Leavenworth
A Bavarian-style village tucked into the Cascades on US-2: brats, beer gardens, and Alpine storefronts by day, then a campsite on Icicle Creek a few minutes out of town by night.
Washington~2.5 hr from SeattleBest: May–October; December for the lights
Photo: SounderBruce / Wikimedia Commons
Don't miss
- Bavarian Village
Front Street's Alpine-style storefronts, beer gardens, and shops, with the Cascades rising right behind them.
- Oktoberfest & Christmas Lighting
Fall weekends bring Oktoberfest; in December the whole village glows for the Christmas Lighting Festival.
- Icicle Creek Campgrounds
Six Forest Service campgrounds strung along Icicle Road, starting just outside town. Creekside sites under the pines.
- Lake Wenatchee State Park
A glacier-fed lake up the road with a big campground, showers, swimming, and kayaking.
Trail notes
- •Icicle Road campgrounds are mostly first-come, first-served, with vault toilets and no hookups, and they fill fast on summer weekends, so aim to arrive early.
- •Eightmile Campground, about 8 miles up Icicle Road, takes reservations on Recreation.gov for most of its sites; it's open generally May–October, from $24 a night.
- •Lake Wenatchee State Park books through Washington State Parks: 155 tent sites plus showers and restrooms.
- •Want to walk into town? The Leavenworth/Pine Village KOA sits on the Wenatchee River, a 10–15 minute walk from downtown.
- •Festival weekends pack the village and nearby campsites, so book early. In winter, US-2 crosses Stevens Pass, so check WSDOT pass conditions; the Forest Service campgrounds close for the season.
Drive from SeaTac, WA
Pickup starts in SeaTac, WA. Here's the route to Leavenworth.