"Osoyoos Lake - wonderful views that dominate Osoyoos and surrounding area."…read more We (two seniors and daughter) did a 5-night stay at a beach-side hotel in Osoyoos in June, and one side of Osoyoos Lake dominated the unobstructed, direct view we had from our room's balcony. The ever-changing sights (with the colour changes of the Lake and surrounding mountains over the course of each day), and the natural sounds (of the birds - swallows, gulls, ducks, et al) each day, from sunrise to sunset, were often mesmerizing!! We enjoyed daily beach and street-side walks alongside the Lake, soaking in the various sights & sounds. The street side "boardwalk" alongside the Lake, off Main Street -- extending from a gazebo and benches a short distance from our hotel (the Coast), to Veteran's Park, located just on the other side of the street bridge over the Lake, near the entrance to the downtown area -- was especially enjoyed for early-morning strolls, with the lovely lake and garden views. The beach, both 'up & down' from our hotel, was great for the other walks -- offering up fresh air, exercise, great views of the Lake and surrounding mountains, beach activities, and for dropping in and checking out various properties (hotels, condo's, commercial establishments, and etc.), and other sights along the way. The water was a touch too cool for us for swimming at this time, but we did venture into the shallows at our hotel often, to wade a little, cool the feet, watch and enjoy the birds, and on occasion, catch the sights of fish, and other species using the lake as their home. Many very relaxing, and fascinating moments at the time, and fond memories to bring home. It was mostly very quiet and peaceful on Osoyoos Lake at the time of our visit (with very few power boats, or the like out on the lake doing their thing), so it was a perfect time to reflect on the natural overall beauty of it, and the surrounding mountains. We much-enjoyed the views, and truly-soaked them in during our stay!!! Osoyoos, and Osoyoos Lake ... wow!! what a lovely combination!!

What a rink! I love that the town uses it for roller skating…read moreduring the warm season! Me and my daughter had fun! There was great choice of music on the playlist. (I wish the music was louder lol) Looks like there was a summer camp teaching lessons too! I wish I was in the class because they played tag and did a few rounds of limbo. We want to come back when they host hockey.

Winthrop Rink has their Great Outdoor Classic hockey tournament and require a $50 deposit just to…read moreapply and have your team considered. Yet they won't refund your deposit if you're not accepted. For the 12U tournament specifically, they had 20 teams apply and only 12 teams accepted. So the Winthrop Rink is keeping $400 for basically nothing. As a good business, they should refund the $50 deposit if teams aren't accepted. Them refusing to refund the deposit is a very sketchy business practice. Hockey is expensive enough the way it is. I'm recommending to all the other Seattle area hockey associations to skip the Great Outdoor Classic. Or at least buyer beware that there is a possibility of you losing money if they choose not to accept your team. (Seattle Junior Hockey Association, Tacoma Rockets, Sno-King Amateur Hockey Association, Seattle Kraken, Everett Silvertips Hockey Club, Kent Valley Hockey Association, West Sound Warriors)

Methow Valley Sports Trails Association is a non-profit that manages a massive network of trails…read morethat spans 200km though out Winthrop and Mazama. The trails are mostly over US Forest service lands but do cross through some other federal and private lands, in arguably the most beautiful areas of Washington State. The network runs along rivers, through meadows, forests, next to rugged cliffs, over bridges and in one case- under a road. In the winter it's common to see non-migratory animal like deer, squirrels, and eagles while passing through. Many of the trails are fairly gentle, but steep hills do exist and those are well marked. MVSTA offers free maps that clearly show the trails and junctions in kilometers. Winter offers superb cross country skiing of all types because the trails are regularly groomed. You can even try the new 'Fat Bike' sport on some of the trails like the Bitterbrush. They have trails ranging from the easy green to moderately challenging blue to advanced black trails. The MVSTA website has links to trail conditions and weather. Summer and Fall are also great, after the sun has firmed up the muddy trails. Hikers and Mountain bikers can enjoy the same trails the skiers had all winter. Most are single track, but there are sections of double track. You can ride for miles over gradual rolling hills and through blue sky meadows and piney forest. The air is wonderful here. I recommend to anyone who loves getting active in the Great Northwest!

The Methow Valley is magical place in the winter replete with miles of world-class cross country…read moreskiing, a skating ring, quaint, warm lodging and adventures in dining. It's the rare occasion to complain about skiing conditions. The terrain is varied with flats for the beginners, steep and technical for the advanced and plenty of great scenery for all. Eating can be challenging. I've had as many forgettable meals in the valley as I've had memorable. So watch out! I recommend eating in Twisp and recreating in Winthrop and Mazama. I hear the area is great in the summer too, but I wouldn't know anything about that.