Wenatchee

Understand

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

Archaeologists believe 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.

Climate

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.

Get in

By plane

The next nearest airports for commercial flights with a greater selection of airlines and destinations are Everett Paine Field PAE and Seattle Tacoma International Airport SEA 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.

• & passes through town from Peshastin 19 mi west, and along the east side of the Columbia River from Orondo, 17.5 mi north.
• US-2 continues (51 mi) east towards Coulee City from Hwy 97 in Orondo and 4 mi west to Leavenworth from its junction with Hwy 97 west of town in Peshastin.
• US-97 continues 26 mi north to Chelan from its junction with US Hwy 2 in Orondo and 51 mi 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.
• WA-28 connects Wenatchee to Quincy and Ephrata from the south end of town.
• WA-285 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.

From Seattle, it is 148 mi northeast via I-90, SR-970 (Exit #85 from I-90) and US Hwy 97.

From Spokane, it is 169 mi west via I-90, SR-281 (Exit 151 from I-90) and SR-28 through Quincy.

By train

• 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 following services make stops in Wenatchee:

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.