Icicle Gorge

We were staying in Leavenworth for the weekend for my mom's birthday. My parents were interested in going for a moderate hike, and we landed on Icicle Gorge. Even though my wife, son and I had hiked this trail a couple of summers ago, it is a beautiful hike and doesn't have the major elevation gain of other hikes in the area. While my parents had passed through Leavenworth a couple times before, they had never ventured into the Icicle Creek area.

The parking lot was starting to fill up as we arrived in the late morning, but there were still a decent number of parking spots left. It was a bit cloudy, which I didn't mind, as temperatures had been in the high 80's recently, and some clouds and cooler temps during the hike were good things. The five of us started off on the trail as more people continued to arrive at the trailhead.

Icicle Gorge Trailhead

A short while later, we were at the bridge which crosses the gorge and we stopped to take some photos of the cascading water rushing under the bridge. This is certainly the most scenic spot of the hike, and worth a visit even if you don't want to do the full loop trail.

Icicle Gorge

After the bridge, we continued along the trail as it contoured along the Icicle Creek, and then followed the trail more inland, where it passes through a somewhat swampy area. There was only a little section of mud which was relatively easily bypassed, but I imagine during the spring it could be quite muddy.

Muddy section

About halfway through the hike, as the trail parallels the creek, we ventured down towards the water to find some rocks to sit on and have lunch. The sun was starting to come out, and the temperature was quite pleasant as we sat on the rocks and enjoyed our food.

Near our lunch spot

Fueled up after lunch, we resumed our hike and passed a couple of groups along the way. I thought the trail would have been busier, but during our loop we only encountered a handful of groups on the trail. No complaints here for the low number of people on the trail during a summer weekend!

We approached the section where you leave the trail and cross over the Forest Service Road 7600 bridge to the other side of the Creek. While there were some folks camping at the Rock Island Campground, unlike the last time on the trail, there was no one in the swimming hole next to the campground. The sun was starting to come out, but I suspect people were waiting for some warmer temps before jumping in the frigid Icicle Creek.

Near the forest service road bridge

We crossed the bridge and hopped back on the trail, and started the final stretch back to the car. It's a little over a mile from the bridge, but time seemed to go by quickly. This section of the trail has some nice views down into Icicle Creek, although not nearly as scenic as near the pedestrian bridge at the start of the hike.

Icicle Creek

We made it back to the car, and then headed back to our rental to relax for a bit before heading out for a wonderful dinner at Larch and an amazing performance of the Sound of Music at the Leavenworth Summer Theatre.