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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Cle Elum
Base here 1–2 nights only if you want Cascade trailheads or Suncadia; otherwise it is a 90-minute I-90 stop between Seattle and Ellensburg.
Cle Elum is a small sawmill and railroad town on I-90, 85 miles east of Seattle over Snoqualmie Pass. It works as a low-cost base for hiking, snow sports and the neighbouring coal town of Roslyn, not as a sightseeing destination in itself. A car is effectively required, and most trailheads need a federal parking pass.
- Country
- United States
- Best months
- Jun–Sep for hiking; Jan–Mar for snow
- Avoid
- Nov and Apr (mud season, pass closures); holiday weekends on I-90
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget $70–110 excl. bed · Mid $110–180 excl. bed · High $180+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911 · Kittitas County non-emergency 509-925-8534
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | $3–6 |
| Diner breakfast | $12–20 |
| Steak or Italian main | $25–45 |
| Beer: draught in a bar / six-pack at a store | $6–9 / $10–14 |
| Gallon of petrol | $4–5 (check) |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | $10–25 |
| Motel room, midweek vs holiday weekend | $90–150 / $200+ |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- SEA · Seattle–Tacoma International
- About 85 mi west via I-90 over Snoqualmie Pass; 1 h 45 min without traffic, longer on Sunday evenings and ski weekends.
- YKM · Yakima Air Terminal
- About 60 mi southeast; small airport with limited connections.
Typical fares
- Kittitas County Connector
- free rides between Kittitas, Ellensburg, Cle Elum, Ronald and Roslyn; limited schedule (check)
- I-90 Seattle → Cle Elum
- about 85 mi, 1 h 45 min without traffic; longer on ski and holiday weekends (check)
- Northwest Forest Pass
- $30 for one year, valid across Washington and Oregon national forests (check)
Get around
You need a car. The town has under 2,000 residents, no local bus, and some east-end streets have no sidewalks. The Kittitas County Connector runs free rides between Kittitas, Ellensburg, Cle Elum, Ronald and Roslyn on a limited schedule — check days before relying on it. The Palouse to Cascades Trail is a gravel rail-trail through South Cle Elum for bikes and walking.
See and do
Known for
- Snoqualmie Pass access on I-90
- Salmon La Sac and Teanaway trailheads
- Roslyn, the Northern Exposure filming town
- Sausage and meat markets on 1st Street
- Suncadia Resort
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Roslyn | WA-903 northwest from Cle Elum, about 10 min by car | About 15 min |
| Snoqualmie Pass | I-90 west, about 25 min | About 30 min |
| Ellensburg | I-90 east, about 20 mi | About 25 min |
| Leavenworth | WA-970 to US-97 over Blewett Pass | About 1 h 15 min |
| Wenatchee | US-97 north via Blewett Pass | About 1 h 45 min |
| Lake Easton State Park | I-90 west about 15 mi to Easton | About 20 min |
Sleep
- Downtown Cle Elum (1st Street)
- Walkable strip with the meat markets, cafés and the telephone museum; motels and the Best Western are a short drive out.
- South Cle Elum
- Quieter, on the Palouse to Cascades Trail; the Iron Horse Inn sits in converted rail cars here.
- Suncadia Resort
- Golf, spa and rental homes east of town; you pay resort prices and still need a car for everything else.
- Roslyn and Ronald
- 10–15 min northwest up WA-903; small inns and rentals, closest to Salmon La Sac.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Where is the trailhead? | Where is the trailhead? |
| Do I need a pass to park here? | Do I need a pass to park here? |
| Is the pass open? | Is the pass open? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
| How far to the next town? | How far to the next town? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- Snoqualmie Pass can close in winter storms; carry chains or snow tyres Nov–Mar and check state road conditions before leaving Seattle.
- Most Cascade trailheads require a federal parking pass per vehicle — Northwest Forest Pass or Interagency Pass — sold at the Cle Elum Ranger District office.
- Cell coverage drops fast on WA-903 past Cle Elum Lake and in the Teanaway; download offline maps.
- I-90 backs up westbound on Sunday afternoons and holiday weekends; add an hour.
- Wildfire smoke can cancel hiking plans in Aug–Sep; check air quality before a long drive.
Low street crime in a town of under 2,000. The real risks are mountain weather, winter pass closures, unmarked trailheads and wildfire smoke — tell someone your route and carry water.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Cle Elum yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Snoqualmie Pass access on I-90
- Salmon La Sac and Teanaway trailheads
- Roslyn, the Northern Exposure filming town
- Sausage and meat markets on 1st Street
- Suncadia Resort
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Cle Elum Roslyn Chamber of Commerce: www.cleelumroslyn.org/
- Washington State Parks — Lake Easton State Park: parks.wa.gov/find-parks/state-parks/lake-easton-state-park
- US Forest Service — Cle Elum Ranger District: www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/okawen/recarea/?recid=57117
- US Forest Service — Northwest forest passes and permits: www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r6/passes-permits/recreation/?cid=fsbdev2_027020
- Wikivoyage: Cle Elum, revision 5122154 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5122154
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Cle Elum
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
- Kittitas County non-emergency509-925-8534
No embassies here. Nearest consulates-general are in Seattle; national embassies are in Washington, DC.
Tipping is expected: 18–22% at sit-down restaurants, $1–2 a drink, 15–20% taxis.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/cle-elum). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.