Northeast Washington
The Northeast Washington region has a lot to see and do.
Regions
Cities
- Colville, seat of Stevens County
- Newport, seat of Pend Oreille County
- Republic, seat of Ferry County
Other destinations
- Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area - The mighty Columbia River has drawn people to its waters for over 9,000 years
Understand
Get in
By air
The nearest airport with commercial service is the Spokane International Airport, just south of the region. There are currently no international flights to the airport, but there are several connections to some cities in the Western United States: see the Spokane article for details. Another option is driving from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport which has much more direct flights, but the drive takes 5-6 hours.
By car
US Highways 2 and 395 from Spokane. State Hwy 20 runs east-west though all three counties and connects Newport, Colville, and Republic.
Get around
Public transportation is negligible and the best way to get around is by car.
See
- Crawford State Park (11 miles north of Metaline (on SR 31?), follow signs for park). A day-use park which is mostly about seeing Gardner Cave, the third-largest limestone cave in Washington.
- Manresa Grotto (On the Kalispel Reservation on the east side of the Pend Oreille River near Usk). A very unusual-looking cave, sacred to the Kalispel people. Perhaps formed by a long-ago inland sea.
- Roosevelt Grove of Ancient Cedars. A grove of majestic ancient cedar trees, preserved by Teddy Roosevelt. Located on Washington side of the border, but logically closer related to the Priest Lake, Idaho.
- Lions Excursion Train (Depot is at the end of Main Street in Ione), ☏ +1-509 442-5466, lions@povn.com. A sightseeing train ride in classic passenger carriages and open cars, hugging cliffs and crossing trestles along the Pend Oreille river. Spectacular sights. Takes about 1.5 hours. Operated by the local Lions gentlemans club.
Do
- Newport Rodeo, mid-June
Eat
Drink
Coffee
Coffee is hugely popular all across the Pacific Northwest including Northeast Washington. Look for small road side espresso stands even in small towns.
Beer
Like the rest of Washington State, microbreweries and beer in general is hugely popular, and the area has many to offer for beer enthusiasts. Some brews can only be found in local stores or bars (some notable brewers don't even bottle their product). Ask your servers for local beer recommendations and search out regional microbrews in stores.
Wine
Although Northeast Washington is not known as wine country, many Washington State wines are still and plentiful in restaurants and stores.
Stay safe
Go next
- The Palouse (Washington) region, with rolling hills and farmlands, lies to the south, including Spokane.
- The North Cascades region, to the west, offers more scenic wonders to explore.
- The state of Idaho to the east.