Print it. Bag it. Bring it.Phones die, screens crack, and most of this water has no signal. Print this map, fold it into a zip-top bag or dry bag with your license, and you have a backup your electronics can’t give you. Every marker is numbered so you can say exactly where you are.
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | River Bend Campground Upper Methow, near Mazama | Campsite | 48.65237, -120.55352 | One of the two small camps at the head of the mapped river above Mazama. |
| 2 | Ballard Campground Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest | Campsite | 48.65882, -120.54496 | Forest Service camp on the upper Methow off the Harts Pass road. |
| 3 | Early Winters Campground Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest | Campsite | 48.59874, -120.44391 | On Hwy 20 at the Early Winters Creek confluence. |
| 4 | Methow Wildlife Area WDFW wildlife area | Park / conservation area | 48.41660, -120.14536 | State wildlife-area access on the reach between Winthrop and Twisp. |
| 5 | Twisp Park Town of Twisp | Park / conservation area | 48.36818, -120.12035 | Riverside town park at Twisp; the Twisp River enters just upstream. |
| 6 | Golden Doe Wildlife Area WDFW wildlife area | Park / conservation area | 48.31577, -120.06873 | Parking and walk-in river frontage below Twisp; the unit runs along both banks here. |
| 7 | Texas Creek Wildlife Area WDFW wildlife area | Park / conservation area | 48.21566, -120.11967 | Several separate units carry this name on this reach; this is the mapped parking area. |
| 8 | Bendtsen Public Access Public river access | Access / boat ramp | 48.21618, -120.12604 | Small public access on the Carlton reach. |
| 9 | McFarland Water Access Public water access | Access / boat ramp | 48.15208, -120.05886 | Access beside McFarland Campground on the Methow-Carlton reach. |
| 10 | McFarland Campground Riverside campground | Campsite | 48.15167, -120.05830 | |
| 11 | Burma Road Water Access Area Public water access | Access / boat ramp | 48.13903, -120.01582 | |
| 12 | Swaram Water Access Public water access | Access / boat ramp | 48.09288, -120.01864 | Access on the lower canyon reach above Pateros. |
| 13 | USGS 12449950 - Methow River near Pateros USGS streamgage | USGS gauge | 48.07736, -119.98507 | The lower-river gauge floaters read before running the Methow. |
| 14 | Bridge One Boat Launch Boat launch | Access / boat ramp | 48.07497, -119.95667 | Ramp and parking at the Bridge One water access. |
| 15 | Pateros Wildlife Area WDFW wildlife area | Park / conservation area | 48.05310, -119.92604 | Parking and river frontage in the last two miles above Pateros. |
| 16 | Methow Fishing Access Public fishing access | Access / boat ramp | 48.04594, -119.91540 | |
| 17 | Riverside Drive Recreation Access Pateros | Access / boat ramp | 48.04780, -119.91204 | Bank access along Riverside Drive in Pateros. |
| 18 | Methow Boat Launch Pateros | Access / boat ramp | 48.05138, -119.90396 | The take-out at the mouth, where the Methow meets the Columbia at Lake Pateros. |
Gauge: USGS 12449950 — Methow River near Pateros, WA. Live flow on the web page.
Species: Bull Trout, Chinook Salmon, Mountain Whitefish, Rainbow Trout, Steelhead, Westslope Cutthroat Trout
Regulations: wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations
Emergency: call 911 and give the number of the nearest point on this map plus its coordinates.
Mazama and the upper Methow: forest access at the head of the valley.
Winthrop town accesses: bridges, parks and easy wade water through town.
Twisp and the Twisp River confluence: mid-valley access and campgrounds.
Carlton and Methow: county accesses on the middle river.
Pateros: mouth of the river at the Columbia, near the gauge.
Much of the valley floor is private; use marked public accesses and the highway right of way.
Late May through September is the general trout season on most reaches; check current rules.
June: high snowmelt, limited fishing.
July through September: prime wading and dry fly fishing, cool mornings, hot afternoons.
October and November: hatchery steelhead season on the lower river when the Columbia return allows it.