Washington Cascades - Washington, Oregon and the Pacific Northwest - page 320

tegically placed warming huts (with water and toilets), linking Winthrop with the
even tinier settlement of Mazama. Higher up but equally comprehensive are the in-
terconnecting Rendezvous and Sun Mountain Lodge trail systems.
Between early December and late March you can ski door-to-door between vari-
ous accommodations options, including Sun Mountain Lodge, Freestone Inn, Wolf
Ridge Resort and Mazama Country Inn. For information on the Rendezvous huts
(self-catering huts in scenic trail locations placed approximately 8km apart and
sleeping up to eight people), check www.rendezvoushuts.com . Ski rental ($17 first
day, $9 a day thereafter) and MVSTA trail passes ($22/57 for one/three days) are
available at outlets in Sun Mountain Lodge, Methow Cycle & Sport
( www.methowcyclesport.com ; 29 Rte 20, Winthrop; 9:30am-6pm Mon-Sat, 10am-5pm Sun) , and

Mazama Junction in Mazama.
The Methow Valley Ski School is based at Sun Mountain Lodge. Group lessons
cost $25. One lesson is usually sufficient to get started.
The valley's trails are all clearly marked on a free local map: green for easy, blue
for intermediate, black for challenging. Distance markers follow the Nordic metric
system (ie kilometers, not miles).

Sleeping & Eating
Both of the following places have excellent in-house restaurants.

Mazama Country Inn HOTEL$$$
( 509-996-2681; www.mazamacountryinn.com ; 42 Lost River Rd, Mazama; lodge r $100-170, cab-
ins $85-310; ) Welcome to a self-contained rustic oasis situated on the edge of the
Pasayten Wilderness but also in the tiny town of Mazama. Aside from 18 simple but
comfortable rooms, the inn lies at the nexus of countless outdoor activities, with numer-
ous ski and bike trails starting from just outside the front door (rentals are available).
Other facilities include pool, gym, squash and tennis courts, sauna and restaurant. The
inn also rents a number of self-contained cabins around Mazama.

Freestone Inn HOTEL$$$ $$$

( 509-996-3906; www.freestoneinn.com ; 17798 Hwy 20; cabins/r/ste/lodges from $135/155/
235/435; ) Located on an evergreen-clad ranch, rooms here are cabin chic with
big pine beams and stone fireplaces. Even better are private, kitchen-equiped cabins
tucked in the woods or massive 'lakeside lodges' that are two- to five-bedroom houses
right on Freestone Lake. The on-site Jack's Hut adventure center organizes outdoor ad-
ventures from snowmobiling to heliskiing and balloon tours.