Leavenworth, WA Travel Guide
Leavenworth is a Bavarian-styled mountain town about 2.5 hours East of Seattle. It’s the perfect destination for both a fun getaway and/or adventurous vacation. There’s no shortage of German-inspired food, beer, shopping, hikes, and so much more! It has become a bit of a tourist destination over the years so be aware that you might come across large crowds, especially on the weekends.
Depending on what time of year you go, you’ll see a different town each time. In the winter, it turns into a European Christmas market, in the Fall you can experience Oktoberfest while being surrounded by gorgeous Fall colors, Spring you’ll see all the wildflowers come out, and summer you can enjoy so many different outdoor adventures and sit on a patio for a beer under one of their misters. We went during the summer and had 100º weather, but early in the morning and once the sun starts to set, the weather isn’t too bad. Just be aware that even though it’s close to Seattle, it has a VERY different climate.
Where to Stay
Leavenworth isn’t very big so staying anywhere in the city will allow you to walk to most everything. We opted for the cheaper version and found a vacation rental 10 minutes away that saved us a lot of money. It was still very convenient to be able to do everything we wanted to do.
This is the place we rented! It’s a one bedroom with a pull-out couch so it can fit up to 4 people.
Getting around Leavenworth
Leavenworth is very walkable. The main part of the city is usually blocked off for pedestrians so if you are staying in the city, you won’t need a car much except if you are doing activities, like hiking, outside the city. If you aren’t from the area, you will most likely be flying into Seattle or Spokane and will need to rent a car to get to Leavenworth.
Things to Do in Leavenworth
#1 – Shop in the Village
There are so many different shops to choose from: souvenir, cheese, wine, meat, and more. Some of my favorites were Mountain Modern Supply Co., The Cheesemonger’s Shop, & Cured.
#2 – Drink German Beer
You can’t have a Bavarian-inspired town without some German beer. Check out Icicle Brewing Company and Blewett Brewing.
#3 – Eat a German Sausage
There’s no shortage of options to find a good German sausage. Top choices for this are Munchen Haus & Gustav’s.
#4 – Visit Lake Wenatchee State Park
Do a beach day, pack a picnic, hike, or catch a sunset at Lake Wenatchee. The lake is huge and has a couple options for beaches. You can rent kayaks and paddle boards as well.
#5 – Enjoy a Large Pretzel
Either to go with your beer or your brat, you can’t miss out on getting a pretzel while you’re in Leavenworth. Icicle Brewing & Munchen Haus both have big/fluffy pretzels that are delicious!
#6 – Go Tubing, Kayaking, or Paddle Boarding on the Icicle/Wenatchee River
If you visit in the summer and get one of their many 90º / 100º days, there are tons of outdoor water activities you can do. Leavenworth Outdoor Center has great options to check out.
#7 – Have a Photo Shoot
Leavenworth is so picturesque, I would recommend doing a fun little photo shoot for the memory box. There have been plenty of movies filmed there because of how adorable the town is!
#8 – Go Hiking
There are endless amounts of hikes close to Leavenworth. There is a separate section below with hiking recommendations! If you’re hiking and forgot something or last minute decide to hike and don’t have the gear, check out “Der Sportsmann”. We ended up getting a few things from there that came in clutch for our hikes.
*Pro tip: Grab some Landjaeger sticks from Cured by Visconti to eat on your hikes. It can be stored at room temperature for a month so they were the perfect snack. The package was enough for 3 days worth of hikes, along with some other snacks like granola bars and gummie bears.
Other things to Do!
Restaurant Recommendations
Larch
Italian food. If you are willing to spend a little more money, Larch is a must! The Pappardelle and Casarece were amazing!
Munchen Haus
Bavarian Grill & Beer Garden. This place always has a long line but its counter service so it goes pretty quick. They have an entire buffet of condiments to choose from so I would suggest not doing any add-ons if you are getting a brat and just take advantage of the free toppings they offer. I would recommend the Big Boy Bratwurst & the Dirtyface Beer Wurst.
Yodelin
Bone broth soups, salads, burgers & craft beer. This was a very unique restaurant that was a mixture of German and Japanese food. The Yodelin was really good and if you want to try something a little different with a floral flavor to it, get the Hollywood.
Wildflour
Italian food. If you’re willing to drive 30 minutes north, Wildflour was phenomenal. We had the mushroom platter and shrimp and crab cakes and they were both SO good.
Gustav’s
Bavarian Tavern & Beer Garden. This tavern is pretty popular for tourists and serves some more great Bavarian food.
Blewett Brewing
Pizza and Beer. They do wood-fired pizzas here. We ate here after a tough hike and it hit the spot!
Icicle Brewing Company
Beer and Apps. This place had the best beer and a super good pretzel!
coffee shops
Argonaut Coffee & Biscuits
This was my favorite coffee shop but be prepared to wait if you get there on a weekend or at a prime coffee time. We went at 10am on a Friday and waited 30 minutes. Also at 8am on a Monday and only waited 5 minutes. The Iced Cinnamon Horchata was my favorite and we also grabbed some biscuits to-go for one of our hikes. The Plain Biscuit with jam was really good! Also got the Cheddar and Chive Biscuit which was a little too dry for my liking but still good.
Little Reds Espresso Stand
This espresso stand is super cute and unique because they write funny notes on every coffee. The Madagascar Vanilla was great if you like lattes that aren’t too sweet. They have huge cookies as well and we tried the Salted Butterscotch cookie, highly recommend!
Leavenworth Cafe Roasters
If you’re heading out on Highway 2 to hike, swing by this shop right off the highway to get a quick cup of coffee. You’ll avoid the crowds/lines of the places in the village.
J5
We didn’t get a chance to try this place but heard it was good from friends. Heads up, they don’t open until noon on Sundays.
Hikes
Colchuck Lake
You may have seen this hike on social media, and because of that, it’s a VERY busy hike. A lot of people don’t do their research and come unprepared. Don’t be one of those people. It’s not an easy hike so bring plenty of water. It’s also very rocky, so hiking shoes are best but tennis shoes work as well. And if you have bad knees like me, hiking poles might be worth it for the hike down.
Tip: Get there early if you want a spot in the parking lot and want the lake somewhat to yourselves. We got there at 5:10am and there were only a few parking spots left in the lot. We got to the lake by 7:30am before the sun was over the mountains, so we saw the water change from a dark blue to the turquoise blue color it’s known for. Both are beautiful! We were done before noon and when we left there were hundreds of cars lining the road.
Distance: 8.7 miles Out & Back
Elevation Gain: 2,342 feet
Difficulty: Hard
Labyrinth Mountain
For a hike to a peak with 360º views, this wasn’t too bad. There are plenty of steep stretches of the trail but even if you take a lot of breaks, it still won’t take you too long. Make sure you have plenty of water, bug spray, and sunscreen for this hike (depending on the time of year). The bugs were relentless when we did it in July and the last mile to the peak has no coverage so you’re exposed to the sun. With the steepness, hiking poles can definitely be useful, especially on the way down. One warning, the road up to the trailhead is rough. We had a Hyundai Elantra rental and it made it up, but there were some sketchy moments we thought we’d for sure get a flat.
Distance: 4.9 miles Out & Back
Elevation Gain: 2,634 feet
Difficulty: Hard
Minotaur Lake
Minotaur Lake is on the way up to Labyrinth’s Peak so if you don’t want as intense of a hike as Labyrinth, this one is a bit shorter with great views and a glacial lake. The first mile is practically straight up, but once you get past that, it’s not too bad. For how short the distance is to the lake, it’s worth the pain it takes to get there! You can also go to the right side of the lake to get a gorgeous view of Theseus Lake. If you decide to jump in, be aware that it’s mud on the bottom, not sand, so your feet will get stuck. But also, you should always jump in a lake if you put in the effort to get to it! Labyrinth/Minotaur start at the same trailhead so again, the road up to the trailhead is rough.
Distance: 3.2 miles Out & Back
Elevation Gain: 1,817 feet
Difficulty: Hard
Lake Valhalla
If you want to get to a glacial lake that isn’t nearly as difficult as Colchuck or Minotaur, give Lake Valhalla a try. In my opinion it’s more on the Moderate to Easy side, however, I hike a lot so this will not be a breeze if you’re not a huge hiker. Lots of great spots to camp here but it wasn’t too busy from other hikers coming and going.
Distance: 6.3 miles Out & Back
Elevation Gain: 1,364 feet
Difficulty: Moderate
Deception Falls
Don’t just go to see the Falls that are right by the parking lot, make sure to do the quick loop trail. There are more beautiful waterfalls throughout and we just loved admiring the river that was crystal clear.
Distance: 0.6 miles
Elevation Gain: 75 feet
Difficulty: Easy
