Writing about Leavenworth, Washington is a blogger’s delight. The area offers excellent hiking trails, a town of Bavarian architecture (facades), hotels and Air B&B’s, shopping, wine tasting, skiing, and a plethora of other outdoor activities. This summer, the parking lot that once stored the rafts for white water rafting has been transformed into the new Leavenworth Adventure Park. With this tourist site only 2.5 hours from the Tri-Cities, it is accessible as a day trip.
Families can drive right through Leavenworth to the intersection of Highway 2 and Icicle Creek Rd., where they will see the summer luge cars flying down the tracks secured to the alpine cliff. The four activities visitors can enjoy at the Adventure Park are an alpine coaster, a climbing wall, a bungee trampoline, and a mining sluice.
The alpine slide is called the Tumwater Twister and is Washington State’s first alpine coaster. The ride offers a vertical drop of 234’ and is 2,700’ long, soaring 35’ off the ground! Riders can choose to enjoy the scenery of the Tumwater Canyon, the town of Leavenworth, and the Icicle Ridge. Or…if adrenalin rushes are preferred, riders can speed along the rails up to 27 mph! Like all rides, there are restrictions to the Tumwater Twister. One or two people can ride per sled and children must be at least three years old and 38” tall. Kids between three and eight must ride with a person 16 years or older. To ride alone, a person must be nine years old and at least 54” tall. For one ride, the prices vary from $5.00 to $20.00 according to age. For three rides, the tickets cost between $15.00 and $48.00.
After the alpine slide, visitors can head to the climbing wall. It is 27’ tall with four lanes and two routes per lane. Climbers are fitted with a harness and attached to a belay system to provide a safe experience. The minimum age is three and a minimum weight is 22 lbs. The climbing wall is $12.00 per climb.
On to the Bavarian Bungee Bounce trampoline! Who doesn’t want to fly high on a trampoline without worrying where one might land? This trampoline allows jumpers to jump up to 20’ high while attached to a harness for safety. This attraction requires kids to be at least six years old and 40” tall. Like the climbing wall, the bungee trampoline costs $12.00 per person.
Keeping your feet on the ground, visitors to the Adventure Park can pan for gemstones at the park’s Gems of The Enchantments. This activity is $8.00, and kids can buy a bag of rough gems at the Guest Services Center. This activity offers a fun and educational wind down for the family.
Reservations can be made for your trip to the Leavenworth Adventure Park at leavenworthadventurepark.com. Tickets and times can be arranged in advance to avoid lines and make the experience pleasurable. There are limited drop-in tickets available, so making reservations ensures your family an enjoyable adventure in Leavenworth!
