The Pacific Northwest is one of the most beautiful parts of the country. Whether you’re visiting Washington for a week or you already live here, there’s a fun hot air balloon experience waiting for you. Where can you ride a hot air balloon in the Seattle area and beyond?
Here are 6 places to go hot air ballooning around Washington:
- Seattle Ballooning
- Over the Rainbow
- Balloon Depot
- Snohomish Balloon Ride
- Morning Glory Balloon Tours
- Morning Star Balloon Co.
If you’re ready to see the Puget Sound and other Seattle sights in a brand new way, make sure you keep reading. Ahead, we’ll discuss each Washington hot air balloon company, including its location, flight availability, and rates. You’ll have all the info you need to schedule your next balloon ride!
6 Great Places to Go Hot Air Ballooning in Seattle and Beyond
Seattle Ballooning
First on our list is the aptly-named Seattle Ballooning in Burien. They have three pilots, Eliav Cohen, Kasey Schwemmer, and McKenna Secrist. You’ll embark on your hot air ballooning adventure from Muckleshoot Casino near Downtown Seattle. You’ll then be redirected to the private launch site about 10 minutes from the casino.
During your flight, you’ll ascend in the hot air balloon between 3,000 and 5,000 feet, taking in the views of nearby Seattle farmland, lakes, and rivers. After you’re back on solid ground, you’ll toast with your fellow riders with a cup of champagne. The balloon pilot even brings luxury chocolates for you to enjoy as a post-ride snack.
The average balloon ride at Seattle Ballooning is two and a half hours. You can schedule a shared flight with up to eight people for $295 or a private flight for up to 10 people for $1,400.
2825 Southwest 170th Street, Burien, Washington 98166 | 206-588-9788
Over the Rainbow
Over the Rainbow has three locations throughout Washington, in Snohomish, Seattle, and Woodinville. This makes it convenient for you to schedule a ride no matter where in Washington you live or are visiting.
Start your day off in the best way possible with a sunrise hot air balloon ride that usually launches in Woodinville near SR 522 and I-405 east. (The other launch location for morning rides is in Snohomish if it’s a somewhat windier day.) You’ll need to be there bright and early by 6 a.m. You’re then transported to the ride location, launching around 6:45. By 8 a.m. or thereabouts, you’re back on the ground. Then you’ll have a champagne toast at 8:15 and be on your way to your car by 9:30 or so.
On the days where the wind is northwest-bound, the balloon pilot will fly you from Woodinville to Redmond. You’ll be able to see the Cascade Range foothills and part of the Seattle metropolis. It truly is a beautiful flight!
If you’d rather go hot air ballooning later in the day, that’s an option too at Over the Rainbow. You’ll again fly from Woodville to Redmond. Southeasterly winds can change the course from Maltby to Snohomish where most of the same gorgeous Washington sights are available. The balloon will launch about two hours before the sun begins setting. Adults can enjoy cider, beer, and wine.
You can also ride with you and a small group of up to eight passengers on a private flight. The cost for hot air ballooning through Over the Rainbow starts at $199.
16509 140th Place Northeast, Woodinville, Washington 98072 | 425-487-8611
Balloon Depot
Founded in 1978, Balloon Depot in Snohomish has a long-standing history in the great state of Washington. They fly four different hot air balloons. The Solstice is the newest balloon and currently the biggest in Balloon Depot’s fleet, as it measures 225,000 cubic feet with room for 10 people. The Autumn Sun is a smaller, more intimate balloon for two that measures 77,000 cubic feet.
The Olympic is one of what Balloon Depot calls its workhorses. It’s a spacious 210,000 cubic feet with space for eight people. The 2nd Sun is the other workhorse balloon, as it can carry six passengers at 180,000 cubic feet.
Balloon Depot’s morning rides kick-off post-sunrise and end with a toast, either a glass of apple cider or champagne depending on your preferences that early in the day (and your age). Evening rides launch an hour before the sun sets. With snacks and a toast, you’ll properly celebrate your landing.
The morning flights cost $230 per passenger and evening flights are $275 a person. You can also participate in a Tulip Tour in April for $320 per passenger. For a truly exceptional Seattle ballooning experience, consider the Winthrop Event in March. Balloon Depot makes it a weekend excursion for two nights at the Sun Mountain Lodge. You’ll also ride through chilly Methow Valley, and all for $400 each!
10520 Airport Way, Snohomish, Washington 98296 | 877-881-9699 (toll-free line) or 360-805-1538
Snohomish Balloon Ride
A Snohomish staple since 1984, Snohomish Balloon Ride was founded by a man known only as Captain Bob. He’s the chief pilot and company owner and has flown more than 9,000 hours in a hot air balloon. Snohomish Balloon Ride sends their balloons out between May and September, so they’re not open all year long. The average morning flight is 60 to 70 minutes long and the evening flights are 45 to 60 minutes on average.
When you arrive for your flight, head to Harvey Field, the location of Snohomish Balloon Ride. If your flight is in the morning, you need to be there by sunrise, and in the evening, be ready two and a half hours ahead of the sunset. Then you ride in Snohomish Balloon Ride’s vans to their launch site. You’ll watch as motorized fans inflate the hot air balloon, which only takes minutes.
Snohomish Balloon Ride offers private balloon rides for two to four people for $1,280. Their shared balloon rides can accommodate up to 10 people and cost $259 per head. A shared sunset ride for the same number of people is also $259 each. You can get in on the yearly Winthrop event through Snohomish Balloon Ride too at $285 a person with no lodging included.
Harvey Field, 10520 Airport Way, Suite B, Snohomish, Washington 98290 | [email protected] | 425-903-7161
Morning Glory Balloon Tours
Next on our list is Morning Glory Balloon Tours in Winthrop, which is owned by the married couple Melinda and Kurt Oakley. They have a balloon port in the Winthrop Inn, which is worth staying at if you’re vacationing in Washington. The active ballooning season begins for Morning Glory in May and lasts until September. They offer one flight daily in the morning.
The entire experience is three hours long, but you won’t be up in the air for all that time. Once you’re on the ground again after a spectacular ballooning adventure, you can have a picnic lunch with your fellow passengers. Up to five passengers are allowed on the balloon at one time. The prices for a flight are $225 for children and $275 for adults.
If you want it to be just you and a partner, a two-person flight is $950. The entire romantic experience consists of a picnic on the balloon and fancy chocolates and a bouquet gifted to you once you two land. Morning Glory also participates in Balloon Roundup Weekend every year where you can fly over Methow Valley for $275 per group.
Morning Glory does have specific flight rules for their hot air balloons. They recommend that children under the age of six not fly. Adults must meet the weight limit of 275 pounds.
429 Eastside County Road, Winthrop, Washington 98862 | [email protected] | 509-997-1700
Morning Star Balloon Co.
From Morning Glory to Morning Star, they’re our last recommendation for a hot air balloon ride in the Seattle area. You can drink in the beauty of the Olympic Peninsula when flying through Sequim on one of Morning Star’s hot air balloons. Along the way, you’ll see such areas as Cascade Ridge, Mount Baker, the San Juan Islands, Vancouver Island in Canada, and the Olympic National Forest’s Hurricane Ridge.
You’ll depart from Sequim Valley Airport and fly for upwards of an hour. The weight limit for the entire basket is 700 pounds, which does limit the number of passengers that can come onboard. When the flight ends, you’ll sip on either sparkling cider or champagne and enjoy cupcakes from a nearby bakery called That Takes the Cake. This is an award-winning bakery, Morning Star says.
General admission flights are $300. If you’d rather rent one of their hot air balloons, you can do so for $1,200. You still get the toast and the cupcakes as well as a keepsake certificate if you rent.
An elopement package for newlyweds starts at $1,700. The staff at Morning Star will bring a camera and a GoPro to capture all the amazing moments. They provide champagne too. You’ll also receive cupcakes, a “just married” banner that’s 30 feet long, a flight certificate, and a flower basket. If you’d rather bring more of your loved ones for your hot air balloon wedding, the Here Comes the Bride package for $2,500 is for up to 10 people.
Valley Airport, 468 Dorothy Hunt Lane, Sequim, Washington 98382 | [email protected] | 360-601-2433
Final Thoughts
Hot air balloon rides are plentiful in the Seattle area as well as surrounding cities and towns across Washington. Now that you have 6 great balloon companies to choose from, you won’t want to wait to book your trip to the skies!
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If you could choose the perfect time of year to go hot air ballooning, it would be in the spring or summer when being outdoors is pleasant. Yet knowing that hot air balloons use warm air to achieve elevation, you can’t help but wonder if cold or warm conditions make for better ballooning weather. Which is it?