State park · 38 min east
Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park
Petrified logs and a view over the Columbia at Vantage.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Discover Pass
Day Trippin' › Washington › From Ellensburg
Day trips from Ellensburg
Ellensburg sits in the middle of Washington: Snoqualmie Pass and Leavenworth are about an hour away, the Columbia River's Ginkgo Petrified Forest is half an hour east, and Yakima's wine country is to the south. The best day trips from Ellensburg, by drive time.
74 places within a 3-hour drive, by real roads.
10 day trips from Ellensburg
- Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park 38 min east
- Wild Horses Monument 42 min east
- Roslyn 44 min northwest
- Peshastin Pinnacles State Park 1 hr 19 min north
- Leavenworth 1 hr 22 min north
- Columbia National Wildlife Refuge 1 hr 32 min east
- Snoqualmie Falls 1 hr 46 min northwest
- Dry Falls 2 hr 12 min northeast
- Chelan 2 hr 23 min north
- Maryhill Stonehenge 2 hr 34 min south
Within an hour from Ellensburg 4 spots
Town · 44 min northwest
Roslyn
A historic coal town with old cemeteries and a TV-famous main street.
- 2 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- No pass or fee needed
Landmark · 42 min east
Wild Horses Monument
Steel horse sculptures running along a ridge above the Columbia.
- 1 hr · Moderate
- Year-round
- No pass or fee needed
Canyon · 52 min east
Frenchman Coulee
Basalt columns, a seasonal waterfall and climbing near the Gorge Amphitheatre.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Spring best
- Discover Pass (state wildlife land; not sold at the lot)
1 to 2 hours from Ellensburg 31 spots
Town · 1 hr 22 min north
Leavenworth
A Bavarian-style village with river walks and mountain views.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- Paid parking
Waterfall · 1 hr 46 min northwest
Snoqualmie Falls
A 268-foot falls with an overlook a short walk from the parking lot.
- 1 hr · Easy
- Year-round
- Free upper lot (cross the sky bridge); the lower lot charges for parking
State park · 1 hr 19 min north
Peshastin Pinnacles State Park
Sandstone spires with a short trail and orchard views.
- 1-2 hrs · Moderate
- Spring-fall
- Discover Pass
Wildlife refuge · 1 hr 32 min east
Columbia National Wildlife Refuge
Scablands lakes and cliffs full of birds south of Potholes.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Spring-fall
- No pass or fee needed
State park · 1 hr 33 min east
Potholes State Park
Sand dunes, lakes and birds in the desert.
- Half day · Easy
- Spring-fall
- Discover Pass
Garden · 1 hr 35 min north
Ohme Gardens
Alpine-style gardens on a rocky bluff above Wenatchee.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Mid-April to mid-October
- Entry fee
Market · 1 hr 40 min north
Pybus Public Market
A food hall in an old steel warehouse on the Wenatchee riverfront.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- No pass or fee needed
Museum · 1 hr 43 min northwest
Snoqualmie and the Northwest Railway Museum
Ride a vintage train and see the old depot in the town from Twin Peaks.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round; trains run seasonally
- Train ride fee
2 to 3 hours from Ellensburg 39 spots
Waterfall · 2 hr 12 min northeast
Dry Falls
A cliff once home to a waterfall five times wider than Niagara, from the Ice Age floods.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Discover Pass at some lots
Town · 2 hr 23 min north
Chelan
A lakefront town with wineries, beaches and a riverwalk.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- No pass or fee needed
Historic site · 2 hr 34 min south
Maryhill Stonehenge
A full-size concrete Stonehenge built as a WWI memorial.
- 30 min · Easy
- Year-round
- No pass or fee needed
Dam · 2 hr 45 min northeast
Grand Coulee Dam
One of the biggest concrete structures on Earth, with a summer night laser show.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round; laser show summer
- Free
Waterfall · 2 hr 51 min east
Palouse Falls
A 198-foot falls into a deep basalt canyon, the state's official waterfall.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Spring best
- Discover Pass
Park · 2 hr 46 min west
Point Defiance Park
A huge Tacoma park with old forest, beaches, gardens, a zoo and an aquarium.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- Free park; zoo has a fee
Viewpoint · 3 hr west
Sunrise
The highest point you can drive to in the park, with huge views of the mountain.
- Half day · Easy to moderate
- July-September
- NPS entrance fee
Ski area · 2 hr 5 min north
Mission Ridge
A sunny ski area above Wenatchee.
- Full day · Easy to hard
- Winter
- Lift ticket
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Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP 98926 (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Facts checked against official sites; passes and hours change, so check before you go.