Washington State Mountain Pass info:  Toll-Free (800) 695-7623 or (206) 368-4499

Online at: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/passes (valid October 15 – March 31 or as conditions change)

DRIVING:

From the Seattle/Tacoma Area:

Take I-5 North.  Merge onto I-405 S via EXIT 182 toward Bellevue/Renton.  Merge onto WA-522 E via EXIT 23A toward WA-202/Monroe/Wenatchee.  Merge onto US-2 E/Stevens Pass Hwy toward Wenatchee.  Stay on US-2 for about 95 miles.

At Wenatchee, merge onto US-2 E/US-97 N toward Okanogan/Spokane, crossing the bridge over the Columbia River.   Turn left at the junction with Hwy. 2/97 and continue north to Okanogan/Orondo/Brewster/Pateros for approximately 52 miles. This route follows the east side of the Columbia River and is a faster route than 97A. Continue on Highway 97 towards Okanogan bearing left at the “Y” junction at Orondo where Highway 2 turns right to Spokane. Approximately 52 miles north of Wenatchee turn left at Pateros onto Highway 153 (20) to Winthrop. Drive approximately 31 miles west through Twisp and at about 6 miles west of Twisp, just past milepost 196, turn left onto Twin Lakes Road. 1.6 miles up Twin Lakes Road, turn left onto Patterson Lake Road and continue up past the lake for 6.4 miles to the Lodge.

This route is marked with Sun Mountain Lodge signs from the Twin Lakes Road.

Alternate Route:

Follow I-90 east over Snoqualmie Pass to the junction with Highway 97, at the WA-970 N exit, EXIT 85, toward WA-903 N/Wenatchee.  Continue over Blewett Pass to the junction with Highway 2, 4 miles east of Leavenworth. Turn right onto Highway 2 east to Wenatchee and follow directions above from Wenatchee.

North Cascades Route

From I-5 approximately 65 miles north of Seattle turn east at Exit 230 onto Highway 20 (the North Cascades Highway) at Burlington. Follow Highway 20 through Sedro Woolley, Concrete, Rockport, Marblemount, and Newhalem approximately 132 miles east to Winthrop.

Continue on Highway 20 into Winthrop, crossing the bridge and turn right at the 4-way stop downtown. Continue through town approximately 1 mile. The road then curves to the right, crossing another bridge across the Methow River, and immediately after crossing the bridge the road will “Y” – turn right onto Twin Lakes Road. Follow this road 3.2 miles to Patterson Lake Road. Turn right onto Patterson Lake Road, and follow the signs 6.4 miles to Sun Mountain Lodge.

This is the most popular and scenic route to Eastern Washington 

** however **

this pass is closed from approximately mid-November through mid-April from 17 miles west of Winthrop to just east of Newhalem. It may close during the summer season due to rockslides. Please check the Mountain Pass Road Information Reports  to verify that the pass is open.

From the East – Spokane

Drive west on Highway 2 through Reardan, Davenport, and Creston to the junction with Highway 174 just west of Wilbur. Turn right at this junction, and proceed NE on 174 through Grand Coulee to Leahy and Bridgeport. Continue west on 173 past Chief Joseph Dam through Bridgeport, cross the Columbia River, to the junction with Highway 97 at Brewster. Turn left and follow Highway 97 down the west side of the Columbia River approximately 7 miles to Pateros. Just after crossing the bridge at Pateros, turn right onto Highway 153 (to 20). Drive approximately 31 miles west through Twisp and about 6 miles west of Twisp, just past milepost 196, turn left onto Twin Lakes Road. 1.6 miles up turn left onto Patterson Lake Road and continue up past the lake for 6.4 miles to the Lodge.

This route is marked with Sun Mountain Lodge signs from the Twin Lakes Road.

From the North – Vancouver, British Columbia

From the border crossing into Washington State, drive approximately 46.5 miles south on I5 to Exit 230 toward WA-20/Burlington/Anacortes.

Summer travelers:  Follow North Cascades Highway (20) directions above.

Winter travelers (or whenever the North Cascades Highway (20) is closed:  From the border entering Washington State, drive approximately 82 miles south on I5 to Exit 194.   Merge onto US-2 E toward Wenatchee/Snohomish.  Stay on US-2 for about 95 miles.  Follow directions above for “From the Seattle/Tacoma Area” from Wenatchee.

From the east side of the mountains — Kelowna/Penticton/Osoyoos area:

From the border crossing into Washington State, follow US Hwy 97 approximately 50 miles south to the junction with Highway 20 towards Winthrop.  Turn right onto Hwy 20 and follow it over the Loup Loup Pass approximately 28.7 miles to the junction with Hwy 153.   Turn right and follow Hwy 20 approximately 2.5 miles to Twisp.  From Twisp, continue on Hwy 20 to about 6 miles west of Twisp.  Just past milepost 196, turn left onto Twin Lakes Road.  1.6 miles up turn left onto Patterson Lake Road and continue up past the lake for 6.4 miles to the Lodge.

This route is marked with Sun Mountain Lodge signs from the Twin Lakes Road.

ELECTRIC CAR CHARGING STATIONS

Sun Mountain Lodge now offers an electric car charging station for Sun Mountain Lodge overnight guests.

Centrally located at the south end of the Gardner Building, the three chargers are under a small roof covering. Two Tesla chargers have been installed along with a Level II charger, a ClipperCreek, Inc. HCS model. The EV charging area is lit from dusk to dawn.  Two Tesla cars can charge at the station at the same time along with one non-Tesla car, ie. Prius, Chevy Volt, etc. There is no charge for guests to utilize the EV charging station and it will be available on a first come, first serve basis.

More information and maps are available here:

Cascade Loop EV Charging Station Map

PLUG-IN EV Station Map

The nearest commercial/international airport is Pangborn Airport in East Wenatchee.

Most major carriers serve SeaTac, and nearly as many serve Spokane.

To reach Sun Mountain Lodge from Seatac, we would suggest flying into Pangborn Memorial Airport in Wenatchee via Horizon Air, then rent a car for the 1 1/2 to 2-hour drive to Sun Mountain

Or, rent a car in Seattle and drive over one of the Cascade Mountain passes. From Spokane, rental cars are available for the 3 1/2 to 4-hour drive to Sun Mountain.

For private pilots, the Methow Valley State Airport is at the North Cascades Smokejumper Base (509) 997-2031 near Winthrop. It is a 5,050-foot long hard-surfaced, lighted facility with fuel service available. They now have webcams available here. FAA Identifier: S52

For more information: http://www.airnav.com/airport/S52

Our other local airport, 2S0 located at Twisp, is also available. Visit their website at Twisp municipal airport or visit AirNav for more information: http://www.airnav.com/airport/2S0

Charter services available: 
Catlin Flying Service, Twisp, (509) 997-4602 features a Piper Cherokee Six comfortably seating 5 people.

Sun Mountain offers complimentary van service to and from the Methow Valley State Airport for groups of 5 or less.  For larger groups, please contact The “Methow Motion“ shuttle service, Winthrop/Twisp, WA – 509 996 2894, or
reservations@methowmotion20.com

Information on this page was compiled for informational purposes only ~ not intended as a recommendation.

Yellow Blaze Transit offers shuttle bus transit between Seattle, Mazama, and Winthrop, bridging the distance between the city, the North Cascades, and the Methow Valley. Yellow Blaze Transit’s service is open to the public. The service is specifically designed as a charter service for PCT hikers in that it operates during hiking season and stops at convenient locations for them. Other types of passengers who also find this service convenient are welcome aboard.

(971) 300-8094

yellowblazetransit@gmail.com

Wenatchee Valley Shuttle Charters 509 293 5773, or wvsstaff@gmail.com

Starline Luxury Coaches: Coaches serving guests from 16 passengers up to 56 passengers. (800) 407-7154

Lakeside Limousine of Chelan (509) 470-0333

Charter bus information, from Seattle: http://charterbusamerica.com/
Pacific Alaska Tours and Charters:   www.pacificalaskatours.com

Information on this page was compiled for informational purposes only ~ not intended as a recommendation.

Lodge Grounds Layout Maps

Click here for a printable map of the Lodge grounds in PDF format

Click here for a printable map of the Lodge in PDF format

Click here for a printable map of the Patterson Lake area in PDF format

Methow Trail Maps

The closest NOAA weather station to Sun Mountain Lodge is at the North Cascades Smoke Jumper Base/Methow Valley State Airport, approximately 5 miles SE of Sun Mountain as the crow flies.