Entiat Washington: Gateway to Recreation
Small Central Washington Community at Center of Outdoor Recreation
Entiat, Washington has long been known as the "gateway to recreation". And there's a very good reason for this moniker... there are so many nearby places to go to enjoy the outdoors, wildlife and recreation. And with the region's great climate of sunny days and starry nights, there are ample opportunities to enjoy it.
For many, though, Entiat has always been "that place you drive through on your way to Lake Chelan". But surprisingly, Entiat is at the center of the very best the area has to offer. Draw a circle on a map and you'll be amazed at all the recreation options available within a 15 to 45 minute drive from Entiat.
But let's start with the town itself. Great people, many drawn here for the beauty and recreation opportunities, and some whose families settled here 50 (or even 100+) years ago to plant the apple orchards which the area is now famous for. Years ago there was a nice little town center of shops and restaurants, but the creation of Lake Entiat (behind the Rocky Reach dam) forced the re-location of the central business area into the more "spread out" assortment of shops and businesses that you see now. But this is changing. New businesses have been springing up in recent years including Entiat Valley Pastry, Coaster's Seafood Market and Café, and Trader John's Lake Entiat Fruit Stand each of which provide a bit of character and charm to the area and are likely spots where you'll meet your neighbors.
Transformations
But the big buzz is the City's recent acquisition of a mile long stretch of undeveloped waterfront along Lake Entiat. While some cities might have been interested in expanding their park system, Entiat is taking the long-term approach of developing their new waterfront into a vibrant mixed-use district of shops, marinas and hotels all connected by a continuous trail system with extensive greenway links to the existing downtown areas.
The trail system will also link to the existing waterfront park with its dock, boat launching and camping facilities. In fact, the Chelan PUD is now developing plans for a multi-million dollar facelift of this waterfront park and its facilities which will also contribute to the town's "livability index". These two projects will help transform this "sleepy" town into a major recreation center and truly a great place to live.
Ideal Location
But the one thing that also makes this small, quiet, rural community such an ideal place to live is its central location. You're right on 31-mile long Lake Entiat with all it has to offer in the way of fishing, water skiing, boating, sailing and jet-skiing. You're just 15 minutes from all the shopping, restaurants and entertainment in Wenatchee. Just 15 minutes up to Lake Chelan and its many recreation opportunities and its walking town center. Just 15 minutes up to the new golf course at Bear Mountain Ranch. And in just 15 minutes you can be up into the heart of the Entiat River Valley, flanked on one side by the Entiat Mountains and on the other side by the Chelan Mountains with peaks reaching 9000 feet and above. Here there are plenty of places to go hiking, fly-fishing, hunting, bird watching, snow mobiling, bike riding and much more.
In future blogs, we'll explore each of these recreation opportunities in more detail. If you have some favorite recreation spots of your own, please share!