Darrington, WA — Est. 1935
Historic Red Top Tavern
Where the Sauk River bends and the mountains close in, Darrington's gathering place has been pouring cold ones since the timber ran deep.
Our Story
Built by the Valley, Kept by the Town
Darrington sits at 558 feet above sea level, cradled between the North Fork Stillaguamish and the Sauk River, with Whitehorse Mountain rising 6,852 feet to the east. It was founded in 1891 on a Skagit campsite, named for a settler's mother, and shaped by a century of logging, hardship, and stubborn community pride.
The Red Top Tavern grew out of that same soil — a place where loggers came in from the slopes still smelling of sawdust and pine pitch, where deals were struck over cold beer, and where the stories of this valley were told and retold until they became legend.
“Some places just belong to a town. The Historic Red Top belongs to Darrington.”
Riders Welcome
A Longtime Favorite Stop for Bikers
The Red Top has been a longtime favorite stop for bikers rolling through the valley. On a good weekend, the bikes line up out front, engines ticking as they cool, and the parking lot becomes its own kind of gathering.
We're proud to support the Oyster Run and the many poker runs that come through Darrington throughout the year. Kick your stand down, grab a cold one, and swap stories with riders who've been making this stop for decades.
Every August
The Yearly Car Show
The Red Top is proud to sponsor Darrington's yearly car show, alongside other businesses around town. Classic cars and hot rods line the street, hoods up, chrome shining — usually the third Saturday in August, and always a full day.
It's more than a car show. The street fair runs all day with food, vendors, and fun activities for everyone — kids included. It's the kind of small-town Saturday people mark on the calendar months ahead.
And the community gives back what it gets: proceeds support the local school athletic program, keeping Darrington's young athletes suited up and on the field.
1901 – The Railroad Arrives
When the Timber Ran Deep
The Northern Pacific Railway reached Darrington in 1901, and the mills followed fast. The U.S. Lumber Company was producing 23,000 board feet of wood a day by the early 1910s. The town swelled with sawyers, millworkers, and the families who followed them into the mountains. A tavern wasn't just a luxury — it was a necessity.
The 1940s – A New Wave
Tarheels in the Northwest
In the 1940s and '50s, waves of Appalachian emigrants arrived from the hills of North Carolina — particularly from around Sylva — drawn by logging work and cheap land. They brought their music, their customs, and their tight-knit ways. Their descendants still fill these barstools. Every July, the Darrington Bluegrass Festival draws 10,000 people to Whitehorse Mountain Amphitheater — a living testament to that Southern-mountain spirit transplanted to the Cascades.
1945 – Incorporated
Wet Town, Proud Town
Darrington had always fought to stay a 'wet' settlement — back in 1910, the town voted 46–35 to keep its saloons open even as the county went dry. When Darrington incorporated as a fourth-class town on October 15, 1945, the people celebrated with the Timberbowl festival. The Red Top was part of that celebration.
The Timber Wars
Outlasting the Boom
When the big mills went quiet in the 1980s and '90s — spotted owl protections, tighter federal logging restrictions, the slow end of the gyppo era — Darrington held on. The Hampton mill still runs today. And so does the Red Top. Some things in this town don't quit.
March 22, 2014
The Oso Slide
On a Saturday morning, a hillside near Oso — 12 miles west — gave way. Forty-three people were killed in the deadliest landslide in U.S. history. Darrington became a staging ground for rescue workers. The community center sheltered victims. The rodeo grounds became an animal shelter. This town has always known how to show up for its own.
Today
Still Standing, Still Pouring
Population 1,462. One sawmill, one school, one tavern worth talking about. Bob Barker was born here. The Loggers still win state championships. The bluegrass still plays every July. And the Red Top is still open — same welcome at the door it's always had.
Darrington's Living Room
They don't call it 'The Living Room' for nothing. The Red Top has always been the kind of place where everyone over 21 is welcome, the atmosphere is easy, and the cold beer flows without pretense. When the power goes out in Darrington — and in the mountains, it does — the Red Top stays lit. We run on generator power, which means when the lights go dark across town, folks know exactly where to head. It's warm, it's familiar, and the bar is open. That's been true since 1935, and it's still true today.
Bob Barker — host of The Price Is Right for 35 years — was born right here in Darrington, Washington.
Come See Us
Hours
- Mon – Thu11am – 11pm
- Fri – Sat11am – 1am
- SundayNoon – 10pm
Location
Red Top TavernDarrington, WA 98241
28 miles east of Arlington on State Route 530, at the foot of Whitehorse Mountain.(360) 600-1234
Darrington, Washington
The Red Top is Open.
Pull up a stool. Order a cold one. You're among friends.