This is a fun run in the so-called ‘Christmas Capital’ of the United States! Leavenworth is an alpine village with Bavarian-style buildings, nestled in the Cascade Mountains 120 miles east of Seattle. During the holiday season, a half million lights twinkle downtown. We’ve put together a 2.8 mile route that includes the main downtown streets and trails in Waterfront Park & Blackbird Island along the Wenatchee River (note: the trail is not lit at night).
The highlight of the route at Christmas is the main streets downtown — namely Front St., where thousands of lights and Leavenworth’s plentiful snow make for a bucolic holiday scene. Start at Front St. Park and head east. You can add the other downtown streets, such as Commercial St., which also feature lights and Bavarian-style buildings. Turn RIGHT on 14th St., and then take the the Pea Vine Trail through Waterfront Park. It’s a wide gravel trail with good footing, mainly wooded with some views of the river. Continue over the river to Blackbird Island on the River Trail, using Enchantment Park Way and Commercial St. to return to the start.
Add-Ons: There are a couple of additional trails on Blackbird Island, adding ~1/2 mile. You can also run some of the additional streets downtown, and also the quiet residential streets just north of US HWY 2. Also, run on the sidewalk alongside Chumstick HWY for 0.6 miles to the Leavenworth Reindeer Farm. Above that, the town gets hilly, quickly.
Additional Leavenworth Running Options
There are some good additional running options in Leavenworth, though they are more trail type runs and can be hilly.
- Old Pipeline Trail to Castle Rock. A narrower gravel trail along the Wenatchee River goes for 2 miles, with views to Castle Rock. It’s 2 miles east of town on HWY 2 (note: narrow shoulder).
- Nordic Trails: There’s a nordic center in the area of the Leavenworth Ski Hill.
- Extensive Trail Running Options. There are numerous trails in the mountains & canyons surrounding Leavenworth. Tumwater Mountain, Freund Canyon, and so on. There’s also the hilly Forest Service Road in the area, which has easier footing.
This is a fun run in the so-called ‘Christmas Capital’ of the United States! Leavenworth is an alpine village with Bavarian-style buildings, nestled in the Cascade Mountains 120 miles east of Seattle. During the holiday season, a half million lights twinkle downtown. We’ve put together a 2.8 mile route that includes the main downtown streets and trails in Waterfront Park & Blackbird Island along the Wenatchee River (note: the trail is not lit at night).
The highlight of the route at Christmas is the main streets downtown — namely Front St., where thousands of lights and Leavenworth’s plentiful snow make for a bucolic holiday scene. Start at Front St. Park and head east. You can add the other downtown streets, such as Commercial St., which also feature lights and Bavarian-style buildings. Turn RIGHT on 14th St., and then take the the Pea Vine Trail through Waterfront Park. It’s a wide gravel trail with good footing, mainly wooded with some views of the river. Continue over the river to Blackbird Island on the River Trail, using Enchantment Park Way and Commercial St. to return to the start.
Add-Ons: There are a couple of additional trails on Blackbird Island, adding ~1/2 mile. You can also run some of the additional streets downtown, and also the quiet residential streets just north of US HWY 2. Also, run on the sidewalk alongside Chumstick HWY for 0.6 miles to the Leavenworth Reindeer Farm. Above that, the town gets hilly, quickly.
Additional Leavenworth Running Options
There are some good additional running options in Leavenworth, though they are more trail type runs and can be hilly.
- Old Pipeline Trail to Castle Rock. A narrower gravel trail along the Wenatchee River goes for 2 miles, with views to Castle Rock. It’s 2 miles east of town on HWY 2 (note: narrow shoulder).
- Nordic Trails: There’s a nordic center in the area of the Leavenworth Ski Hill.
- Extensive Trail Running Options. There are numerous trails in the mountains & canyons surrounding Leavenworth. Tumwater Mountain, Freund Canyon, and so on. There’s also the hilly Forest Service Road in the area, which has easier footing.
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