Snowshoeing in the beautiful Lake Wenatchee State Park
Just over the eastern side of Steven’s Pass is Lake Wenatchee State Park. As a new member of the Washington tribe, I’d never put much thought into it as other areas (Leavenworth) grabbed my attention. However, with winter limiting most mountain hiking, snowshoeing at Lake Wenatchee looked like an incredible way to get outside.
And it was.
After some recent snowfall, the trees were covered in snow, and the lake glistened as snow hugged its shoreline. It truly was a magical winter wonderland. The only negative was how cold it was. The daytime temperatures hovered around 19 degrees. It wasn’t bad when you were moving, but as the sun began to fade and we took photos on the shoreline, it got frigid.
Bring plenty of warm gear and some hot cocoa to enjoy.
Looking for winter gear? Check out my winter guide.
Snowshoeing at Lake Wenatchee – Guide
What to know
- Even though it’s a state park, your state park pass does not work during winter. Instead, you have to buy a Sno-Park pass which was $25 for the day, or you can buy a winter pass for $120.
- There’s a north and a south entrance. We went to the south side, whose entrance you reach first while driving the main road.
- There are no snowshoes to rent on site. You need to bring them.
- There’s a dedicated snowshoe path as well as cross country ski route. When snowshoeing at Lake Wenatchee, you have to say on your trail, except when crossing, or you risk being fined.
- We frolicked while snowshoeing, so we did two miles in about two hours.
- We took my Prius, but it handled the inch or so of snow just fine. We did have chains, just in case.
Where to go at Lake Wenatchee
- If you go snowshoeing at Lake Wenatchee State Park, a nice three-mile loop starts on the lake shore and takes you away from the lake. Most of it is flat, which a couple of inclines/declines. South Route All Trails link.
- We didn’t attempt the north trail, but looking at All Trails, it’s about 2.5 miles and generally flat.
Final Suggestions about snowshoeing
- Plan for 2-3 hours to give yourself enough time to enjoy the area
- Stop in Leavenworth afterward and check it out. It’s a cute town!
- Look at my winter gear guide if you need warm gear ideas.
- Drive safely. It might have been a weird climate day, but we found it to be about 12 degrees colder than Steven’s Pass.
Until next time adventurers, take care and be safe.
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