Things to Do in Enumclaw

Among the Old Mill Adventure Park’s 315 verdant acres sliced through by miles of gravel and tarmac roads, DirtFish Rally School’s seasoned instructors impart their driving savvy upon pupils of all experience levels via dirt-lined rally courses of varying lengths. A pre-instructional driver's meeting in a classroom inside the 10,000-square-foot main building enables vehicular gurus to expound upon essential driving skills such as weight transfer, skid control, and how to stop Keanu Reeves from trying to stop the speeding car. Immune to inclement weather, DirtFish staff foils nature’s attempts at forcing drivers to stay indoors with all-season lessons that wend along demanding routes in rain, sleet, and snow. DirtFish’s meticulously maintained fleet of all-wheel-drive Subaru rally cars effortlessly hurtle along the high-speed slalom course and slide across the Skid Pad thanks to competition-ready features including Tein suspension, rally tires, and OMP safety equipment. Upon the course’s completion, DirtFish staffers welcome guests back into the main building where men’s and women’s showers and locker rooms facilitate spruce-up sessions and a museum peppers brains with information nuggets pertaining to the art of rally.

Following a strict Leave No Trace philosophy, Backcountry Adventure Guides instills environmental stewardship in each of its participants as they venture on fitness-filled nature jaunts. Whether climbing, skiing, or snowshoeing, the trio of guides—all of whom boast extensive outdoor sports backgrounds—uses each trek as an opportunity to stress the importance of preserving our natural surroundings and refusing to shave Bigfoot no matter how much money he offers.

Seven distinct wineries make up the South Sound Wine Trail, wrapping their vineyards along the southern end of Puget Sound from Lacey to Shelton. At each stop, visitors sample flights of handcrafted wines and meet the winemakers that produce them by tapping Washington’s majestic pine trees. Along with wineries such as Madsen Family Cellars and Scatter Creek Winery, the trail includes Vina Salida, whose wines were named “the next big thing in Washington” by the Seattle Times wine columnist in 2011.

Situated upon 12 acres of idyllic pastures, Cougar Mountain Stables is the proud home of owners who live onsite, overseeing the actions of all steeds at all hours. Here, under nature’s verdant gaze, aspiring riders learn to trot in summer-camp sessions or lessons tailored toward either Western or English styles. During times of inclement weather, lessons move to the 60’x120’ indoor arena. When the sun is shining and the thunderstorms are busy bullying faraway tide pools, riders and their horses can explore the Cougar Mountain trails, located just a horseshoe’s throw away from the stables.