[the Zachster]

Each year we pack up and head to Leavenworth just before Christmas, kind of a pre-Christmas detox from all of the pressures and hectic pace of things in the city. We find that the town is especially nice the weekend before Christmas because the Lighting Festivals are all done and the town is actually kind of quiet. One of our goals is to try some cross country skiing and some years the ground is bare but not so this year!!! We arrived Friday night, after an uneventful drive over Snoqualmie and Blewett. Before heading to our hotel (Icicle Inn Best Western) we stopped at Starbucks for my annual Peppermint Hot Cocoa. They were very polite as it was clear I was not a regular ( I'm not a coffee drinker). I asked for a "medium" and was informed that it was actually a grande. We woke up to light flurries on Saturday morning so after a quick breakfast we were eager to head out for some cross-country skiing. Leavenworth has 3 groomed areas ($12 per day includes all 3) which were all up and running with a 24 inch base and lots of new stuff! We started at the Golf Club and did several loops around. I've never seen wildlife there before but this time we saw a heron in the creek,

a big racoon that scrambled up a tree as we came by, and there were lots of deer that apparently make their winter home on the golf course.

They were not shy about hanging around on the trail either.

These are some pics of the trail..

Then we wandered down the Icicle to the Icicle Creek ski area (by the Sleeping Lady resort). The loop there is kind of pretty as it follows the creek at times and winds through thin woods. It took about an hour (we do traditional diagonal skiing). The ski skaters were probably doing it in about 15 minutes..

By then we had worked up a bit of an appetite so we stopped at O'Grady's Pantry (a nice little deli that is part of the resort). The food was very good although a bit pricey. We topped off the day with a little shopping (some things never change, including the inventory!) and a fantastic dinner at Visconti's. The town was as pretty as ever, but there was an additional bonus of an almost full moon (and a clear night!)

Today we woke up to even more snow and we set out to do the "trifecta" before heading home. We started at the Icicle Creek loop, then back to the golf course and finally on to the the Ski Hill loop. A total of about 3 hours of skiing. We were a little anxious about what the passes would be like since it was apparently awful on Saturday but the roads were not too bad. The drivers were another story though. We got stuck behind someone doing less than 40 mph all the way across Blewett to I-90 (even on bare road!) Oh well, we were expecting a slow trip so it wasn't a big deal. We did pass at least 4 nasty spin-outs so it was interesting enough to keep your attention. Overall it was a safe and fun trip...what more can you ask for!

[Bryan K]

What a fun way to relieve stress before Christmas. Looks like it was a great time with some awesome pics to prove it Thanks for sharing

[Matt]

Nice trip. Cool seeing the deer on the golf course. I especially like the picture of the smaller snowy tree in front of the trunks of the larger trees.

[Gabigabs]

Amazing pics. Glad you had a good time.

[cmurph]

Thanks for the trip report, I will be doing a similar trip but for the exact same reasons over New Year's and I can't wait! Renting a cabin, being in the snowy mountains...no better way that I can think of to bring in the new year. Thanks to everyone on nwhikers for letting me live vicariously through them for 2 long weeks while I'm visiting family in Ohio!

[dog25]

Nice pics! Thanks for sharing. We're going to spend a few days up there the third week of January - should be lots of snow by that time! -J

[GeoTom]

[Trail Angel]

Are the ski trails around Leavenworth dog friendly?

[the Zachster]

Nope...the 3 XC ski areas are all groomed for skiers only. Zach got to stay at the doggie sitters for the weekend!

[Schmidt Altitude]

Leavenworth has a great doggie retreat we discovered a couple of years ago....Haus Denali Kennels. The whippets were very spoiled canines...they got runs everyday, had their own roomy kennels with private deck, and daily garlic bagel treats amongst other things. We think there was even a live web camera so you can check up on your canines. The people there are absolutely wonderful. Would highly recommend, though, yes, a little spendy. http://www.hausdenalikennels.com Sorry for the plug, but we really enjoyed having our dogs with us on our little vacation! We LOVE Leavenworth!