Directions to and Location of Bear Fight Center


Directions to Bear Fight Center

Jump to detailed directions from: Seattle / Spokane / Wenatchee / Winthrop

When traveling to Bear Fight Center in Winthrop, Washington you have an array of routing options: Fly into Seattle Check the pass reports for Snoqualmie I-90 AND Blewett US 97 (4-5 hours) OR Stevens US 2 (4.5-5 hours) OR North Cascades HWY 20. (4.5-5 hours) (Closes for season, effective Nov.) Fly into Spokane Driving time is approximately 4.5-5 hours. Fly into Wenatchee Driving time is approximately 2.25 hours Fly into Bellingham. (NOTE: If the North Cascade Pass is closed, this is not a time effective option.) Check the pass reports for the North Cascade SR 20. NOTE: THE NORTH CASCADE PASS CLOSES FOR WINTER (late October or early November) and does not open again until early spring! Driving time is normally 3.5—4 hours. Private charter flights are also available from all airports. The fares work just as they do with taxi cabs; i.e., they are expensive if you are traveling alone, and more economical if you can fill the flight (up to five passengers).	Click on map for a larger version Click map for printable pdf version

From Seattle Via Snoqualmie Pass (I 90) & Blewett Pass (US 97) Go east on I-90 over Snoqualmie Pass through Cle-Elum. Take Exit 85 east over Blewett Pass on US-97. In Wenatchee, continue to follow US-97. (You can take 97A, but it's a longer route, weaving through Chelan, then meandering back to US-97.) Take US-97 to Brewster then Pateros. This route parallels the east side of the Columbia River. Continue on Highway 97/151 towards Okanogan. When you reach the junction at Orondo where Highway 2 turns right toward Spokane, bear LEFT. Approximately 58 miles north of Wenatchee, turn left at Pateros onto Highway 153 (which is or will soon become Highway 2). Continue heading in this north - northeast direction for some 50 miles, passing through the towns of Methow, Carlton, and Twisp before reaching Winthrop. Pay close attention to signs warning of “night time driving speeds.” We have a very large population of seemingly suicidal deer here in the Methow, and they aren’t bashful about wandering out in front of your automobile—day or night. Be careful and drive with caution. Go through the town of Winthrop, turning left at the [stop sign] intersection. Just outside Winthrop you’ll come to a ball field and a road on your right. Turn right onto this road, which is the West Chewuch Road. At this point you are approximately 7 miles from BFC and it will take another 15 minutes to get to the facility. Further directions are the same as traveling from Winthrop Via Everett, WA & Stevens Pass (US 2) When coming from Bellingham or Seattle, use Stevens Pass when the North Cascades Highway is closed. From Seattle, drive north on 405, then I-5 to Everett (which is about an hour north of Seattle) and take Highway 2 through Monroe over Steven's Pass to Wenatchee… Or from Bellingham drive south on I-5 to Everett… and take Route 2 east over Stevens Pass. As in the Methow, there is a large population of thrill-seeking deer between Leavenworth and Wenatchee. Be on the lookout for deer in the road and drive with care. You’ll have driven about two hours from Everett when, north of Wenatchee, you’ll cross the Columbia River. You’ve got another two hours to go. On the east side of the river, take Route 97 north toward Pateros. Just before entering Pateros, take Route 153 northwest to Twisp. There the highway becomes Route 20. Be on the lookout for suicidal deer again, and don’t let your guard down until you’ve arrived at BFC! Travel on Route 20 northwest to Winthrop. Go through the town of Winthrop, turning left at the [stop sign] intersection. Just outside Winthrop you’ll come to a road and a ball field on your right. Turn right onto this road, which is the West Chewuch Road. At this point you are approximately 7 miles from BFC and it will take another 15 minutes to get to the facility. Further directions are the same as traveling from Winthrop Via North Cascades Highway (State Route 20) This is the shortest and most scenic route, but it closes in winter. If traveling this route from November through April, check with the Department of Transportation to be sure the route is open. From Seattle, you will take I-5 north to the WA-530 exit (Exit 208) toward Arlington / Darrington. This part of the drive takes about an hour and a half. Where Hwy 530 intersects with HWY 20 in Rockport, turn right onto Route 20 (a.k.a. North Cascades Scenic Highway) heading east to Winthrop WA This stretch of road goes over the Cascade Mountain Range and takes about 2.5 hours. When you come out of the Cascades you’ll be in the Methow Valley where deer are intent on initiating suicidal encounters with automobiles. Please drive defensively and do not exceed posted speeds. Just before you actually enter the town of Winthrop, you’ll turn left at the ball field onto West Chewuch Road. Further directions are the same as traveling from Winthrop From Spokane From the Spokane Airport Driving time is approximately 4.5 hours Drive west on Highway 2 through Reardan, Davenport and Creston to the junction with Highway 174 just west of Wilbur. Turn right and proceed NE on 174 through Grand Coulee to Leahy and Bridgeport. Continue west on 173 past Chief Joseph Dam through Bridgeport, cross the Columbia River, to the junction with Highway 97 at Brewster. Turn left and follow Highway 97 down the west side of the Columbia River approximately 7 miles to Pateros. Just after crossing the bridge at Pateros, turn right and take Route 153 northwest to Twisp. There the highway becomes Route 20. You will see signs that warn drivers to travel at 45 mph after dark, keep your eyes peeled for deer. They’re out there, guaranteed, and if you don’t see one, either you weren’t paying attention or it was a rare day indeed. They have a knack for springing out of nowhere to collide with motor vehicles. Please drive with extreme care in these posted areas, for even in broad daylight, you may encounter them on the road. Travel along Route 20 northwest to Winthrop. Go through the town of Winthrop, turning left at the [stop sign] intersection. Just outside Winthrop you’ll come to a road and a ball field on your right. Turn right onto this road, which is the West Chewuch Road. At this point you are approximately 7 miles from BFC and it will take another 15 minutes to get to the facility. Further directions are the same as traveling from Winthrop From Wenatchee From Pangborn Airport Driving time is approximately 2.25 hours From Pangborn Memorial Airport, take S. Airport Way northwest toward Grant Road. Turn west onto Grant Road and go 3.7 miles to the intersection of Highway 28. Keep right and do not go across the bridge into downtown Wenatchee. Go north (right) on Highway 28. In a little over 1 mile Highway 28 will merge with Highway 2/97. Go through the stoplight and continue north to Highway 2 / Highway 97. Continue to follow Highway 97, which will take you toward Brewster and Pateros. This route follows the east side of the Columbia River. (You can take 97A, but it's a longer route). Continue on Highway 97/151 toward Okanogan. Bear left at the junction at Orondo where Highway 2 turns right toward Spokane. Approximately 58 miles north of Wenatchee turn left at Pateros onto Highway 153 (which is or will soon become Highway 20). When you enter the Methow Valley, you will see signs warning of great damage incurred by vehicles that had the gross misfortune to collide with jay walking deer. Take these signs very seriously. The Methow deer are not the brightest bulbs on the string; it could be argued that they are practicing a form of genocide. Please drive with extreme care. You will continue along this north - northeast route for some 50 miles, passing through the towns of Methow, Carlton and Twisp, before reaching Winthrop. Go through the town of Winthrop, turning left at the [stop sign] intersection. Just outside Winthrop you’ll come to a ball field and a road on your right. Turn right onto this road, which is the West Chewuch Road. At this point you are approximately 7 miles from BFC and it will take another 15 minutes to get to the facility. Further directions are the same as traveling from Winthrop From Winthrop From the "Red Barn" Find your way on Route 20 to the northwest edge of Winthrop to the landmark known as the Red Barn. Across the street you’ll see a ball field and the West Chewuch Road. Take the West Chewuch north from Route 20 for about 1 mile to Rendezvous Road. The distance from the Red Barn and ball field to Bear Fight Center is approximately 7 miles. Turn left onto Rendezvous Road heading northwest. Within a hundred feet or so, it will become a high-quality gravel road that travels up hill in a northerly direction. It can be quite slick in rain, so drive cautiously if the road is wet. A little past a mile you will come to the crossroad intersection of the Gunn Ranch and Rendezvous Roads. Take the right fork that travels up the hill. Proceed up hill about five miles from West Chewuch Road to the point where you have just left the grasslands and have entered the forest. You will come to a wide place in the road marked with a sign identifying this as the "Snow Plow Turnaround." You are a half-mile from the facility. Continue on this gravel road, but keep to the left as the road narrows and forks. Do not turn onto roads that run off to the right at the turnaround area. A few hundred feet or so, you will come to another fork identified as the Cabin Creek Road, but you’ll keep left. A hundred feet later you’ll come to another fork. Take the left fork at this Y intersection and travel up hill on Bear Fight Road. Again, very soon you will reach yet another fork in the road. Keep left again onto the road identified as Fiddler's Road. Fiddler’s Road is a steep, rough road. In the winter it will be compact snow and ice, which is likely to be extremely slick. If we know you’re coming, we’ll have sanded the road. Still, you might need chains to get up this road. You are welcome to call ahead to learn what the conditions are like on the day of your arrival. As the road grade levels out you’ll find the next Y intersection marked by a red “Whoa” sign. This time you’ll take the right fork or lane into a farm-like set of buildings. You have arrived at Bear Fight Center! Come to the main house at the north side of the complex. The lane goes by the front entrance. Park so that you do not block the driveway. Prior to your visit you may find it helpful to get a sense of pass conditions, weather forecasts and local events. The Methow Valley website is a good source for such information.


All original content © Tom McCord / Bear Fight Center