Washington state National Parks - Part 2 - Leavenworth / Islands

Kris and I flew to Seattle to embark on a 3 week Washington state National Parks road trip in August. This is Part 2 - Leavenworth & Islands (west of Seattle).

See Washington State National Parks - Part 1 - Mount Rainier here

See Washington State National Parks - Part 3 - Olympic National Park here

After our last hike in Mount Rainier National Park (Tolmie Peak - Carbon River area), we drove to the small town of Buckley and stayed at the small and quaint Buckley Inn for one night. We did this to split up the long drive to Leavenworth since we had a long day & hike earlier. We walked to the nearby downtown area and had a nice meal and drinks at Main Street Bistro Buckley.

The next morning, we drove to Leavenworth, a Bavarian/German style mountain town with a river running through it. The town was super touristy and crowded on a Saturday but seemed to be more chill and relaxed late Sunday and Monday. I really liked the town the last two days in its more relaxed uncrowded state. From the photos and videos I saw, it looks like this would be an amazing place to visit during Christmas time when there is snow, its all decorated, and lit up.

The first couple nights, we stayed at Icicle Village Resort on the edge of downtown. Since we had to cancel our next stop after Leavenworth (more on that below), we switched over to the Hotel Leavenworth in the heart of downtown Leavenworth for another day & night there.

Standout Leavenworth restaurants were Yodelin, Visconti's, South, and Icicle Brewing Company.

downtown Leavenworth 

Wenatchee River through downtown Leavenworth - when its hot, the river is the place to be

Here's a look at the wildfire map at that time, after we arrived in Leavenworth. I still had hope even though I knew about the wildfires a few days prior, but it was at this point I started to realize we wouldn't be going to North Cascades National Park and we would have to make other plans after Leavenworth.

In town, there were a lot of signs about (black) bear activity. I walked/biked the Wenatchee River side trails and while I didn’t see any bears, I have to say…there was the biggest bear poop I’ve ever seen…so many, everywhere along that river. On our last morning, there was a very large oversized garbage can that was full and ready for pickup by the city. So it had to be very heavy. A bear had turned it over during the night and gotten into the thrown out food (pictured above). The Leavenworth black bears must be really, really big.

We hiked a small portion of the epic Enchantments Traverse, only to Colchuck Lake and back….still a 9.6 mile roundtrip hike w/ over 2700 ft elevation gain. But having the scenic alpine lake as our lunch spot as well as a cold and refreshing dip in it was well worth the effort. 

Colchuck Lake via Stuart Lake and Colchuck Lake Trail 

yes, the water was cold

a couple of other hikers/swimmers taking advantage of the beautiful day

Things don’t always go as planned. Sadly, we had to cancel the next stop on our itinerary, North Cascades National Park, due to multiple active wildfires there. The only road through the park was closed at a key section. The main trails we wanted to hike were closed. 

We even had to cancel the Lake Chelan ferry and a very unique overnight stay in Stehekin because another wildfire was bearing down on them and the whole town was evacuated. That, along with all the smoke in the surrounding area, it was no dice so we pivoted and quickly made other plans for some of the islands west of Seattle before our last stop on the itinerary, Olympic National Park.

I get it. It’s a first world problem to have travel plans changed last minute. The obvious and most important thing is the safety and well being of the local folks who live in these communities. Yet, I still grieved not being able to visit North Cascades NP. But we made lemonade out of lemons. 

Hotel Leavenworth patio overlooking the Wenatchee River

downtown Leavenworth

After Leavenworth, we drove back west towards Seattle but first stopped in the small town of Snoqualmie and visited Snoqualmie Falls, which you might recognize if you were a fan of the old TV series Twin Peaks.

Along the trail at Snoqualmie Falls Park

Snoqualmie Falls

A view of Seattle from afar. We never stopped in the city as we weren't in a city mood and wanted to get to the islands west. 

Our visit to some of the islands west of Seattle:

Kris and I have already been to the San Juan Islands many years ago, so since we had to make a last minute pivot away from North Cascades National Park, we wanted to explore some of the other islands nearby that we haven't seen before. As it was August, we enjoyed the chilly mornings and high air temps in the 60s/70s throughout.

Standouts were visiting Bainbridge Island, the quaint coastal villages of Poulsbo, Gig Harbor…as well as Coupeville & Langley on Whidbey Island (we had an amazing meal in Langley at Saltwater Fish House & Oyster Bar), hiking around Deception Pass and a whale watching boat tour from Anacortes (that did go around the San Juan Islands) where we got to see Biggs Killer Whales (mammal eating orcas). We also visited Vashon Island.

Speaking of orcas, we also saw many bald eagles, elephant seals, harbor seals, & harbor porpoise throughout our time here. 

Due to last minute reservations since we had to cancel our original North Cascades NP plans, we didn't have the benefit of time to really research good places to stay. The Port Orchard Comfort Inn we stayed at was okay, not great. And we had a terrible experience with an AirBnB house on Whidbey Island. So if you visit this area, play close attention to the reviews of the lodging you're looking at staying.

Bainbridge Island 

Poulsbo

I went mountain biking on the excellent Port Gamble trail system which felt like I was in the back country when I was really on an island. It reminded me of the Dupont State Forest trails back in NC but only with a lot less rock. I was raw doggin’ it - no padded bike shorts, no gloves, no glasses, no bike shoes & a rented mountain bike one size too small…no problem!

Gig Harbor - 7 Seas Brewing was really nice. Very rare for a brewery to have such nice waterfront views.

Vashon Island

The Washington state ferry system was on point and always on time. It was a nice and fun experience. 

Langley on Whidbey Island

simply an amazing meal at Saltwater Fish House & Oyster Bar in Langley

Coupeville on Whidbey Island

Deception Pass State Park

Deception Pass was really interesting and had some nice hiking trails. The amount of water that moves through this narrow channel is quite amazing to witness. The current was very fast and powerful, creating some big swell and chop.

Elephant seals on our whale watching tour out of Anacortes

See the bald eagle in the tree? (You can click on the photo to enlarge it)

Biggs Killer Whales - notice the lone bald eagle sitting on the rock island to the left  

(You can click on the photo to enlarge it)

murals in Port Townsend, WA

The legend of Sasquatch seems to be a thing around here