So if you are in Leavenworth Washington, and you are admiring the surrounding mountain and want to go for a hike, where do you go? I would say to check out Icicle Ridge. It is just a couple miles SW of town (about as close as you can get), it's got a great view, and it has plenty of switchbacks to ease the pain.
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| An easy ascent with lots of switchbacks |
We only had a short time available to hike, but that's all you need. You can do this hike in 2-3 hours, at least to the lower point of the ridge, and get a great view of town.
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| The beginning of the ridge |
If you've got more time, and the weather is good, you can continue on up the ridge.
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| The remains of an old forest fire |
You can see the charred remains from an old forest fire and you can get a great view of Tumwater Mountain and Tumwater Canyon.
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| A great view of Leavenworth, WA in the valley |
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| Clouds began to blow through as we reached the ridge |
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| Tumwater Mountain and Canyon to the west |
After a couple hours of hiking, you can be back in town at the Icicle Brewery rewarding yourself with a local brew. What better way to spend a day.
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| Our route on the Icicle Ridge Trail |
You can see from the map above, how close the trail is to the town. If we had more time, we would have continued on up the ridge.
I need to make it up to my neighbor to the north and do more hiking!
ReplyDeleteYes, it's true. Washington is a great state for hiking.
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