Wenatchee

view of Wenatchee

Wenatchee is a metropolitan area of about 100,000 people in the North Cascades region of Washington State, that bills itself as "The Apple Capital of the World". The greater area also incorporates East Wenatchee.

Understand

George Sellars Bridge

Wenatchee sits at the confluence of the Wenatchee and Columbia Rivers. Unlike cities in western Washington, it is in the rain shadow of the Cascade Range, which means that Wenatchee gets nearly 300 days of sunshine per year. Its climate is very similar to that of other eastern Washington cities, yet it retains the picturesque views of the Cascade mountains. It is a popular destination for outdoor adventurers and enthusiasts looking for a refreshing getaway.

The Wenatchee Valley provides an ideal climate for agriculture, and therefore, the area has become widely known for its produce. There are a plethora of orchards in the valley, especially apple orchards, from which Wenatchee has earned the slogan “Apple Capital of the World.”

History

It is believed by archeologists that an ancient people migrated to the Wenatchee area during the last ice, some 12,000 years ago. This is based on many Clovis artifacts that have been found in the area. These ancient people are thought to be the descendants of the Yakama people. White settlers began to move into the area during the late 1800s.

The city has grown substantially in the 21st century, to over 100,000 residents. The greater Wenatchee area incorporates East Wenatchee, which lies on the opposite side of the Columbia River, as well as Rock Island and Malaga.

Get in

By plane

• 1 Pangborn Memorial Airport (EAT  ^IATA). The closest airport to Wenatchee (15 minutes away). The airport has three Horizon Airlines flights a day to Seattle/Tacoma.  

The next nearest airports for commercial flights with additional airlines to/from additional destinations are in Everett PAE ^IATA and Seattle-Tacoma SEA ^IATA which is connected to Wenatchee by the Wenatchee Valley Shuttle for those traveling without a car (see below under 'By bus').

By car

Driving is the most common way to get into and around town from the surrounding regions. It is 148 mi (238 km) NE of Seattle via I-90, SR-970 (Exit #85 from I-90) and US Hwy 97. From Spokane it is 169 mi (272 km) west via I-90, SR-281 (Exit 151 from I-90) and SR-28 through Quincy.

• & passes through town from Peshastin 19 mi (31 km) west of town and north and south along the east side of the Columbia River from Orondo, 17.5 mi (28.2 km) north of town.

• continues (51 mi (82 km)) east towards Coulee City from Hwy 97 in Orondo and 4 mi (6.4 km) west to Leavenworth from its junction with Hwy 97 west of town in Peshastin.
• continues 26 mi (42 km) north to Chelan from its junction with US Hwy 2 in Orondo and 51 mi (82 km) south towards Ellensburg from US Hwy 2, west of town. Alternatively US Hwy 97 ALT parallels US Hwy 97 along the west side of the Columbia River to Chelan.

• Connects Wenatchee to Quincy and Ephrata from the south end of town.
• Connects downtown to US Hwy 2 & 97 in the north as N Wenatchee Blvd & Mill St. It goes through downtown as Chelan Ave (SB) and Mission Ave (NB) and crosses the river to connect with SR-28, south of downtown, in East Wenatchee as Stevens St.

By train

Columbia Station

See also: Rail travel in the United States

• 2 Wanatchee station (Columbia station), 1 Kittitas St & S Columbia St (Down along Kittitas to the end of the road, located downtown.). The station is an unstaffed platform with only a shelter. There are no facilities or amenities at this station. (updated Jul 2018)
  • Amtrak, ☏ +1 215-856-7924, toll-free: +1-800-872-7245. Operates train service around the United States of America (updated Mar 2022) Route serving Wenatchee:
    • Empire Builder operating daily between Seattle/Portland and Chicago including stops at Spokane, Glacier National Park, Fargo, Saint Paul, and Milwaukee. The trains split into separate branches between Seattle and Spokane, and between Portland and Spokane, while operating as trains consisting of train cars from both branches between Spokane and Chicago. Between Seattle and Spokane, trains stop in Edmonds, Everett, Leavenworth, Wenatchee, and Ephrata.

By bus

The 3 Columbia (Bus) Station is next to the Columbia Station Building at 300 S Columbia St at Kittitas & Columbia, across the street (Columbia) from the Amtrak station parking lot. The ticket desk for Northwestern Trailways and the customer service desk for Link Transit are inside the building. It is served by:

• 4 Link Transit, (office) 300 Columbia Ave (office in the building at 300 Columbia Ave, in the corner of Kittitas & Columbia while the bus transit center & hub is in the upper lot along S Wenatchee between Kittitas & Thurston), ☏ +1 509-662-1155. Offers local bus service, service to East Wenatchee and intercity services to Ardenvoir (Rt #26); Chelan (#21); Leavenworth (#22); Manson (#21); Rock Island (#23); Cashmere (#22 & 28), etc. $1 one zone (local); $2.50 two zones ('intercity'). (updated Feb 2019)
• Salt Lake Express (Northwestern Stage Lines/Northwestern Trailways), (bus station) Columbia Station at 300 S Columbia (Tiket desk inside the Columbia Station building while the bus loads/unloads in the lower lot next to the building.), ☏ +1 509 838-4029. Shuttle service between Seattle and Spokane (via Everett, Stevens Pass, Leavenworth, Wenatchee, George, Moses Lake, Ritzville). Tickets can also be booked with Salt Lake City Express and Megabus. 

• Travel Washington Apple Line (Operated by Northwestern Stage Lines/Salt Lake City Express), (bus stop) Columbia Station at 300 S Columbia, ☏ +1 509 838-4029, team@northwesterntrailways.com. This line goes north from Ellensburg to Omak via Quincy, Pateros, Wenatchee, Okanogan, etc. along US Hwy 97 twice daily. See schedules. Connections to Greyhound and other bus lines are in Ellensburg. 

• Wenatchee Valley Shuttle (Flixbus), bus stops at Pangborn Airport, Penny Rd P&R and Columbia Station, ☏ +1 509 293-5773. A shared shuttle service that operates several daily departures to Wenatchee and Peshastin in Eastern Washington from Sea-Tac and Bellevue. Check with them regarding local door to door pick-up or drop-off. Tickets can also be booked through Flixbus. $45 one-way, $85 roundtrip. (updated Jan 2018)

See

• 1 Ohme Gardens, 3327 Ohme Rd. (updated Oct 2024)
• 2 Wenatchee Valley Museum, 127 S Mission St. Exhibits on the history of the apple industry (updated Oct 2024)

Do

• Apple Capital Loop Trail. a 10 mile walk along the Columbia River waterfront of Wenatchee and East Wenatchee  
• 1 Wenatchee Confluence State Park, 333 Olds Station Rd, Wenatchee, WA 98801. (updated Oct 2024)
• 2 Wenatchee Convention Center, 121 N Wenatchee Ave. Also home to the Stanley Civic Center, and Numerica Performing Arts Center (updated Oct 2024)
• 3 Riverside Playhouse and Music Theatre, 233 B N Wenatchee Ave. (updated Oct 2024)
• 4 Lincoln Rock State Park, 13253 US-2. (updated Oct 2024)
• 5 Mission Ridge Ski Resort, 7500 Mission Ridge Rd. (updated Oct 2024)
• 6 Squilchuck State Park, 2805 Mission Ridge Rd. (updated Oct 2024)

Buy

• Antique Shop District. (updated Oct 2024)
• 1 Pybus Public Market, 3 N Worthen St (Worthen & Orondo, opposite of railroad tracks from downtown, by waterfront), ☏ +1 509 888-3900. Daily 8AM-9PM. Open, airy marketplace featuring local farm goods, artisanal foods, restaurants & specialty shops. It is also the same location for the Wenatchee Farmers Market from May through December. (updated Feb 2019)
• 2 Wenatchee Valley Mall, 511 Valley Mall Parkway (Valley Mall Parkway & 5th Ave NE, east end of bridge from downtown along Stevens St.), ☏ +1 509 886-2995. M-Sa 10AM-9PM; Su 11AM-6PM. Wenatchee Valley Mall hosts Bed Bath & Beyond, Grocery Outlet, Macy's, Marshalls, PetSmart, Ross, Sportsman Warehouse and numerous other shops & restaurants in the mall and in the immediate surrounding areas not part of the mall (Fred Meyer, Hobby Lobby, Petco, Olive Garden, amongst others). There are other smaller strip malls, free-standing establishments & hotels radiating north and south along Valley Mall Pkwy (updated Feb 2019)

Eat

Fruit stands

Wenatchee is famous for its apples and other fruits. If anything is in season, stop by a fruit stand and try something!

• 1 Stemilt Growers, 3615 US-97 ALT. (updated Oct 2024)

Drink

• 1 Chateau le Pont Winery, 1 Vineyard Way (north of Wenatchee Confluence State Park), ☏ +1 509 667-WINE (9463). Tu-Sa 11AM-9PM (winery & restaurant); Su-M 11AM-6PM (winery only). (updated Feb 2019)

Sleep

• 1 Best Western Chieftain Inn, 1017 N Wenatchee Ave, ☏ +1 509 665-8585, toll-free: +1-800-780-7234, fax: +1 509 665-9745. Check-in: 4PM, check-out: noon. 
• 2 Holiday Inn Express, 1921 N. Wenatchee Ave, ☏ +1 509 663-6355. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. 
• 3 Super 8, 1401 North Miller St, ☏ +1 509-662-3443, toll-free: +1-800-454-3213, frontdesk@super8wenatchee.com. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. Heated outdoor pool, hot tub, business center, meeting space, laundry facilities. Microwaves, refrigerators and wi-fi in rooms, breakfast included, pets welcome, handicap-accessible rooms available. No extra charge for kids 17 and under staying with an adult. (updated May 2015)

Cope

• 1 Central Washington Hospital, 1201 South Miller Street, ☏ +1 509 662-1511. 
• Wenatchee Valley Hospital & Clinic, 820 N. Chelan Avenue, ☏ +1 509 663-8711. 

Go next

• Cashmere, a nearby small town with a candy factory
• Leavenworth, the "Bavarian" village nestled in the mountains.
• Chelan, the base for exploring rugged Lake Chelan
• Lake Wenatchee State Park

Wenatchee is on the North Cascade Loop itinerary.

Routes through Wenatchee

Seattle ← Everett ← Leavenworth ←	W  E	→ Ephrata → Spokane
Everett ← Leavenworth ← Cashmere ←	W  E	→ Waterville → Coulee City → Davenport
Oroville ← Omak ← Chelan ←	N  S	→ Cashmere → Ellensburg & Jct
END ← Rock Island ←	W  E	→ Quincy → Ephrata