Suncadia Resort in the Winter – The Perfect Family Getaway!

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Suncadia Resort in the Winter – The Perfect Family Getaway!

We love to visit the Suncadia Resort in Cle Elum, Washington year round, but the winter is especially a magical time to enjoy this beautiful Northwest getaway. We have shared about Suncadia in the summer here, so now want to share all of the family friendly activities in the winter to do.  It took us just over an hour from the Seattle area, to get there – so it makes a perfect short getaway up in the Central Washington Cascade Mountains. There is also lots to do, so you can stay as long as you like to as well.

Here are some of our favorite places to stay and eat as well as things to do at the Suncadia resort to make it the perfect option for families or couples.

The Suncadia Lodge in the Winter

One thing that is wonderful about the Suncadia resort is that there is so much to do in the outdoors year round. It also offers a number of different accommodation options, to pick from, making it a great option for families of all sizes.

There is a main lodge, where you can rent out everything from a standard hotel type room to suites with bedrooms and kitchenettes. For those wanting a space more their own, there are a number of stand alone homes you can rent in the area. We stayed in the Inn, which was a nice option right in between the other options. Some things to consider when deciding where to book at Suncadia:

The Suncadia Inn

Suncadia Rentals to Choose From – 

The Suncadia Lodge – 

This is where many people book, as it has a variety of rooms that are more moderately priced then the homes. You have a restaurant and coffee shop right in the lodge, and it does have access to a small pool right out back too. These rooms usually come with a small kitchenette to use as well.

The Suncadia Inn (pictured above) – 

We love to stay at the Inn. While the room is a basic hotel room, they are spacious. They also come with a fireplace and balcony (two things we love when traveling). It is located across from the fitness and pool center, as well as the ice rink, so close to many of the activities. It sits on the Suncadia golf course, and there are walking paths to the main lodge and other areas you may want to access at the resort.

The other thing I like about the Inn, is that there are only a handful of rooms….so you really do have more space to yourself (there is only one floor of rooms here).

Renting a Home In Suncadia – 

This is often the most expensive option, but you will have a nice beautiful (and often large) home to yourself. It is also a good option if you are wanting to travel with another family (some of these homes sleep quite a few people.

Another option is to rent one of the condos. This will give you more of your own space, but at a more moderate cost.

Find current rates available here.

Things to Do in Suncadia (Winter Edition) –

The outdoor beauty at this resort is wonderful. You can take walks along miles of trails, and not have to spend any extra to enjoy the beauty. We have run into wildlife year round (usually deer in the summer, and we were fortunate enough to come across a herd of elk this winter)!.

Swimming at Suncadia

In the Winter, there are three pools open for guests to use. The first two are right next to each other at the Fitness Center (one indoor and one outdoor).

The indoor pool does have two waterslides, but they are only open on the weekends (Friday through Sunday), so if that is important to you make sure you book during those times. There are also lifeguards on duty.

My favorite thing about Suncadia during the winter months, is that they have heated the outdoor pools to 96 degrees, and it was my kids favorite pool to use. They loved this one especially at night. If you have tweens or teens, the kids love it. I just called and confirmed that they are still offering these heated outdoor pool options year round!

There is also an outdoor pool at the lodge (and it is heated as well). We never made it out there to verify how that worked, but that is what we were told at check-in.

Ice Skating at Suncadia (extra fee for this activity) –

There is a beautiful outdoor ice rink that is open for skating. There is an extra fee to do this. Ask when you check in about best times to book, and they will text you the link to make your reservations. Skates and helmets are provided.

The skating rink is open all day, but my kids preferred to skate in the evening as all the lights where lit up. It was the busiest time when we were there, so you will want to make night time ice skating reservations early, to make sure you are able to get in.

Snow Tube Tow Hill at Suncadia (extra fee for this activity) –

There is a snow tubing hill on the Suncadia property (you will find it up next to Swiftwater Cellars). It is generally open on the weekends in the Winter, depending on the weather. We were told it was closed when we checked in on Thursday as there was not enough snow, but it opened Friday morning for the kids to enjoy…so be sure to check in to see if it is open during your visit.

Like I mentioned above, it was iffy if they were going to open during our stay, so the hills usually have more snow on them then you see here – but it worked and the kids had fun! There is a rope tow they hook you to, that pulls you back up to the top, to make the return easy.

Sledding

You can bring your own sleds (or they have a store in the INN, that sells them too), to sled for free around the resort. My kids went hunting for hills, and did not find anything that impressed them too much (but they did have fun). The resort recommended the golf course behind the INN (where we were staying) but those hills were not huge, as well as a location over behind the Fitness Center (where the pool is) that we were never able to find. If you have a favorite sledding area at the resort, let us know how you get there so we can recommend it to others.

There is also a popular sledding area on the way back from Suncadia to the Puget Sound, called the Hyak Snow Park. It can get crowded, but is a great spot for some sledding. You will also find a larger tubing area at the Summit at Snoqualmie, with a magic carpet, if you wanted to plan a stop there on your way back too (you have to make reservations ahead of time, and they fill up). Find out more about both of those options in our Sledding and Tubing in Washington article here.

Snow Shoeing & Cross Country Skiing

There are miles of trails at the Suncadia resort, where you can enjoy snow shoeing and cross country skiing. They will provide you a map at check-in that shows those areas. You can also rent equipment on site if you do not have your own.

In addition, there is a sno park in Cle Elum called the Salmon La Sac Sno-Park, which is also set up well for both these activities.

Hiking or take 1000 Stairs Down to the Riverfront!

There are stairs from the back of the resort, all the way down to the Cle Elum river. 1000 stairs to be exact! If you are looking for some great exercise, this is open during the daylight hours.

Smores Around a Bon Fire at Night

There are a couple of fires they get going in the evenings, that families can sit around and roast smores at. Bring your own supplies, or you can buy small kits at the coffee shop in the lodge too. Find the fires at the main lodge, and ice rink areas.

Axe Throwing, Archery, Seasonal Activities & More

They have recently added axe throwing and archery, and they always offer a rotating schedule of seasonal activities like movie nights, elf visits, story hours, crafts and more. Find their current schedule of events here.

Exploring Roslyn and Cle Elum

Get out and do a little site seeing, or dining and shopping in these small towns. While Rosly is famous, as Northern Exposure was filmed here, it is small….but fun to visit. It is a quick 5 minute trip from the resort. The Roslyn Cafe is the most well known eatery there (from Northern Exposure filming) but we had the most amazing food at the Roslyn Mexican Grill during our visit, and plan to go back there on our next visit too.

Beaus Cle Elum

If you are looking for a great spot to eat in Cle Elum, we always stop in at Beaus. It is a tradition for us, and I am never disappointed. They serve delicious Italian food and pizzas, in a cozy dining room.

Suncadia Restaurants

In addition to the fact that you can find lots of great restaurants nearby (like the ones we have mentioned above in Cle Elum and Roslyn, there are also some Suncadia Restaurants right on site that you can enjoy! Plus, they have just recently started offering some family meal specials, that make these even more attractive options! Here are some of our favorite current offerings.

Portals Suncadia –

Portals at Suncadia is our go to restaurant. It is flanked with windows for beautiful outdoor views and they are open for all three meals. If you pick one restaurant to try at Suncadia this is our go to.

They are offering new family meal deals on Wed. in February to serve 4 people, that I think are a super deal. They start at as low as $48! Find that menu here.

The Stovehouse in the Inn at Suncadia – 

The Stovehouse sits in the bottom floor of the Suncadia Inn, and overlooks the golf course. It has a fun lodge feel and casual laid back environment. In my experience the hours here are much more limited so be sure to check those ahead of time when planning a visit.

Currently they are offering these fun Taco Tuesday specials!

SwiftWater Cellars Winery at Suncadia – 

If you want a special meal out, this is the spot! They also offer happy hour available in the afternoon for a more casual visit.

Coffee Shop, Lounges & Food Trucks – 

In addition you will find a coffee shop in the main lodge, seasonal food trucks, cafes on the golf courses and lounges to grab a drink. You can also have food ordered to your room.

Bring Your Own Food – 

Many of the locations on the Suncadia Resort offer kitchens or places to make your own food. Pay attention to that if those are important to you to help save on food. Even in just to standard hotel rooms, we usually bring some things to make our snacks and enjoy drinks, so we do not have to eat every meal out.

Ways To Save On Suncadia Resort Stays –

Find the Suncadia Resort current rates here, to compare with these specials below.

Suncadia is lots of fun, but it is not a cheap getaway. Here are a few tips on how you can save some money on your stay.

Currently there is a special promotion that makes this one of the best offers on property! It is a:

• • Get 40% off Trailhead’s one- and two-bedroom condos and townhomes.
  • Enjoy the conveniences of a hotel, and the amenities of a condo with these stays.

Rates will vary by how many are staying and when you want to stay. I found units for as low as $263nt for units that  (or $269nt for units that sleep 7). You could book one with two families, and really make it affordable. I found units for $371/nt that sleep 12, if you wanted to share between 3 families or 1 or 2 larger families.

You can compare these rates to hotel rooms and other bookings available at this hotel here.

• Note that with this promotion ther is a 2 night minium. However since there is a cleaning fee required the best deal is if you stay longer – as that cleaning fee is the same for 2 nights or 6 nights.
• There will be a nightly resort fee and taxes (but you will find that whereever you book)
• The cleaning fee will remain the same.
• Promotion should be good on rooms booked through March of 2024 (book early for the best selection and availability.

Follow them on Social Media for promotions (or check their deal page here). We booked a stay with a $50 credit included, and used that to cover our dinner one night, for example.

Book one night, but play two days. This is something we do often for our Suncadia stays. For example on this last trip, we checked in by 11 am and had a full day there, then played and had a late lunch before coming home the following day to make the most of our one night stay. Note that check in is at 4pm, so there is no guarantee your room will be ready early (but ours always has), however even if it is not you can still enjoy the grounds or one of the nearby towns.

Book a Thursday night if you can. The reasoning here is that weeknight stays are almost always more affordable than weekends, and usually easier to find openings for. However a few of the activities are only available on the weekends seasonally (like the tubing hill and waterslides). We reserve those activities for Friday morning, and do the rest Thursday. That way we can enjoy it all, but at the lower weekday rate.

Go in on a house with another family. This can bring your nightly rate down significantly, but you will enjoy beautiful accommodations.

Find Current Rates for The Best Western Cle Elum here.

One last idea, if you really want to bring down your costs is to stay in town at a much more affordable hotel or rental, and then go over to Suncadia to enjoy their amenities. You will want to call ahead and make sure they are open to the public (for example the ice skating rink was open to the public one day a week, and the tubing hill open based on availability).

We tried this for one night to see how it would work out, and stayed at the Best Western in Cle Elum for less than half the Suncadia rate (remember Suncadia charges a resort fee, so be sure to factor in all the fees when comparing). This stay also came with a breakfast, and it had a pool that was pretty easy to get access too. We found this hotel very clean and comfortable, and was just a short drive from Suncadia. It is always the most fun to stay on Suncadia property, but this is another option if you do not want to pay those rates.

Be sure to check out our review of staying at the Suncadia Resort during the warmer months of the year here too!