Town · 36 min northwest
Leavenworth
A Bavarian-style village with river walks and mountain views.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- Paid parking
Day Trippin' › Washington › From Wenatchee
Day trips from Wenatchee
From Wenatchee, Leavenworth's Bavarian village and the Enchantments trailheads are about half an hour up the valley, Lake Chelan is an hour north and Grand Coulee is east. The best day trips from Wenatchee, by drive time.
55 places within a 3-hour drive, by real roads.
10 day trips from Wenatchee
- Mission Ridge 29 min south
- Leavenworth 36 min northwest
- Chelan 59 min northeast
- Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park 1 hr 16 min southeast
- Soap Lake 1 hr 22 min east
- Lake Lenore Caves 1 hr 29 min east
- Dry Falls 1 hr 55 min east
- Index 2 hr 1 min northwest
- Grand Coulee Dam 2 hr 17 min northeast
- Snoqualmie Falls 2 hr 38 min west
Within an hour from Wenatchee 7 spots
Town · 59 min northeast
Chelan
A lakefront town with wineries, beaches and a riverwalk.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- No pass or fee needed
Ski area · 29 min south
Mission Ridge
A sunny ski area above Wenatchee.
- Full day · Easy to hard
- Winter
- Lift ticket
State park · 59 min north
Lake Chelan State Park
Swimming and picnics on a 50-mile-long mountain lake.
- Half day · Easy
- Summer
- Discover Pass
Trail · 37 min northwest
Icicle Gorge Loop
A flat forest loop along a roaring creek near Leavenworth.
- 2 hrs · Easy
- Late spring-fall
- NW Forest Pass
Scenic drive · 43 min northwest
Tumwater Canyon
A drive along the Wenatchee River's rapids, glowing in fall color.
- 30 min-1 hr · Easy
- Year-round; fall best
- No pass or fee needed
Town · 44 min northeast
Waterville
A historic wheat-country town with a classic hotel and old buildings.
- 1 hr · Easy
- Year-round
- No pass or fee needed
1 to 2 hours from Wenatchee 13 spots
Waterfall · 1 hr 55 min east
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
State park · 1 hr 16 min southeast
Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park
Petrified logs and a view over the Columbia at Vantage.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Discover Pass
Town · 1 hr 22 min east
Soap Lake
A mineral lake people have soaked in for a century.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Summer
- No pass or fee needed
Cave · 1 hr 29 min east
Lake Lenore Caves
A short trail to shallow caves used by early peoples above a coulee lake.
- 1 hr · Easy
- Spring-fall
- Discover Pass
State park · 1 hr 55 min southeast
Potholes State Park
Sand dunes, lakes and birds in the desert.
- Half day · Easy
- Spring-fall
- Discover Pass
Landmark · 1 hr 22 min southeast
Wild Horses Monument
Steel horse sculptures running along a ridge above the Columbia.
- 1 hr · Moderate
- Year-round
- No pass or fee needed
Town · 1 hr 35 min south
Ellensburg
A western college town with a historic downtown and the Labor Day rodeo.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- No pass or fee needed
Town · 1 hr 36 min southwest
Roslyn
A historic coal town with old cemeteries and a TV-famous main street.
- 2 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- No pass or fee needed
2 to 3 hours from Wenatchee 28 spots
Dam · 2 hr 17 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 38 min west
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
Town · 2 hr 1 min northwest
Index
A tiny town under granite walls, with river views and climbing.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- No pass or fee needed
Wildlife refuge · 2 hr 8 min southeast
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 · 2 hr 13 min northeast
Steamboat Rock State Park
A huge basalt butte in Banks Lake with a trail to the top.
- Half day · Moderate
- Spring-fall
- Discover Pass
State park · 2 hr 45 min north
Pearrygin Lake State Park
A warm swimming lake in the sagebrush hills above Winthrop.
- 2-4 hrs · Easy
- Summer
- Discover Pass
Pass · 2 hr 14 min west
Snoqualmie Pass
Ski area in winter, hiking and huckleberries in summer, an hour from Seattle.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- Lift tickets; Sno-Park permits in winter
Winery · 2 hr 45 min southeast
Red Mountain wineries
A small, famous wine area of big reds near Benton City.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- Tasting fees
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Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP 98801 (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Facts checked against official sites; passes and hours change, so check before you go.