High on a ridge (Echo Ridge that is) perched above Lake Chelan sits this fine trail system designed…read morefor cross country skiing in the winter, and good for hiking and mountain biking in the warmer months. We visited in July during a trip to Chelan, and hope to return for some skiing in the wintertime. Access the trails by forest service roads, and there are multiple trailheads along the road. The views are excellent, and there are miles and miles of open countryside up here in the hills between Chelan and the Methow valley. One of the better things I noticed beyond the fine views was that there was only one other car on our trip up to the ridge. Nobody was up there and we had the whole place to ourselves. I'll say it again. We had the whole place to ourselves. Echo, echo, echo.

Echo Ridge Nordic Ski Area is the state's best kept skiers' secret! Sun, Good snow and grooming…read more(for skate and classic), views from everywhere, all around, moonlight skis with the local club, a warming yurt with a wood stove and soup on Sundays, no crowds at all, inexpensive, 40K of groomed trails.....and did I say sunshine? We always need a bit of that if we're from the west side. Echo Ridge is a joint effort by the U.S. Forest Service and the Lake Chelan Nordic Club. It costs $10 per day per adult over 18, and you can pay in pay stations at both upper and lower parking lots. You can rent skis 2 miles down below at Echo Valley, or in town at Lake Chelan Ski and Sport. The trails are purpose-built for XC skiing and skating, and are fantabulous. They dip, roll and curve just the right amount to be interesting but not scary. There are almost no "black diamonds," and most runs are green or blue (for beginners or intermediates). This does not leave out the speedsters or the adventurous; try the Outback loop for an all-day wilderness adventure. Try also a 20K skate loop that will wear anyone out, groomed to 16' wide. Any of the loops (all the trails loop) are interesting and challenging enough for any skier, and given the views, a great day out. You can see the uplake mountains along Lake Chelan, down to town, the lake, the orchards, Chelan Butte, the Columbia River valley, across to the Columbia Plateau, and down to Wenatchee and Mission Ridge. You can even see Mt. Stuart and the Stuart range from the parking lot! Speaking of parking, there is never a crowd in any way. Even if the parking lot does approach over half-full (about twice a year), the trails are spaced such that you feel alone out there. There are animal tracks to observe and a different kind of semi-arid flora. Dogs, snowshoers and walkers have their own trails a half-mile down below. These trails are groomed by the nordic club for skiers only, so let's keep the tracks clear of other marks. All are welcome to the yurt for warming up and fellowship. This is a volunteer-run organization. Come on up! I've been skiing here for 5 years and never tire of it.

Fun yes! But not for the faint of heart because lazy is NOT an accurate description. It's super…read morecold even in July. Rapids are mild but definitely exciting enough to get your heart rate up. No shoes offered but would have been very useful. Two of us stayed together by holding on to the canvas loops on the rafts. Once the fabric hanging down off the raft got caught on a rock and we were stuck with cold water rushing over our torsos. Brrr, after a few minutes we got unwedged!!! There were a few lazy moments between the many slightly scary invigorating moments. Getting out of the river was super challenging, very slippery round rocks and rushing current required a crab walk while dragging raft to exit. Was it super-fun? YES! Would we do it again? Maybe?!?

Honestly this has been the worst tubing experience of my life so far. First of all, FALSE…read moreADVERTISMENT! The website clearly stated there were neoprene river boots and that the river ride was about an hour long. There were not boots and the ride was about 20 minutes. Second, the people running the business didn't seem to know anything about it because they were constantly saying I think or maybe on each question we asked. Last but not least, the river was not slow and the end was not marked well at all. But it would have been fun if it wasn't as fast and as long as it stated.

Rafting for the first time was an amazing experience, thanks to Methow Rafting! The staff was…read moreincredibly friendly, professional, and knowledgeable. They took the time to ensure everyone understood the safety procedures and knew exactly what to do in case of an emergency. I was with a group of 15 middle school students, and they had an absolute blast. Our guide, Jason, was communicative, engaging, and so much fun to raft with. I heard the same positive comments about the other two guides as well. Dylan was a fun driver and photographer! Lunch was delicious as well :)) Thank you for making this such a memorable experience for all of us!

They were amazing super fun I wish they would have offered photos even just one of our group I…read morewould have paid happily for

It was a holiday and my wife and kids decided we would try kayaking (not my idea) We called extreme…read moreadventures who has just opened to Oroville, WA and asked about kayak renting. They had a 20% off deal going which was good because there was 4 of us. Once we went to pay we received an additional discount and they delivered the kayaks to the lake for us. When we got to the water we were ready to go, then the guy tells us we can stay out as long as we like just call when we are ready to go. I insisted that he return in 1 hour (as I said, not my idea) I was the only one of us to fall in the water which was quite the way to end our short adventure. We will return to Extreme adventures to rent scooters and try the kayaks again.

Welcoming, lively inn on the water. I loved the sounds of children playing in the pool. Open yards…read moreprovide seating, and there is a grill. In the back of the inn, there is river access and seats there as well. Everything was quiet at night, and we slept well. Rooms were clean and comfortable, and a simple breakfast was provided.

We stayed here for the Hot air balloon roundup. Not sure its worth $270 a night as it really could…read moreuse some insulation and updating- but it was so cool and convenient to be able to watch the hot air balloons launch right on the property. We also appreciated being able to bring our dog. The lobby where breakfast was served was decorated in a western theme. It was clean and offered very friendly staff

PROS: 1.) staff that I interacted with was normal, no…read moreconcerns 2.) checkin was fast had paperwork at the ready, full hookup, pull thru site 3.) water pressure is strong! 4.) Staff was on constant patrol CONS 1.) Dusty, dirt sites, anytime someone drives by, you get dust in your face 2.) Constantly smell of sewage. 2.) Dog park is basically a sand pit 3.) $10/ bundle for firewood 4.) no bathroom next to pool!??? Who does that!? You know kids aren't going to get out and run across a rocky terrain to use the one by office...so guess where they'll pee? Not my favorite KOA by a long shot. Not sure if the owners just "invest" in utilities/labor costs, but clearly, not on infrastructure. We have kids, yes there is a bounce pillow, rental bike thingies however a basketball hoop, ga-ga pit, something would be nice.

Staying in Winthrop is not worth it in the summer. We spent around 700 for a three night stay in…read moretown but the room was horrible. Nothing is open in town so bring your own snacks and don't bother either the triple priced grocery stores nearby. I doubt I would go here in winter with other more interesting places on the west side of baker. They are trying to make it a western town but not all the business participates so it's just awkward- the most open place is more of a wine bar thing / which makes sense for the Methow valley.

What a fun day. I highly recommend this to anyone. It was safe and relaxing…read more On a side note, they are very serious about exiting the river:)

Not very enjoyable. Very overpriced and the experience…read morewasn't fun for me and my family, it was extremely hot when we went tubing and even though we applied sunscreen we all still got extremely sunburnt. The "paddles" are ridiculous too using frisbees as paddles to go downstream for 4 miles is absolutely ridiculous and extremely difficult. We should've been given actual paddles to make it through the river. The service wasn't that great as well the workers some were nice but some of them were pretty insensitive. I don't think I would recommended or pay for this service again.

Gorgeous scenery and Jake was an awesome guide!…read more We stopped to swim in two different spots along the way and they provided chips & juice at the 2nd spot. You can also bring a dry bag with your own snacks if you want.

This one was in Leavenworth an it was a ok float Not as…read morecrazy as the one from last year on the yellow stone river. That one had clad 4 water coming up at me and my girlfriend ever time we hit the rapids, this one was only class 2 rapids . So there was some water splashing . I enjoyed the rock jumping . The guide Ray was good point out some stuff like the bird and other things. Hopefully I will hit the other ride they are doing in Rainier

Unfortunately, tubing was closed on the day we went, Thursday. They did have the hill open for…read moreskiing, but I didn't get a chance to try it because I don't ski.

$39/ticket. 6 ride pass. There is only one line for tubing and it gets long. Go early to ensure you…read moreget a ticket, even if you plan on tubing later in the day. They will sell out quick. Second option is tubing and sledding at the golf course location, smaller, intimate, fun and just a tad shorter ride, and unlimited slides.

Rented a SEA-DOO, had a blast. Reservation and check-in process was a breeze with the friendly and…read moreknowledgeable staff. Equipment was in excellent condition, price was great. Highly recommend and will be a repeat customer. Thanks!

We had the worst experience atbthe Walnut Beach location yesterday. We initially called asking…read moreabout rentals. We were told nothing was available until after 4pm and were asked to pay on the phone to book but were not given any other details on what else would be required for booking. Since we were staying at the Walnut Beach Resort, we decided to just go book in person. We rented a boat and a sea doo for an hour and a half starting from 4:30. We filled in all our waiver forms online earlier and arrived at 4pm, as asked to by the crew, to be briefed and seated. They had others they were attending to and didn't even start our briefing until 4:15. We were a large group with kids as young as a year old and they were getting very hot and irritated with the life jackets on so obviously they began to cry. There were a couple other customers whi they wanted to brief along with us and it was extremely uncomfortable for everyone to wait for the crew to get their things done and start briefing. They tried to rush through, not going much into operating details, and get us on board. We finally departed at 4:50pm. Logically, we assumed our return time would be 6:20pm (1.5hr) but we were not even told what time to return. Because we were quite a few people, and everyone obviously wanted to experience both the boat and sea doo, we had CONFIRMED IN ADVANCE that it would be ok for us to come back to the marina and swap people then do a round and return for a swap again, as many times as needed, and we had been told that would be ok. Because we weren't briefed properly about the boat operation, when we left, the operator at the time pushed the throttle up completely, not knowing that was full power, and the boat took off very fast. She did not expect that and was shocked but quickly put it down again to slow it and brought it under control. When that happened though, the crew girl at the dock shouted rudely and cursed in front of everyone. This was definitely not professional behavior and especially when it was an unintentional mistake due to their own lack of explanation. The entire time, that crew girl had the worst attitude towards us, and they scowled when we came back for our first swap, telling us that we couldn't do swaps there anymore. We were quite upset and requested for one more time at least and they grudgingly said that would be the last and gave us a lot of attitude. When we came back for the third time, it was 5:50pm, the guy was guiding the boat in, it was very slow and the engine off. The boat slid against the moving poles and he said that's ok and to keep steering towards them. Then the girl runs down and says we hit the pole and chipped the boat. The guy even said it wasn't that fast and those poles wouldn't damage it but she insisted we hit the last pole that has metal on the bottom. She said she would take pictures and send to the manager and we would have to pay damages. We told her that we didn't chip it, there were so many chips and scratches from before but she wouldn't listen and they made us get off and said that our time was up. How was that possible when we should've had it until 6:20? They said that the time taken foe the briefing was all part of it and our time had started at 4:30 and because we were a large group, they had taken more time. That's the most ridiculous and unprofessional explanation I've heard! They had others there too for the briefing so now they're using everyone's paid time? We were extremely frustrated at this point and we asked to have the picture emailed to us and also to have the manager call us directly but we were neither sent the picture nor contacted by the manager. This is the worst experience we've ever had with boat rentals, and we've rented many times previously. I even have my boat license and am well aware of boat rules and operations. We will never recommend them to anyone and will make sure everyone is aware of their terrible service and unprofessional behavior. Update: They contacted us to apologize for the experience and did not charge for the alleged damage because they found that we were not liable