After getting back from our jaunt to Spokane with my parents, Ted and I decided to take a quick road trip over to Leavenworth and Cashmere (where I’m from) to see the area and so Ted could see my wee little hometown. We opted for camping up the Icicle Canyon, which is a winding little road at the end of Leavenworth. Leavenworth itself is a Bavarian styled town of about 2,000 people. It was a struggling logging community until the 60’s when a couple of entrepreneurs thought that by modeling the town after a Bavarian village, it would boost the town’s economy. And they were right! Now everything is “ye olde this” and “Das brewery” etc.

We set up camp at Bridge Creek Campground, about 15 minutes outside of town. After consulting our local hiking gurus, my aunt and uncle, Dawn and Karl, we decided to hike to Colchuck Lake. Colchuck was about 9 miles roundtrip and like most, if not all alpine lakes, absolutely gorgeous.

That night, we ate dinner with Karl and Dawn at their house (Thank you!!!) and got another recommendation for a short hike for the next day on our way back, Minotaur Lake. So the next day after a short tour of Cashmere (about 10 minutes is all it took) we drove towards Plain on the back roads headed for Minotaur. Minotaur was a very steep hike; only about 4 miles round trip but felt like a lot more with an 1800 foot elevation gain. We were again rewarded with pristine alpine meadows, sparse rocky peaks and a small idyllic lake.

We continued on the back roads and came out near Stevens pass. Definitely not the fastest route, but certainly more scenic!