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WENATCHEE VALLEY VISITORS GUIDE | SPRING & SUMMER 2022
World photo/Don Seabrook Clendon Allen, Peshastin, working for the Yakama Nation at the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery, rolls up netting that protects juvenile coho salmon from birds. He said the hatchery releases 700,000 of the five-inch fish late neat the hatchery. Craig Thomas, Assistant Manager at the hatchery said they release 1.2 million spring Chinook as well.
Leavenworth “A burgeoning winery scene has brought a Pinotand-brie refinement to the brats-and-brews style of this Bavarian-inspired village, just east of the Cascades.” — National Geographic Adventure magazine Surrounded by rugged mountain landscapes, Leavenworth is a place outside of time. The small tourist-town simply oozes Old World charm. Visitors from around the world go out of their way to visit the small Bavarianstyle village in the Northwestern United States. It wasn't always this way, however. The success of
Leavenworth Washington is a testament to the hard work, determination and creativity of its early residents. In the early 1960s, Leavenworth was no more than a run-down mill town on the verge of becoming a ghost town. Rather than sit back and accept their fate, the town leaders came up with a plan — to harness the power of the areas' beautiful, alpine location and draw in tourists from around the globe. The “little village that could” now greets hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. There’s almost never a weekend without entertain-
ment of some sort — the town has more than two dozen public festivals each year — and if you happen to visit on a day that isn’t filled with festivity, there is still more than enough to keep you occupied.
Things to do
Travel westward on Highway 2 and you will find plenty of fruit stands and wineries. Smallwood’s Harvest in nearby Peshastin offers a huge petting zoo, a gift shop and fruit stand, and is a must-stop location for anyone with kids in tow. Just down the road, Prey’s Fruit
Stand is also worth a visit. For a bit more adventure, take a ride on the whitewater of the Wenatchee River or watch the rapids as they roar through Tumwater Canyon. The dam is a good spot to see kayakers and leaping salmon. If you are interested in rafting, you can find a list of rafting companies on the Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce website: leavenworth.org. To the north, Lake Wenatchee’s sparkling waters are perfect for an afternoon of windsurfing or resting on the shore for a picnic. To the south, the Alpine Lakes Wil-
