Best mountain vacation home areas WA State (Seattle, Yakima: to rent, hotels)

[ctr88]

Someone posted a thread about best waterfront second home areas that was very interesting reading. I wanted to post about areas people like for inland or more mountainous vacation home areas in WA State?

[mkarch]

I've always liked the Roslyn / Cle Elum area. It has a dryer, Eastern WA climate but is only about an hour and a half drive away. You can get into some fairly remote feeling areas there and still be 30 minutes away from grocery stores, etc... Same with the area between Leavenworth and Wenatchee - it's just not as close to Seattle.

[Ira500]

And Roslyn is such an odd, cool little town.

[ctr88]

Thanks Mkarch that looks interesting. I like that it has the sunnier climate and I'm in Seattle so access from Seattle is important.

[Kayela]

I like the area by Lake Wenatchee. So many trails, so close to skiing, the lake has lots of recreation right around it, and close enough to Leavenworth to go out for a nice dinner. It's just over the pass far enough that the gloom is lessened and it's definitely drier than the western slopes. Lake Chelan is also neat, but it's getting a bit far for a quick getaway on a frequent basis.

[cjg5]

Originally Posted by Ira500

And Roslyn is such an odd, cool little town.

And many people are already sort of familiar with it, and just don't realize it. Took this picture last year (almost exactly a year ago, actually, just later on in the month of April than it is now) when I was in Roslyn. Recognize it?

[mkarch]

Definitely check out the area around Lake Wenatchee. It's less accessible due to highway 2, but as a result less expensive. Very nice and slightly more rustic than the areas along I-90.

Also, on the way to Roslyn you'll go past a newer resort area called Suncadia which is... expensive. They have a very nice clubhouse with a wine tasting room/winery. I think we dropped $40 on 2 glasses of good, albeit overpriced wine while looking out over the golf course. Once you get past the expensive resort there is much less developed wilderness as you head towards Salmon La Sac.

[509]

Ask you friends and neighbors. Actually, Lake Wenatchee is more expensive than Cle Elum valley. MicroSoft money you know.

Currently, Chelan County is 30% summer homes owned by people from the coast, while Okanogan County is at 50%!!.

However, you should do some due diligence before buying a summer home east of the Cascades. For example, Cle Elum Valley is great IF you like wind. For Lake Wenatchee the issue is clouds and mosquitos. Why have a summer home under gray skies? Which is what you will find close to the Cascade crest.

Anyway, you might want to rent vacation homes first in different areas prior to buying. For example, you might want to try the Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce site: Leavenworth Lodging Guide - Hotels, Cabins, Bed and Breakfast, Lodges, and Camping

Remember that Chelan, Douglas, and Grant Counties all have extensive fiber optic services so if you need to work from your vacation home and need 1Gbps service I would concentrate in those counties. Kittitas and Yakima counties have internet service similar to the Seattle area....slow. Okanogan is in transition as they upgrade their system up there. Though it will be wireless and NOT fiber if you can live with that.

Once Moses Lake became a vacation destination for Puget Sound residents the Quincy-George area has started seeing second homes. This past week, we ran into a couple that just bought a second home in Ephrata. Of course, Wenatchee has been popular for many years for folks that want a second home in an urban setting.

So there are your choices. The best time to visit is during wildflower season. This is April for the Columbia Basin, May for the east slopes of the Cascades (Leavenworth and Winthrop type areas) and June or later for Lake Wenatchee and areas near the Cascade Crest.

Our vacation home is 30 minutes outside of Wenatchee towards Leavenworth, but still as far east as you can go and stay in the mountains. And yes it is on the Leavenworth Chamber site.

[teddyearp]

And then there's Randle.

Randle WebCam & Weather Page (Where the heck is Randle?)