By Claire Thompson
Cover photo courtesy Xander Demetrios
Nordic skiing has always felt to me like the best winter version of hiking or trail running—human-powered ways of moving through nature that combine physical challenge with space for meditative stillness.
If you’re visiting Leavenworth on a winter weekend, stillness is something you might need. For all the cozy charm of this bustling faux-Bavarian village, the traffic jams and bustling downtown send some visitors running for the hills in search of a different kind of winter wonderland. The Stevens Pass Nordic area, while excellent, can get just as crowded on weekends as town itself, and requires a 45-minute trek up the highway. Luckily, upwards of 80 kilometers of groomed cross-country ski trails within half an hour of Leavenworth offer Nordic skiers of all levels places to glide in peace and quiet.
If you’re short on time and money, or have a frolicky pup, the most low-key local option is the Peshastin Mill Trail, five miles east of Leavenworth off Highway 2 and across the Wenatchee River in tiny Peshastin (home to the Old Mill Tavern, a tourist-free spot for pool, pull tabs, and basic pub grub). The Leavenworth Winter Sports Club (LWSC) grooms this three-quarter-mile trail approximately once a week, as conditions allow, for classic skiing. There’s no fee or pass required and dogs are welcome. Unless you want to do endless loops, it won’t satisfy a craving for mileage, and conditions are less dependable due to the site’s lower elevation. But they say La Niña is back, baby.
LWSC operates more robust offerings—26 kilometers total of trail groomed for skate and classic—at the Leavenworth Golf Course, Icicle River Trails (near the fish hatchery) and Leavenworth Ski Hill—all within 10 minutes of downtown Leavenworth. The Ski Hill has something for everyone in your group: a rope tow for tubing, alpine skiing, and snowboarding; a historic lodge serving snacks and bevs; and lighted trails for night skiing. An adult full-day Nordic trail ticket, good at any of these three locations, is $31. Sign up online for lessons from LWSC.
14 miles north of Leavenworth via the Chumstick Highway, Plain Valley Ski Trails maintains 25 kilometers of trails groomed for skate and classic, everything from beginner-friendly loops in an open meadow to ski-jump-steep expert descents. The gently rolling Beaver Creek Trail forms the backbone of this trail system, meandering 9.4 km along the valley floor, past cabins and barns and over creeks and through the woods. Tickets are available online or at Plain Hardware (which, in addition to being an actual hardware store, is also a gift shop, gear and rental shop, and coffee shop with espresso and locally-made baked goods). Kids under 18 ski for free in Plain; all proceeds from adult day passes ($28) and season passes support the Plain Valley Nordic Team, a ski program for local youth. PVST also offers lessons; sign up on their website.
If you have a Washington State Sno-Park pass (with a special groomed-trail permit), then you already have access to some of the best cross-country skiing in the area. Lake Wenatchee State Park, 10 minutes north of Plain, has about 20 km of beginner to intermediate groomed trail looping through wooded campgrounds and along Lake Wenatchee and Nason Creek. These trails connect to the Nason Ridge trail system (accessed directly from the Kahler Glen Sno-Park), the longest and most challenging groomed route in the area. After skiing 7 km of rolling hills, reach the junction for a 13-km loop trail that ascends the top of the ridge for big climbs, big views, and access to a warming hut at the west saddle of the ridge. Thanks to its elevation, Nason Ridge has the most reliable snow of any of the area’s groomed Nordic trails. Both Nason and Lake Wenatchee State Park are groomed for skate and classic.
Rent gear at Plain Hardware, Der Sportsman, Eastside Cycleworks, or Arlberg Sports Haus in Leavenworth.
Claire Thompson lives in Peshastin, teaches English at Wenatchee Valley College, maintains trails for the Forest Service, and is an MFA candidate in Nature Writing at Western Colorado University.
