riverfront Loop Trail on the banks of the Columbia makes for a pleasant evening stroll-or an easy bike ride for those who want to pedal the entire 11-mile loop. (It traverses both sides of the river, and crosses two bridges, from Wenatchee to East Wenatchee.) Rocky Reach Dam offers a beautiful picnic and playground area (locals marry on the well-kept grounds), plus a fish-viewing room. Inside the dam, two large galleries are devoted to the region's history.

Travel west on Highway 2 from Wenatchee and you'll encounter two of the Cascades' more fascinating communities: the little orchard town of Cashmere, famous for its fruit-and-walnut confections called Aplets and Cotlets, and the pseudo-Bavarian town of Leavenworth.

Drive farther west past Leavenworth and you'll reach popular Lake Wenatchee, which has a state park at one end boasting a large, sandy public swimming beach, campsites, and trailheads for some of the scenic hikes that make the Cascade Mountains famous.