Leavenworth is a German town at the base of the Alpine region known as the Enchantments in Washington State. We’ve been many times before, but never in February. It’s a shoulder season in the town for sure. The holiday craze is over, but it’s not quite spring. That is a fantastic thing if you’re looking for a quieter time to visit!

Where to stay

I very much so wanted to stay at the Posthotel but it was fully booked on a week’s notice. We were in Leavenworth for a rather non-eventful winter get away. So relaxing in an adults only hotel was right up our alley. But, it just didn’t work out.

Alpine Rivers Inn is where we ended up and it did just fine. 

This Airbnb is spendy but looked to die for and we would return to stay here for sure (check out Camp Howard’s Luxury bungalow)

We went to Leavenworth during Oktoberfest back in 2017 and it was a grand ol’ time. Overpriced for sure, but a fun vibe. That’s when we trekked up to Colchuck lake. WORTH IT. We could hear the wind HOWLING as we approached the lake. You are in the brush THE ENTIRE TIME with no fruits for your labor until you legitimately reach the top. So, with your lungs and leggies burning, just remember this blog, and keep going. It’s so incredibly worth it.

Go on a hike

In February, trails are still open; it’s just a matter of if you can reach the trail heads and if you personally deem the experience as safe. If it’s been dry, and there’s a hike you really want to do, check the weather, all trails, and make an informed decision.

Eightmile lake , Lake Valhalla, and Icicle Gorge Nature Loop were on our minds due to Feb weather being a restriction. But even those were closed the week before we arrived due to access roads being in-accessable. Again, Icicle ridge was on our radar as well – many hikes require access from the “icicle area.”

You can also check out the Leavenworth waterfront trails for a short 1 mile to 3 mile jaunt. Seen below:

Drive to Lake Wenatchee

We love a body of water with mountains as the backdrop. So making a half day or even quarterly pitstop to Lake Wenatchee was a no brainer.

This is a national park, [looked like the north entrance normally had a fee area, but it was closed. So we drove to the boat launch. There was a fee area, which we drove through and successfully parked in, without a fee…You are free to explore the area in general. There’s no saying for sure what will and won’t be closed. My main goal was to see the lake and creep around for the best photo spots (so that I could pass that intel to YOU). 

Grub and entertainment

Eat at München Haus – Get their beer wurst and a dark beer. We got the porter and a Kolsh. Downstairs was packed. Don’t sleep on the upstairs balcony with Mountain View’s fresh hair and overhead heaters.

Balance that with a meal at Yodelin Broth – we had the salmon rice bowl and it was *almost* worth the $26 a piece.

J5 coffe – get a Latte and walk the waterfront. In winter their main shop was closed Tues-Thurs. but they have an espresso bar on Front street open all days.

Sit down for a pizza at Tumwater Pizza & Bakery. It’s thin crust pizza, with quality ingredients. The pepperoni and sausage pizzas were lovely. They have food other than pizza as well – sandwiches, salads, coffee etc.

Fish hatchery was frozen and pretty inaccessible. I’d say save this for a spring/summer Leavenworth visit.

Go to the Bavarian bakery near the entrance to town. The Apple strudel is a win.

Go to the Reindeer Farm

$25 usd per person

https://www.leavenworthreindeer.com/

I (we) wildly underestimated this experience. It’s a Norwegian family founded and owned reindeer farm. You learn a ton about the animals (they’re far more magnificent than I anticipated) and get to feed them. You can’t touch the antlers and you’ll need to ask the staff which ones are okay to pet, if you’d like.

The reindeer kept thinking my camera was food. If they see anything like a black cup, they think “feed me.”

We went simply because there was a lack of activities in the winter and we’d seen the reindeer farm on some blogs + a local told us to check it out. After going, we highly suggest this experience.

Tip: Book the first tour of the day if you can. The reindeer are hungry and energized. Unbeknownst to us, we went on the last weekend of the open season! They closed until spring, three days after we left. That was Feb 25.

I suggest Leavenworth any time of year. It’s somewhere that can give a very different experience from season to season.

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