Winter Hike at Lake Wenatchee
Location: Leavenworth, Washington (~2 hours from Seattle)
Distance: 2.6 miles
Elevation: 88 feet
Route Type: Loop
Time of Year: Winter (February 3, 2019)
Recommended Equipment: Snowshoes, snow spikes (what we used), or Cross Country Skiis. Hand warmers were amazing to have for the hike back, warm jacket (preferably with a hood – I wore 2 jackets)! hat, gloves, waterproof/resistant boots, dress in layers! Warm snacks, jet boil, and cozy blanket optional!
We’ve only heard great things about Leavenworth in the winter time and have not made a trip out there yet, until now! We decided to explore the magical shores of Lake Wenatchee and test out our new snow spikes on the icy trail. Leavenworth, Washington is about a 2 hour drive from Seattle (just a little bit past Steven’s Pass ski resort). And it’s the farthest east we have traveled to go hiking anywhere – and we definitely will be doing this more often! The drive alone was pure magic. Picturesque views of massive mountains and snowy pines the whole way there (I couldn’t set down our camera)!
We always trust AllTrails to get us to the trailhead, but this time it did not seem to work (maybe a portion of the trail is closed from weather or snow, we weren’t sure). It did get us to Lake Wenatchee but not to a trailhead like it normally does. We suggest Google Mapping to Lake Wenatchee State Park rather than using the AllTrails directions. AllTrails took us to a road along the lake called N. Shore Drive. Which we definitely recommend taking the drive along this road though (happy accidents, right)? Beautiful scenic views and some of the most amazing homes with killer views of the mountains and the lake. We swooned and dreamed of having a beautiful modern A-frame cabin there. Definitely want to see if we can snag an Airbnb or campsite there one weekend so we can also check out downtown Leavenworth and hit the slopes at Steven’s Pass during our stay – oh and waking up to that view of Lake Wenatchee wouldn’t be so bad either!
We arrived at the trailhead – which are actually also campgrounds as well with a few trails branching off from the central hub of the grounds. In the winter this is the perfect location to go snowshoeing and cross country skiing. They actually have designated trails for those to keep the trail nice and smooth for optimal skiing and snowshoeing!
We were so thankful that we invested in and had snow spikes with us because the parking lot was extremely icy! Like dangerously icy. We slipped on our micro spikes and walked across that ice skating rink of a parking lot with ease. The best investment we have ever made, it’s so nice to not have to worry about slipping and falling with potentially injuring ourselves on icy terrain. I’ve even slipped on ice and gashed open my finger last spring! So they are pretty essential for us to have year round. They are so easy to use and lightweight to pack in your backpack. All you do is slip them over your normal hiking boot and you’re ready to go! If you would like to invest in these amazing microspikes follow the link below:
We headed onto Lake Wenatchee Trail and crunched in our snowshoes towards the Lake and Emerald Island. The trail skirts down the Wenatchee River which quickly flows into Lake Wenatchee. The snowy forest trail was beautiful, a winter wonderland with pine giants gently dusted with snow. And the occasional peaks of golden, warm sunshine through the forest and sparkling across the lake and river was just a dream. After about a mile (maybe less) we made it to the wintery shores of Lake Wenatchee.
Kahtoola Microspikes 
Kahtoola Microspikes 
Kahtoola Microspikes
United By Blue – Look Up Copper Mug
When we arrived to the lake and out of the forest, the wind was frigidly fierce and howled against on our faces. We recommend to dress in layers (I wore 2 jackets)! and bring hand warmers (those saved our frozen fingers for our hike back to the car). The lake is surrounded by beautiful, majestic mountains and has a quaint little island close to the shore called Emerald Island. We took in the view and explored the frozen beach. Along the beach we also discovered the most adorable driftwood fort that lend itself to be the perfect picnic spot. We huddled inside the fort and to our surprise it was a lot warmer inside. The protective barrier of driftwood kept out the cold winter winds and kept us cozy. We brought our jet boil so we could make hot chocolate and some chicken bone broth soup with rice that we ate the night before (heck yes to leftovers)! We heated up the soup and slurped down the hot savory broth as we gazed at Dirtyface peak. Yeah that’s right. One of the mountains surrounding Lake Wenatchee is called Dirtyface (insert laughing emoji here) oh what a majestic name. For dessert we fueled up on some delicious plant based protein cookies we got at REI and then packed up to head back to the car. We were starting to not feel our noses anymore…We did not complete the full loop around Lake Wenatchee – it got it bit too cold for us. But we definitely would love to come back in the summer and complete it! We shook up our hand warmers and stuffed them inside of our gloves and made our way back to the car with frozen noses, warm hands, and happy hearts. Until next time, Lake Wenatchee!
