Maybe you’re loving the “Yellowstone” TV series or just Wild West-curious. Here are ways to get a feel for Washington’s rich Western cultural tapestry that weaves together life lived close to the land, Washington history, intercultural celebration and community competition.
One: Drop into a Wild (North)West town: Winthrop
Winthrop is Washington’s undisputed Wild-West destination, nestled in the Cascades’ eastern foothills about 189 miles northeast of Seattle. Mosey along the boardwalks, past Old-West-style false-front buildings filled with gifts, books and dining. Or sit a spell beneath a wide awning on sunny days.
The town’s appearance stems from a more recent 1970s renovation designed to evoke an Old West feel, including “Westernization codes” that regulate buildings and signage. However, the Methow Valley’s history is authentic enough, with fur traders dating back to the 1880s and still-running cattle drives today. Owen Wister wrote America’s first Western novel, “The Virginian” (1902), after honeymooning in Winthrop.
Stop for breakfast at Washington’s oldest (legal) saloon, Three Fingered Jack’s. Then learn about the Methow Valley’s homesteaders and indigenous communities at the Shafer Historical Museum, a collection of preserved and historic buildings reflecting pioneer history.
For a unique experience, nearby Sun Mountain Lodge offers a cowboy dinner in summer, where guests go on a hayride to a handsome meadow. There, a chef barbecues meat over an open fire and serves it along with cowboy fare like beans and cornbread. Sun Mountain Lodge also offers horseback riding through forested trails.
Two: Mosey over to a rodeo: Ellensburg, Omak, Puyallup
Early rodeo culture emerged from both nineteenth century traveling Wild West shows and everyday life on working ranches. One of Washington’s earliest documented cowboy competitions and celebrations took place in May 1890 in Ritzville, during a cattle drive. Throughout the twentieth century, rodeos multiplied across the state.
Today, most larger Washington rodeos feature a vibrant, carnival-like atmosphere with multiple competitions, performers, amusement park rides, RV parking and vendors selling food, art and crafts. Before attending, it’s helpful to familiarize yourself with rodeo etiquette and the pro events you might enjoy, such as bull riding, steer wrestling and barrel racing.
Just 105 miles east of Seattle on the I-90 pass, the Ellensburg Rodeo runs Labor Day weekend (since 1923) and features nationally recognized pro-level rodeo athletes. Yakama Nation horseback riders kick the rodeo off and showcase traditional dances before evening events.
Ellensburg itself is worth a trip too, as home to the Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame and the John Ford Clymer Museum and Gallery, displaying Western-style art from artist John Clymer.
South of Seattle, you can catch September’s pro and amateur rodeo competitions at the Washington State Fair. The fair opens with a cattle drive through downtown Puyallup, a hat tip to the ranchers who founded the fair 125 years ago. On stage in 2025, the fair’s country-and-western performers will include Darius Rucker and Riley Green.
If you’re itching for a distant road trip, head 235 miles northeast for one of the state’s more famous and unusual rodeo events. At August’s Omak Stampede and Suicide Race, horses and riders race 225 feet down a bluff, swim across the Okanagan River, then dash 500 yards to the finish line.
Three: Attend a powwow: Omak and Puyallup
Like many rodeos, Omak’s rodeo also features a local indigenous nation’s encampment and powwow. Powwows are cultural celebrations of intertribal dancing, singing and competitions, often accompanied by food and crafts.
The first intertribal powwow took place in 1879 in what is now Oklahoma; the practice expanded throughout the twentieth century as tribes and nations gathered to commemorate, socialize and compete for prizes.
Today, read up on powwow etiquette, then attend events open to the public. Watch competitions, listen to music and enjoy delicious food. For example, the Colville Confederated Tribes sponsor Omak’s Indian Encampment and Powwow, featuring dancing, singing and drumming competitions, beautiful regalia and stick games (traditional games of strategy).
More Washington powwows take place throughout late spring, summer and early fall. One notable nearby late-summer option is Tacoma’s annual Puyallup Tribal Labor Day Powwow, featuring vendors, food booths and a salmon bake, along with judged dance and drum competitions.
Also over Labor Day, the Spokane Tribe of Indians Labor Day Powwow’s stick games, drum and dance contests and sizable awards attract competitors from around the nation.
Four: Splash into family fun: Grand Mound and Centralia
Families can head about 78 miles south to Grand Mound for kid-friendly, contemporary Western fun and culture.
In Grand Mound, the massive Great Wolf Lodge features cabin-style accommodations, a 56,000-square-foot wave pool and a four-story water structure at Fort McKenzie. In their downtime, guests can also pan for shiny rocks at the mining-town attraction or chow down in a live-fire-cooked-themed restaurant.
In nearby Centralia, you’ll find a well-buttoned concentration of Western-wear destinations. Within an enormous Old West-style building, Centerville Western Store is packed with racks of Western clothing, accessories, boots and gifts for adults and children. Nearby, there’s a Pendleton outlet and more Western apparel at Bitchin’ Britches Boutique.
Amid Centralia’s charming, early twentieth-century downtown brick buildings, check out new and vintage Western clothes, boots and decor at Cactus Alice and Country Feathers, while Saddle Bum also offers new, casual Western apparel. Walk out with a get-up ready for next year’s Western events.
Western Washington Toyota Dealers Association is a group of 21 independent dealers formed over 35 years ago promoting Toyota vehicles and services in the greater Puget Sound region. Member dealers live and work in their home communities across Western Washington.
Provided by Western Washington Toyota Dealers
Four Washington road trip destinations to get a feel for Washington’s rich Western cultural tapestry.
The 45th anniversary of Mount Saint Helens’ massive eruption makes this summer excursion an excellent bet.
If you’re ready to prep the car and buy tickets for a unique experience, here are 11 festivals you might find only in Washington.
A guide to a fast-paced two-day weekend road trip that splits time between driving and ferrying across Washington lands and islands with stops along the way.
The Puget Sound region boasts a wide range of transportation-themed museums and attractions. Several are the largest in Washington, or even in the world.
Head here for saltwater views, an underwater diving park, a spot for Mexican-American fusion and more.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
