What to Expect at the Winthrop Hot Air Balloon Festival

I want to break down what to expect at the Winthrop Hot Air Balloon Festival because my boyfriend and I attended two years in a row to celebrate our anniversary. I’d bought him a hot air balloon ride for our first anniversary three years before we attended (which we never took…more on this later). So when we learned there’s a winter balloon event within driving distance of Seattle that dots the wintry landscape with colorful hot air balloons, we were sold!

However, we learned a lot about the Winthrop Hot Air Balloon Roundup the hard way, which is why we ended up going two years in a row. To help you avoid the same mistakes we made, I’m sharing all my tips so you can make the most of your trip to this annual winter event.

What to Expect at the Winthrop Hot Air Balloon Festival

So I’d mentioned I bought my boyfriend, Dan, a hot air balloon ride for our first anniversary before our trip to the Winthrop balloon roundup, but never went. Wondering why? Well, let’s just say I made a horrible impression for our one-year anniversary.

I had this whole plan where I’d buy him this hot air balloon ride and invite him to come with me on a San Francisco trip I’d planned for myself before we were serious. It was all figured out. We’d go to Napa Valley and take a hot air balloon ride, followed by wine. I made the cutest card (if I do say so myself) with a 3-D hot air balloon on it. It was going to be the perfect gift.

On our anniversary, I gave him the card all excited about how this was going to be the gift of all gifts. Well…it wasn’t.

You could imagine my surprise when he said with a forced smile, “Oh wow, thanks.” My heart sank. When I asked him why he wasn’t excited, he seemed embarrassed when he explained that he was planning to go home for Passover during my trip to San Francisco. I was totally blindsided by this since he’d never mentioned this before.

His embarrassment turned into my embarrassment. I felt so insensitive and mad at myself for getting an awesome gift during a religious holiday. We obviously didn’t end up going, so fast forward 3 years later, when I learned about the Winthrop Hot Air Balloon Roundup I was determined to make it up to him.

The gift ended up being a debacle again because we missed out on a hot air balloon ride during the first year we attended the event. I did finally make it up to him the second year we went to the event, but the experience was full of hard lessons. To make sure you don’t run into the same mistakes I did, here’s everything I know about the Winthrop Hot Air Balloon Roundup.

When is the Winthrop Hot Air Balloon Festival?

The Winthrop Balloon Roundup is held the first weekend of March every year from Friday – Sunday. It’s still wintry and cold during this time of year in the Methow Valley, so pack lots and lots of winter gear. You’re going to be freezing. However, it’s a small price to pay for the magnificent, once-in-a-lifetime experience of seeing colorful hot air balloons contrasting the bright white snowy landscape.

Where is Winthrop?

Winthrop is in central Washington’s Methow Valley, which is home to the largest network of groomed cross-country ski trails in the country. It’s about a 4 to 4.5 hour drive from Seattle, but can take longer if the roads are snowy. I recommend arriving on the Thursday before the event begins or early Friday.

Another funny quirk to note is that the event is called the “Winthrop” Balloon Roundup, but the hot air balloon rides take off from the tiny town of Twisp, Washington next to Winthrop. You can’t really tell the difference since the small towns bleed into each other, but I thought I’d mention in case you wonder why this town is coming up when you enter your directions into Google Maps.

How much does the event cost?

The Winthrop hot air balloon festival itself is free to attend. There are activities good for all ages, which I’ll talk about more below. However, if you want to go in a hot air balloon you’re obviously going to have to pay.

You should expect it to cost about $275 per person for the ride. You’ll be in the basket alongside 10-20 other passengers, depending on the size of the balloon.

Companies also usually offer private tours during the normal season from May – September, which tends to be around $950 per couple. They don’t typically advertise this during the balloon roundup, but if you’d prefer a super special experience I’d inquire about it. I wasn’t making a lot of money at the time, so we did the group hot air balloon ride option.

When should you book your hot air balloon ride?

ASAP. The first year I tried to book a flight in October and I had to go on a wait list. The official event website usually release the next year’s event dates in early summer, so I’d start checking in June or July to book for the following March.

I also highly recommend reserving your flight for the Saturday of the roundup. That way if the flight is canceled due to weather, they may be able to reschedule you for the next day of the event.

Are you guaranteed to go up in the air?

No. Whether or not you fly is dependent on the weather. Since March is the off season, the weather can be finicky. However, you’ll get your money back or a gift certificate to take a flight at a later date if you don’t go up in the air.

Remember I mentioned we didn’t go on a hot air balloon ride the first year we went to the event? It’s because our flight was canceled. We ended up getting on a flight for Sunday, but we woke up to a blizzard that morning. Dan’s car was almost completely covered and snow was pouring down. We got the dreaded call at 6 am, about 2 minutes before we were going to leave to head to the launch site: “No balloons are flying today.”

This is why I recommend scheduling your flight at the beginning of the event. While the hot air balloon company may be completely booked on Sunday, there could be a chance they’d reschedule you for the next day. Since it was the last day of the roundup when we went, we had to get a refund and try again next year.

Can anyone take a hot air balloon ride?

Unfortunately no. There is a weight limit of about 275 pounds per person. So check the hot air balloon company’s website before booking. Hot air balloon rides also require some flexibility to swing your legs over the basket side. And since you go up to higher altitudes they don’t allow people with heart issues or recent surgeries to fly.

Another surprise is that pregnant women aren’t allowed to fly, even if they’re healthy. My friend learned this the hard way when we booked a flight in a hot air balloon when exploring Oregon Wine Country.

Lastly, most hot air balloon companies either ban or highly discourage children under 6 years old. So if you have young ones in tow, you won’t be able to take them up in the air until they’re a bit older.

What should you wear during your hot air balloon ride?

ALL THE LAYERS. It was so cold when we went to the Winthrop Balloon Roundup both years. This was my outfit and I was still cold: long johns, thick flannel-lined jeans, thick socks, fur-lined waterproof Uggs, long-sleeve shirt, snowboarding jacket, neck gator, gloves, and beanie.

This is unfortunately something you can’t avoid when going up in a hot air balloon ride. However, don’t let this discourage you. The Winthrop Hot Air Balloon Roundup was honestly one of the best moments of my life. Just dress warm like I did and consider getting those hand and foot warming packets to put in your boots and gloves.

How long is the hot air balloon ride?

It’ll depend on the weather, but the hot air balloon companies all say it’ll be at least an hour up in the air. Most also include pre and post-flight drinks or breakfast, so your whole experience will likely take about 3 hours.

What time of day are balloon flights?

Folks, it’s going to be a challenge if you’re not a morning person. All hot air balloon flights at the Winthrop Balloon Roundup ask you to arrive at about 6 am. This is because winds are calmest in the morning this time of year. While you may have heard about sunset rides during other hot air balloon festivals, this is not an option at the Winthrop one.

What is it like the day of your hot air balloon ride?

The morning of, if they don’t call you to cancel beforehand, you’ll arrive at around 6 am. You’ll register at a tent, likely be offered coffee, and then you’ll wait…and wait.

A hot air balloon ride isn’t just about the flight experience. You also get to watch them blow up the hot air balloons, which is truly magical.

However, the morning we went they ended up taking almost 90 minutes to go up in the air. Given it was so cold, I felt this was a bit too long. I also was disappointed because it was a beautiful, clear day. And I was excited to get sunrise photos up in the air. I went on a hot air balloon ride with a different company in Oregon and found the pre-flight experience more enjoyable because it took closer to 45 minutes.

The day we took our flight may have been an exception, but know that if you’re a bit later than 6 am you won’t miss your flight.

I still encourage you to get to your hot air balloon flight early because you get a truly great sense of how magnificent hot air balloons are watching them being blow up. The crew might also ask you to help. Which is a once in a lifetime experience in and of itself.

Once the hot air balloon is ready, you’ll be called to assemble around the hot air balloon and start entering one at a time. They will point at you to climb up the ladder they set up and hop over the basket. Once in, they’ll give you some pre-flight instructions before taking off. All of this happens rather quickly because they don’t want to waste fuel. And the staff is holding down the balloon by hand and pegs as it tries to lift off.

When you’re in the air, it’s really peaceful. It wasn’t windy when we went, and likely won’t be too bad when you go because high winds are the biggest reason for flight cancellation. You’ll be up in the air for about an hour. And changing altitude as the pilot adjusts things to the weather patterns. Likely no one will be talking as they take it all in. So the only sound you’ll hear is the occasional loud gushing sound of the fire the pilot emits into the balloon. (The fire isn’t running the whole time.)

One thing that may happen is you’ll touch the ground before popping back up again.

This is natural and part of the flight experience. We ended up bopping along a river before getting more height again (luckily no one got wet!). The pilot communicates the whole time and tells you to brace, but honestly it was gentle.

The other interesting thing about balloon flights is pilots are given a directional spot to land, but where they land exactly is up to the pilot. They make a judgement call and communicate to the rest of the crew following the balloons in their pickup trucks. Most hot air balloon companies will give you a ride back to the original takeoff site since you won’t be anywhere near your car.

When you land, the pilot again will tell you to brace yourself and bend your knees as you hit the ground.

It’ll be quite gentle, but there’s always a chance it could be a rougher landing. Just as you entered, you’ll exist one at a time by throwing your legs over the side after climbing a step ladder. Then when everyone is out, they may ask you to help break down the balloons by sitting on them and rolling them up.

Since it was so cold we wish that they’d had staff bring us back while the crew broke down the balloons, since we ended up waiting another 45-60 minutes for them to be broken down. However, in warmer weather when I went on a different hot air balloon ride, I loved helping break it down. It felt like we were kids with those huge parachutes from gym class, trying to quickly coordinate ourselves to sit on it.

Back at the takeoff site, they served us a buffet-style breakfast with a few hot items, pastries, fruit, and coffee. There was also a champagne and mimosa toast to close out the incredible bucket list adventure.

Is it scary going up in a hot air balloon?

If you’re afraid of heights, you may find it scary. But if not, a hot air balloon ride isn’t scary at all! I’m sure it depends on the weather, but I felt so safe up there. There was literally no movement in the air. Just you floating around while the pilot navigates toward your landing point.

I’m a bit surprised it feels so safe. Since the hot air balloon pilot has both more and less control than I thought they would. What I mean is that they don’t really have much control of how high or low you fly. There’s some control, but remember our balloon bounced off a river mid flight. However, they do have pretty good control of the direction and landing site they’re aiming for.

All in all, it was much more gentle than I anticipated it to be, especially when landing. While this may have been good fortune with the weather, the pilot mentioned the conditions we flew in are the ideal ones they look for when determining whether or not to cancel a flight.

While at first I was curious why we weren’t buckled in, the truth is the sides are pretty high. And there’s a lot of straps to hold onto. The pilot is also likely going to be licensed and super experienced. And part of that experience is having a jovial and calming demeanor to put everyone at ease.

What other Winthrop balloon roundup activities are there?

The hot air balloon ride is only one experience you can have at the Winthrop Hot Air Balloon Roundup. Even if you don’t end up taking a ride, the event is a ton of fun.

For one, you’re going to enjoy the hot air balloon rides from the ground. You’ll see them dotting the sky and may even see them do an emergency landing or quick bounce near you. For example, some hot air balloons landed right outside our window in a complex we stayed in with my family one year. My nieces were screaming in delight watching a huge hot air balloon within touching distance of the second story window in our vacation rental.

In terms of official Winthrop Hot Air Balloon Roundup activities, the other main event is the Balloon Glow that happens Saturday night of the 3-day event. Essentially they take over the main street in Winthrop and blow up hot air balloons starting at sunset. You’ll get to watch about five hot air balloons be inflated right in the middle of the street. The fire used to keep hot air balloons afloat light the beautiful orbs up like fireflies in the sky, making it a photographer’s dream.

It was freezing when Dan and I went to this. But I stayed out there for over an hour snapping photos with no gloves on. I couldn’t feel my fingers, but I was in awe of how majestic hot air balloon are. I’d never actually seen one up close, so seeing how magnificent they were was a really humbling experience. I can say hot air balloons are hands down the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.

Would you recommend the Winthrop Hot Air Balloon Festival?

Overall, I’d highly recommend attending the Winthrop Hot Air Balloon Festival. It’s just so surreal seeing the world from the point of view of a balloon. And I was obsessed with getting shots of the Methow Valley dotted with colorful balloons. I also loved seeing all the cars stopped on the road and watching us float away.

My only complaint about the experience was that it started pretty unnecessarily early given how much we waited. But all in all, we had a fantastic experience and I would highly recommend it. Even if you don’t go up in a hot air balloon ride.

What’s there to do besides the balloon roundup?

Winthrop, Washington is in the Methow Valley, one of the largest cross-country skiing networks in the US. So cross-country skiing is a must do in between events. See my guide to cross-country skiing in Washington for a details breakdown of my favorite Winthrop trails.

Winthrop, Twisp, and Mazama also have great eats. Check out the best restaurants in Winthrop, WA for meals during your stay.

In addition, Winthrop is about an hour from Lake Chelan, one of the best wine regions in Washington. Exploring the Lake Chelan wineries in winter is gorgeous because the lake, hills, and vineyards are dusted in snow. There are also a ton of activities to do in Lake Chelan in winter, such as cross-country and downhill skiing, snowshoeing, and tubing. And don’t forget to leave time to visit the best restaurants in Lake Chelan!

I can plan you a custom itinerary to explore the whole area if you’re wondering how to fit it all in!

More Winter Pacific Northwest Destinations

Inspired to visit more wintry wonderlands in the Pacific Northwest? Here are a few to travel to next after you experience the Winthrop hot air balloon festival.

• Ski Whistler and Visit Whistler Village’s Best Restaurants
• Road Trip to Idaho to Ski Their Best Resorts
• Explore All the Mt. Hood Skiing Areas