Waterfront Park

After a fun couple of rides down the Mountain Coaster, we headed to Enchantment Park as my son wanted to try out riding his scooter in the pump park. Enchantment Park has a trail which connects into the Waterfront Park, so this was the perfect place for some scootering and then a family hike.

While it took us a while to find parking in Leavenworth after the hike, we had no issues getting a spot in Enchantment park, with only a handful of other people in the park. Granted it was a cold late fall afternoon, hovering just above freezing, but downtown Leavenworth was packed with visitors enjoying the Christmas vibe.

The wide gravel trail begins near the playground, and splits apart near the start. We opted to head left on the Enchantment Trail, as I figured we could take the other trail closer to the river on the way back. We passed by a couple of other groups over the course of the hike, but as expected, there were not many people walking along the trail, as it was close to getting dark and very cold.

Beginning of hike

Near the bridge over to Blackbird Island my son spotted a frozen pond. The ice looked thick for this time of year, and my son was insistent on finding a rock to test the strength of the ice. We were unable to locate a rock of requisite size, however on the way back he grabbed a couple of rocks from the bank of the river. Tossing them on the ice, they harmlessly bounced off, not so much as causing a crack.

Frozen pond near Blackbird Island

Crossing over the Enchantment bridge onto Blackbird Island, the trail split into three, and we opted to head left along the Channel Trail. There were some interpretive sings along the way, a couple of which we stopped to read, but given the receding light and cold temps, there was very little idle time.

Interpretive sign near Blackbird Island Bridge

While crossing Blackbird Island Bridge it was hard not to notice the Posthotel Leavenworth rising majestically from the banks of the Wenatchee River. While it is probably an impressive structure when viewed from the street as well, it towered above the bridge and river. Once across the bridge, we decided to turn around and head back towards the car.

Blackbird Island Bridge and the Posthotel

We took the River Trail back across Blackbird Island, which obviously afforded nice views of the Wenatchee. It would certainly be fun to come back in the summer and throw in a tube or paddleboard and cruise down the river.

Wenatchee River from Blackbird Island Bridge

While crossing the Enchantment Bridge from Blackbird Island, I couldn't help but marvel at how clear the water was. Granted it wasn't a particularly deep section of the river, and I'm used to the clear water of Lake Chelan, but it was a mesmerizing sight watching the water flow over the rocks and logs on the bottom of the river.

Looking down on the river from Enchantmant Bridge

After crossing the bridge, we took the trail closer to the river called the Bear Trail, and noticed a couple of ponds along the way which are open for fishing for anyone under 15. I joked with my son that we should have brought a rod and tried our hand at ice fishing. Towards the end of the trail we had nice views of the Enchantments and the start of Icicle Creek.

Mountains

We made our way back on the rest of the trail, passing a couple of deer at the end grazing next to the playground at Enchantment Park. Cold, but happy with the hike, we went into Leavenworth and enjoyed a beer at Icicle Brewing and then had an amazing dinner at Larch!