Last month, the trusty pup and I got out of Dodge (well, Seattle), and headed up into the mountains for a weekend away. We drove out to the charming town of Leavenworth, Washington, nestled in the heart of the Cascade mountains.
If you haven’t heard of Leavenworth, take a minute to check out the Google Image search so you know what we’re dealing with (I’ll wait) (JK I pasted it above). Back in the day, Leavenworth was a hub for railroads, mining, etc. But as it happens, those industries left town and left Leavenworth, well, empty. In the 1960s, someone said, “Hey this town looks a LOT like the German/Austrian Alps, maybe we can throw one heck of an Oktoberfest.” Once they finished their liters of beer, they realized they were on to something. Everything in Leavenworth is Bavarian themed, and yes, they do throw one heck of an Oktoberfest.
I had planned on spending the trip snowshoeing in the freshly fallen snow, drinking glühwein by a cozy fire, and enjoying fresh mountain air. Instead, I ended up working more than expected, the snow had mostly melted, there were no fires, and glühwein is gross.
Snowshoeing in Leavenworth
I took a Snowshoeing course this winter, but hadn’t a chance to get out much since completing it. My weekend getaway was as much about snowshoeing as it was getting away. Leavenworth is off Highway 2, about thirty minutes past Stevens Pass Ski Resort in the middle of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, at about 1100′ of elevation. This should mean plenty of snow. Before heading out in early March, I researched the area heavily to find dog-friendly snowshoe routes. Based on everything I read, I thought I would have plenty of snow to shoe in.
However.
The day I drove up to Leavenworth was a beautiful bluebird-sky day, with temps in the 60s (did you see the short sleeves in the top pic?), before plunging back to the 30s that night. All that snow? Melted into a frozen-slushy-dirt-snow mix. I had planned on snowshoeing the Waterfront Park, a free dog-friendly trail accessible from Downtown Leavenworth.
Reader, this trail was entirely compact, since it’s in the middle of town and heavily trod. I cannot imagine a day where it’s ever deep enough to snowshoe. Trusty pup and I did walk through it several times….before I googled “Leavenworth + bear” and found out that not only was there a recent bear attack BUT ALSO A COUGAR ATTACK NO THANK YOU. We walked to and from town on Highway 2 from there on out.
Potential Snowshoe trails, not dog friendly and probably no bears:
- Leavenworth Winter Sports Club Icicle River: 5KM of trails at 7505 Cyo Road, Leavenworth, WA 98826. $12
- Leavenworth Winter Sports Club Golf Course: 8KM of trails at 9101 Icicle Rd., Leavenworth, WA 98826. $12
- Stevens Pass Nordic Center: Probably the best bet for decent snowshoe trails close to Leavenworth, since the ski resort is much higher in elevation. Has rentals as well.
- Mission Ridge Ski Resort: Snowshoe rentals for $25. Only open weekends in the shoulder season.
- Lake Wenatchee State Park/Sno-Park (Lake Wenatchee, Nason Ridge, Chiwawa): 43KM trails total. Some trails dog-friendly after 10am. Will need a special Sno-Park pass for $20/day, or the annual pass PLUS groomed trail pass.
In the end, I settled on the Chiwawa Sno-Park, part of Lake Wenatchee State Park. The sno-park is dog friendly after 10am, but no one else was at the trailhead on a Friday morning so do with that what you will. This part of the park has a snowshoe route, plus cross-country ski trails. We did quite a bit of the Rock Ridge Snowshoe route (see PDF, linked), which was not well marked. Trusty pup and I bounded up the hills off trail quite a bit by accident. I rented snowshoes, but at that time of year, microspikes would have been infinitely more useful.
I rented my shoeshoes from Osprey Rafting Company (Icicle Road and Highway 2, Suite 2, Leavenworth, WA). I was worried about being able to rent a pair, but they had plenty of stock. If you are thinking about renting skis to go up to Stevens, this would be a convenient place to grab them before heading up. Open 10am-5pm Mon-Sat.
Other Blogs I used to plan my trip:
- Two Wandering Soles: Leavenworth, Magical Bavarian Village in the Cascades
- 4 Easy Dog Friendly Snowshoe Trails Near Seattle
Next time: Where I stayed, where I ate, what I watched on TV.
