Leavenworth

Understand

History

At the confluence of the Icicle Creek and Wenatchee River, the meeting point was a settlement for the Native Yakima, Chinook, and Wenatchi tribes where they hunt salmon in the river and game in the mountains, in an area stretching as far west as Lake Wenatchee.

The first railroad route was built through Stevens Pass in 1892. Leavenworth became a hub for the timber industry because of its perfect location, on the edge of the steep slopes of the Cascades. The city housed the headquarters of then Great Northern Railway, whose railroad network spans from Seattle, Washington to Saint Paul, Minnesota. The city declined in the 1920s however, after the main railroad activity shifted to Wenatchee.

In 1962, Owen and Pauline Watson, owners of a business on Front Street, kicked off Project LIFE (Leavenworth Improvement For Everyone) to transform the city into a mock Bavarian village. The inspiration came from a visit to the Danish-themed town Solvang, California four years earlier, and by the European Alps which echoes the mountain backdrop for Leavenworth. Since then, this Bavarian theme has been the main selling point for travelers across the U.S., either just to experience the culture, or as a base for recreation in the North Cascades.

Climate

Leavenworth has a typical climate of Eastern Washington — hot in summer and cold in winter — though slightly on the wetter side because of its close proximity to the Cascades that typically shields the town from the heaviest precipitations. Snow and chill is always expected in the winter, but it is mostly dry and crisp in all other seasons.

While driving in town may still be manageable with the snowy conditions, driving in and out of the city can be harsh, especially if you are going to the other side of the Cascades. See § Stay Safe for more information.

Plan

Most of the shops are open roughly 10AM-6PM, and it would be a shame to miss all the window shopping. If you arrive in the morning, the town is pretty quiet before 10AM (without even many options for breakfast; consider eating at your hotel instead) but gets busy quickly. Meanwhile, most restaurants open at 11AM and close between 9PM and 11PM. Arriving in the evening, you'll likewise find there's not much to do other than eat and drink, and your options for those may be limited if you arrive too late.

Visitor information

• Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce

Get in

By plane

The nearest airport from Leavenworth is Pangborn Memorial EAT, 40 minutes east in Wenatchee, at which only Alaska Airlines offers flights from Seattle three times daily. General aviation make up the rest of the traffic.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is three hours away on the other side of the Cascades where it has many more domestic and international connections.

By car

U.S. Highway 2 (US-2), commonly called the Stevens Pass Highway, runs through town, approximately 120 mi east from Seattle and 180 mi west of Spokane. If you are coming from Seattle, this will be the first major town after driving through the Cascade Mountains.

The junction with US Highway 97 is a few miles to the east. US-97 leads to Blewett Pass, and eventually to Interstate 90 near Cle Elum and Ellensburg, the nearest interstate to town.

By train

• Route serving Leavenworth:

• Empire Builder operating daily between Seattle/Portland and Chicago including stops at Spokane, Glacier National Park, Fargo, Saint Paul, and Milwaukee. The trains split into separate branches between Seattle and Spokane, and between Portland and Spokane, while operating as trains consisting of train cars from both branches between Spokane and Chicago. Between Seattle and Spokane, trains stop in Edmonds, Everett, Leavenworth, Wenatchee, and Ephrata. Trains are scheduled to arrive and depart at 8PM eastbound and 6AM westbound. Shuttles by hotels can be arranged to pick you up from the train station.

By bus

Get around

The tourist-centric downtown is along Front Street to the Wenatchee River. It takes about 15 minutes to walk from one side to the other.

If you are staying outside of the downtown area, you may have to get there by car. The public parking spots, which are all free, can be outrageously hard to find by lunchtime on weekends and holiday periods when day-trippers arrive on wheels. Parking outside the immediate downtown area can be found opposite Fairfield Inn (perfect for RVs) and the park & rides at downtown and behind Safeway.

By taxi

By bus

Link Transit operates a dedicated shuttle named Route D from the Willkommen Park and Ride to the Icicle Quick Stop every 20 minutes from 11AM to 7PM, with stops alongside the US 2 road for downtown. On select hours, it also provides a convenient schedule for connection to Wenatchee-bound Route 22.

Stay safe

• Winter driving conditions, especially west of town, can be dangerous and slippery, as snow can often fall in feet per hour. Apply the usual winter driving safety precautions and drive extra careful. US-2 is often cleared quickly due to its level of traffic, but it does get overwhelmed from time to time. Stevens Pass also sometimes closes for avalanche control. Check the Washington State Department of Transportation website for winter travel information. Snoqualmie Pass, to the south, closes less frequently due to its lower elevation. When Stevens Pass is closed, you may be able to take an hour-long detour via Blewett Pass.
• Watch out for foot traffic while driving through downtown, especially on weekends. Even though there are marked crossings, jaywalking is common here. Be patient as you search for parking, as it will be frustratingly hard to find during those times.

Go next

• Lake Wenatchee in the west via US-2.
• Lake Chelan, the state's largest lake, to the north.
• The nearby town of Cashmere has a small distillery and a confections factory.
• Wenatchee, a large town to the east, bills itself as the "Apple Capital of the World".
• A drive along US 2 can take you to Seattle in the west (though the highway actually terminates at Everett) or Spokane in the east.
• South down US-97, across Blewett Pass to the college town of Ellensburg.
• The nearest ski resorts are Stevens Pass on US2 to the west and Mission Ridge south of Wenatchee.

Try the other rock climbing areas of Washington:

• Frenchman Coulee — a gorge along the Columbia filled with basalt columns
• Index — easy access to a big wall
• Mazama, outside of Winthrop — cragging next to the huge routes of North Cascades National Park
• North Bend — the most accessible rock to Seattle
• Tieton, outside of Yakima — also features column basalts

Leavenworth is on the North Cascade Loop itinerary.