In the heart of the Okanogan, Omak is the county’s largest city. Nestled at the base of the Okanogan Highlands, Omak is an oasis of ranches, orchards and commerce amidst the desert sagebrush and chaparral. With nearby national forest, recreation areas, state parks and lakes, Omak offers year-round recreation from camping to fishing to skiing.
Omak sits at the intersection of two scenic byways—the Coulee Corridor and the Okanogan Trails. A geologist’s Mecca, the Coulee Corridor Scenic Byway traverses 150 miles across beautiful desert landscape and curious basalt rock formations that reveal the story of the Ice Age floods. Part of the Audubon’s Great Washington State Birding Trail, the Coulee Corridor rates as one of the most important birding areas in the United States. The Okanogan Trails Scenic Byway follows the Okanogan River along the historic Cariboo Trail, where Indians, fur traders and gold miners traveled between the Washington Territory and Canada.
Just 7 miles southeast of the city on the Colville Indian Reservation, Omak Lake is a favorite place for swimming, boating and fishing with miles of sandy beaches. Nearby Eastside Park has 70 acres with camping, sports fields, a pool, a skate park, walking trails and picnic areas. Conconully State Park is a little further south of Omak, with camping and 5,400 feet of freshwater shoreline. Within the city, Civic League Park is a traditional green square developed by early pioneers. It hosts the city’s farmer’s markets on Tuesday evenings throughout the summer.
Best known for its annual Omak Stampede, Omak has been a rodeo town since its beginning. In the early days, settlers and Native Americans gathered from miles around every Saturday night for horse races on Main Street and bucking horse contests in a canvas arena. Today, the Omak Stampede, which is always the second weekend in August, features a wild horse race, calf roping, bronco and bareback riding, steer wrestling, team roping, barrel racing and bull riding. The Colville Confederated Tribes host the Indian Encampment and Pow Wow in conjunction with the rodeo, where Northwest and Canadian tribes gather for dancing, drumming, singing and stick games.
For more about the city of Omak, visit www.omakcity.com/.
Photo by Joe Mabel.
