Leavonworth, WA 12/12/09

OldSven

Explorer
Made a run up to Leavonworth this weekend with some friends. It is a German (themed) town up here in WA. Tucked back up in the Cascades, cool place to go walk through all of the shops, but this time we also went out exploring and found some pretty neat trail systems. It snow all the way home until we got back down to almost sea level.

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Richie

Adventurer
My parents live in Gold Bar and from what they've told me, Leavonworth isn't too far from there. They've mentioned "Leavonworth, it's a small German town" a few times. Good stuff! I'm sorry to say that I haven't been up there since my folks moved there a few years back.
 
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RAV4fun

Observer
My parents live in Gold Bar and from what they've told me, Leavonworth isn't too far from there. They've mentioned "Leavonworth, it's a small German town" a few times. Good stuff! I'm sorry to say that I haven't been up there since my folks moved there a few years back.

Not sure I'd say they're "close"...Gold Bar is on the West side of Steven's Pass and Leavenworth is on the East side...in good conditions I'd say 1.5 hours, unplowed more like 3ish...Oldsven, back me up...
 

OldSven

Explorer
Not sure I'd say they're "close"...Gold Bar is on the West side of Steven's Pass and Leavenworth is on the East side...in good conditions I'd say 1.5 hours, unplowed more like 3ish...Oldsven, back me up...

It took us about 2ish from Bellevue up I90 and then up Hwy97. It is the same distance if we were to go around and up Hwy2. It did take us awhile coming home with the pass getting blasted with snow and no WA drivers knowing how to drive in it. I don't mean they were sliding off the road, but come on people pic a lane preferably one of the right ones and stay over there:smiley_drive:
 

Willman

Active member
Nice!

Did you guys sleep over at my aunts?

Looks like fun!

We also got dumped on as well around here!

;)
 

19psi

The Devil Made Me
looks nice. i was just there over the summer, on a HOT day. i have to say, i'd have enjoyed it more on teh days you were there!
 

Master-Pull

Supporting Sponsor
They have some great cross country ski trails out that way as well, but the Bavarian village is always cool to visit.

-Alex
 

Richie

Adventurer
Not sure I'd say they're "close"...Gold Bar is on the West side of Steven's Pass and Leavenworth is on the East side...in good conditions I'd say 1.5 hours, unplowed more like 3ish...Oldsven, back me up...

Oh. Thanks for clearing that up.
 

Salue

Adventurer
Good times!
Leavenworth is definitely a lot smaller town than from what I remembered. Wish we had more time to explore more of the backroads...Maybe next year.

Salue
 

colemancol

New member
Hello.
It is very Beautiful place.Really this is best hiking areas in the summer because I like to stay and enjoy in like this area.
Thanks for sharing.
 

stevec

Adventurer
We were in Leavenworth Saturday as well, though not exploring trails. My daughter's school choir was singing before the tree lighting. I definitely prefer Leavenworth in the winter.
 

Martinjmpr

Wiffleball Batter
Ah, Leavenworth!

I was stationed at Fort Lewis, outside of Tacoma, from 1989 to 1991. My previous duty station to that had been in Ansbach, Germany (about 25 miles West of Nuremburg in Northern Bavaria.)

When I was stationed in Germany we frequently went down to the resort town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen on the Austrian border to ski. I remember thinking how beautiful the town was with the open-framed, stucco buildings with colorful murals painted on them and the snow-covered alps in the background.

So imagine my surprise when, in 1989, I was just tooling around the back country of Washington state in my little Mazda pickup, and I turned the corner and saw a little town that looked like it had been airlifted straight from Bavaria! It even had the same kind of murals on the stucco buildings, with the snow-covered Cascades as a nice substitute for the Alps!

Walking through the town I was tempted to say "Gruss Gott!" to the other folks there, or wander into the Gasthaus for a Kristallerweizen and a Weisswurst!

Haven't been back to the Cascades since 1991 but I am bound and determined to get back there someday and Leavenworth is high on my list of destinations. Thanks for the pictures.

Were you anywhere near Chelan Lake?
 

bmonday

Adventurer
It took us about 2ish from Bellevue up I90 and then up Hwy97. It is the same distance if we were to go around and up Hwy2. It did take us awhile coming home with the pass getting blasted with snow and no WA drivers knowing how to drive in it. I don't mean they were sliding off the road, but come on people pic a lane preferably one of the right ones and stay over there:smiley_drive:

Heading up there this weekend, from Issaquah, to catch the treelighting ceremony. I was going to go the default route of Hwy 2, but you think the Hwy97 route is better conditions?
 

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