Published February 2003

Bavarian-style village offers indoor, outdoor fun

By John Wolcott
SCBJ Editor

Winter is one of the four best times to visit Leavenworth — the other best times being spring, summer and fall. But a snow-blanketed Leavenworth has a special charm that creates a dramatically fresh image of the town as a Bavarian alpine village, an image that other-season visitors can only imagine.

This popular Cascade Mountain village on Highway 2, east of Stevens Pass, offers a unique winter realm of brisk outdoor and warm indoor experiences that include cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, sleigh-riding, shopping and dining.

Cross-country skiing is a favorite activity with Leavenworth visitors. At Ski Hill, north of Leavenworth, there are miles of Nordic ski trails, including some lighted for night skiing. Fifteen kilometers of groomed trails weave over the golf course and waterfront park slopes, and more groomed trails follow the Icicle River three miles south of town near the fish hatchery.

Every visitor wants to experience Leavenworth’s Bavarian-styled charm, which is the magnetic attraction that has made this town a getaway and tourism mecca in Washington state year around for nearly four decades. There are several downtown blocks of restaurants, bookstores and gift shops, all with German, Austrian or other European themes in their shops, food, window displays and merchandise.

An array of restaurants provides ample eating options, from Bavarian and American menus, including specialty venues such as the Leavenworth Brewery.

Leavenworth has a wide variety of lodging, including Pension Anna, an Austrian-styled inn; the Best Western Icicle Inn, with its complimentary breakfast room; and the Enzian Motor Inn, where cross-country skis are provided for guests.

Southeast of Leavenworth, Mountain Home Lodge can only be reached in the winter by snow-cat on the closed road leading to this secluded, adults-only recreation retreat. Guests are picked up at the main road. On a secluded 20-acre meadow overlooking the Cascades and surrounded by forest is a 12-room lodge and several cabins. Guests are provided with a variety of outdoor activities, snug accommodations and home-cooked meals.

Mountain Springs Lodge in Plain, a 10-minute drive from Leavenworth to the scenic Plain Valley, provides snowmobile safaris into the nearby mountain foothills overlooking Lake Wenatchee from Entiat Ridge. The largest of 11 log lodges is used for business gatherings, family reunions and conferences.

For those who want to relax close to town in a home-style setting that overlooks the Icicle River and a deer, elk and bird sanctuary, there’s the award-winning Run of the River B&B — recognized, like Mountain Home Lodge, by numerous travel publications for its popularity, lodging accommodations and meals.

More information about the area, lodging and activities is available from the Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 327, Leavenworth, WA 98826; by phone at 509-548-5807; or via the Internet at www.leavenworth.org.

On the Web, check out Mountain Home Lodge at www.mthome.com; Mountain Springs Lodge, www. mtsprings.com; and Run of the River B&B, www.runoftheriver.com.

Related: Whistler: skiing, dining, shopping and more

Related: Methow Valley offers world-class cross-country skiing

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