What's up guys, we're here in Leavenworth, Washington, a German-themed town about two and
a half hours outside of Seattle. In this video, we're going to show you the best things to do
here, including hiking, wine tasting, and stuff to find here in the town. So enjoy the video!
We are Zac and Ine, full-time digital nomads from the United States and Belgium.
We met while studying abroad in 2018 and have been traveling the world together ever since.
We're here to inspire your next adventure, whether it's hiking in the Canadian Rockies,
a road trip through the US, or backpacking across Africa. On our channel, you'll find
unfiltered videos of hiking guides and the best things to do in destinations around the world.
Located 117 miles to the east of Seattle, Leavenworth is a charming Bavarian-themed village
at the center of Washington State. About a century ago, this little town was actually a thriving
logging community connected by a railroad. But when the railroad was forced to re-route,
the village quickly started to lose money. Since there were such beautiful mountains,
people who lived in the town came up with the German theme to draw tourism.
Today, Leavenworth is a popular weekend getaway for Seattle residents as well as
tourists from afar, and is arguably one of the most beautiful places in all of Washington State.
In this video, we'll highlight 10 amazing things to do in and around Leavenworth.
One of the first things you should do when you visit Leavenworth is indulge in
the local German-style cuisine. There are many restaurants that serve German beer, bratwurst,
and pretzels. Our favorite places in town include the Rhein Haus for its pretzels and German beer,
and the München Haus for its bratwurst. They're located across the street from
each other on Front Street in the town center.
If you're up for a drive and a change of scenery, Lake Wenatchee is about 30 minutes away and is a
fun place to explore. During the winter you can go cross-country skiing around the lake,
and in the summertime it's a great place to go for a swim or relax at the beach.
It also makes a great stop on your way in from Seattle before you enter Leavenworth
or on your way out of town at the end of your trip.
Named after Leavenworth's famous mountain, the Icicle Ridge Trail is an easy
to moderate hike and is a must-do when you're in the area for a few days. The trail is about
six miles total and is mainly switchbacks until you reach the ridge. Be aware that
this trail gets very busy during the weekend, so get there early if you want to avoid the crowds.
So I made it to the top of the Icicle Ridge hike here, took us about an hour
and a half and it's beautiful 360-views. Behind me here, you can see the town of
Leavenworth with the river winding to the side of it. So it's really worth it to come here.
With its Alpine-style architecture, it's an experience in itself to simply walk downtown.
Leavenworth is fairly small, but it's so picturesque that you can easily spend a few hours
roaming around. Most of the action takes place in Front Street, which is lined with souvenir shops,
bars, wine tasting rooms, and restaurants.
You can also find two museums here: the Nutcracker Museum and the Greater Leavenworth
Museum. Here, you can learn all about the community's unique history in more detail.
At number six, we recommend visiting the nearby Lake Chelan.
About a one hour drive to the east of Leavenworth, Lake Chelan is a 50 mile long
pristine lake. It's perfect for summer activities such as boating, fishing, swimming, and kayaking.
The mountain scenery and vineyards around it make for beautiful views.
Leavenworth's Waterfront Park is an oasis of tranquility and peace. It's situated right
next to the Wenatchee River and can easily be explored on foot. There are many trails that wind
through the park, offering beautiful vistas of both the river and the mountains. But if
you're looking for a bit more adventure, you can also explore the river while tubing or rafting.
The fourth best thing to do in Leavenworth is to go wine tasting.
In fact, the Leavenworth Valley has an upcoming vibrant wine scene.
This is thanks to its mild and dry climate that gives the wines unique depth and complexity.
Leavenworth and the neighboring town of Peshastin are home to many wineries that host tasting rooms.
Our favorite one is Icicle Ridge Winery with two tasting rooms in downtown Leavenworth. But for a
more idyllic setting, it's also possible to taste wine at their log home tasting room in Peshastin.
So you can also decide to do a wine tasting in the "real" wine country, which is just like a five
minute drive outside of Leavenworth in Peshastin. So we're here now at Icicle Ridge winery
and it is amazing. It's very picturesque and you can see all the vineyards, it's really beautiful.
The third best thing to do in our opinion is to watch the sunset from the Peshastin Pinnacles.
This small park is about a 15-minute drive from Leavenworth.
A grouping of tooth-like sandstone rocks stand tall here against the vineyards
and the golden hills of the Wenatchee Valley. You can hike the switchback trails to the top,
where you'll be rewarded with panoramic views of the Cascade Mountains and the wine country
around. During sunset you can see the valley turn a beautiful golden color.
At number two, we have the Colchuck day hike.
Colchuck is known as the most beautiful lake near Leavenworth, if not all of Washington State.
The hike is about 8 miles round trip with 2,280 feet of elevation gain
and takes between four and a half to six hours total. And while the final ascent to the lake
is steep and rough in places, the majority of the trail is moderate and just spectacular.
As if Colchuck Lake alone weren't enough beauty, it's also one of the two gateways to the magical
Enchantments area. This hike is extremely tough if done in a day and is more than 20 miles end-to-end
with an elevation of 11,000 feet. However, getting to these awe-inspiring lakes is absolutely worth
it. You can also break up your journey by camping, but you must get lucky with the
lottery system if you want to stay overnight in the Enchantment Area. We'll leave a link in the
description below if you want to learn more about the camping. We hiked the Enchantments
last summer and it took us over 15 hours to complete as a day hike. Check out our day hiking
video for more information so you can hike the Enchantments with confidence and good preparation.
Really in the heart of the Enchantment's Core right now.
Beautiful lakes behind us, rivers, lakes around,
and tons of goats as well. Crazy mountain peaks... This is the best hike in Washington.
Leavenworth is a beautiful destination and of course there are things to do in the area
that we haven't mentioned in this video, such as Stevens Pass and the Scenic Hot Springs.
We hope you enjoyed this video and we'll catch you on the next adventure!