Cle Elum, Washington
Cle Elum is a city of 1,905 people in Kittitas County, Washington, founded in 1902.
Why visit Cle Elum
Townapedia lists 16 museums and landmarks, 15 parks and trails, 31 places to eat and 11 places to stay in and around town.
Highlights include Milwaukee Road Bunkhouse, Northwestern Improvement Company Store and Memorial Park.
August is the warmest month, with average highs of 81°F; January lows average 22°F.
Weather in Cle Elum
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Cle Elum
Cle Elum ( klee EL-əm) is a city in Kittitas County, Washington, United States. The population was 2,157 at the 2020 census. About 84 miles (135 km) by car from Seattle, Cle Elum is a popular area for camping and outdoor activities. It is also unofficially considered the starting point of Eastern Washington when driving east on I-90 from Seattle, although this is somewhat arbitrary since many consider either the town of Easton, anywhere east of Keechelus Lake, or the wildlife crossing bridge over I-90 to be the starting point.
From the Wikipedia article Cle Elum, Washington (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Museums and landmarks16
Milwaukee Road Bunkhouse
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.8 mi
House in Washington, United States of America
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Northwestern Improvement Company Store
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.7 mi
Historic building in Roslyn, Washington
South Cle Elum Yard
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.9 mi
Railway station in South Cle Elum, the United States of America
Cascade Rail Foundation South Cle Elum Station
Monument and historic site · 0.9 mi
801 Milwaukee Avenue, South Cle Elum
McGinnis General Merchandise Historic Marker
Monument and historic site · 0.8 mi
4 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds15
3 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes31
Miner Pizza & Pastry
Restaurant · Pizza, Bakery · 0.7 mi
121 East 1st Street, Cle Elum
Su 11:00-18:00; Mo-Sa 11:00-20:00
El Caporal
Restaurant · Mexican · 0.6 mi
107 West 1st Street, Cle Elum
Mo-Su 11:00-22:00
Sunset Cafe
Restaurant · Burger, American · 0.9 mi
318 East 1st Street, Cle Elum
Su-Mo, We-Th 06:00-21:00; Fr-Sa 06:00-22:00
Beau's
Restaurant · Pasta, Pizza, Steak House · 0.7 mi
Su, We-Th 16:00-20:30; Fr-Sa 16:00-21:00
Los Cabos Mexican Restaurant
Restaurant · Mexican
812 West Davis Street, Cle Elum
The Coal Mountain Caboose
Restaurant · Burger, American · 0.7 mi
115 East 1st Street, Cle Elum
19 more on the map.
Where to stay11
RV Trailer Parking
Campground · 1.0 mi
The Horse Park has 23 RV-hookup spots that can accommodate large rigs, as well as an RV sanitary dump station.
Churches and places of worship5
Shopping8
Gas and EV charging10
Schools, colleges and libraries6
Healthcare3
Map of Cle Elum
105 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35°F | 22°F | 3.4 in |
| Feb | 41°F | 24°F | 2.5 in |
| Mar | 49°F | 28°F | 2.7 in |
| Apr | 57°F | 33°F | 1.4 in |
| May | 66°F | 40°F | 1.6 in |
| Jun | 72°F | 47°F | 1.1 in |
| Jul | 81°F | 53°F | 0.5 in |
| Aug | 81°F | 51°F | 0.5 in |
| Sep | 73°F | 43°F | 0.9 in |
| Oct | 58°F | 34°F | 2.4 in |
| Nov | 43°F | 28°F | 4.1 in |
| Dec | 34°F | 22°F | 3.5 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Cle Elum Hcn (2 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Kittitas County has had 20 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for fires.
- 2026-04-07: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Flood)
- 2025-12-12: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Flood)
- 2021-02-04: Wildfires And Straight-Line Winds (Fire)
- 2020-03-22: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
- 2018-07-10: Ryegrass Coulee Fire (Fire)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Easton State Airport (ESW) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 12 miles away.
- Ellensburg 23 mi southeast, about 37 min by car
- Cashmere 32 mi northeast, about 51 min by car
- Wenatchee 34 mi northeast, about 54 min by car
- East Wenatchee 35 mi northeast, about 56 min by car
- Yakima 46 mi southeast, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Terrace Heights 48 mi southeast, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Enumclaw 49 mi west, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Snoqualmie 49 mi northwest, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Buckley 50 mi west, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Maple Valley 52 mi west, about 1 h 30 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Cle Elum Iron Horse State Park 1346, gillfoto, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Cle Elum-Roslyn Hospital, Jon Roanhaus, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Subway restaurant and Chevron gas station in Cle Elum, WA (2024), Roc0ast3r, CC0
- Buildings on 1st Street in Cle Elum, WA (2024) - 8, Roc0ast3r, CC0
- Buildings on 1st Street in Cle Elum, WA (2024) - 7, Roc0ast3r, CC0
- Buildings on 1st Street in Cle Elum, WA (2024) - 6, Roc0ast3r, CC0
- Buildings on 1st Street in Cle Elum, WA (2024) - 5, Roc0ast3r, CC0
- Buildings on 1st Street in Cle Elum, WA (2024) - 2, Roc0ast3r, CC0
- Buildings on 1st Street in Cle Elum, WA (2024) - 3, Roc0ast3r, CC0
- Buildings on 1st Street in Cle Elum, WA (2024) - 4, Roc0ast3r, CC0
- Buildings on 1st Street in Cle Elum, WA (2024) - 1, Roc0ast3r, CC0
- Oakes Avenue and 1st Street intersection in Cle Elum, WA (2024) - 1, Roc0ast3r, CC0
- Oakes Avenue and 1st Street intersection in Cle Elum, WA (2024) - 3, Roc0ast3r, CC0
- Oakes Avenue and 1st Street intersection in Cle Elum, WA (2024) - 2, Roc0ast3r, CC0
- Milwaukee Road Bunkhouse, South Cle Elum Washington, Jayedgerton, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Northwestern Improvement Company Store, Roslyn WA, Abrael87, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Milwaukee Road - South Cle Elem Yard, Jayedgerton, CC BY-SA 3.0
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