Washington’s hot air balloon season shuts down in about five weeks. Oregon’s runs a little past that. California’s doesn’t really stop.

Washington’s hot air balloon season shuts down in about five weeks. Oregon gets a little longer. California, if the wind cooperates, doesn’t really close at all.

All three are real, bookable sunrise flights — a wicker basket, a propane burner, and someone else doing the flying, not a drone shot or a simulator. Here’s the season, the price, and the launch field for each one, in case two of your three windows are about to shut.

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Washington — Snohomish, with about five weeks left

Snohomish Balloon Ride flies out of Harvey Field, a small airstrip about 30 miles northeast of Seattle. Sunrise flights run May 15 through September 15, so this isn’t a vague “sometime this fall” — the season has an actual closing date.

The flight itself runs 60 to 75 minutes over the Snohomish and Snoqualmie valleys, and the full morning — meet-up, inflation, flight, landing toast — takes about three hours. Shared rides start at $319 per person for groups of 2 to 10; private flights are bookable too if you’d rather not share a basket with strangers.

Weather cancellations aren’t rare here, so keep the morning flexible — the company texts a go or no-go call about 90 minutes before your meeting time. If Washington’s the leg you’re doing, lock in a hotel nearby before the season runs out.

Oregon — Newberg, with a few more weeks than Washington gets

Vista Balloon Adventures has flown out of Sportsman Airpark in Newberg, about 35 minutes from Portland, since 1989 — making it the oldest hot air balloon operator in the Pacific Northwest. Flights run weekends from mid-April through September, with weekdays added as the season goes on.

You’ll fly for about an hour over the vineyard-covered hills of the Willamette Valley, with up to ten mountain peaks visible on a clear morning. Plan on roughly two and a half hours total once you count balloon inflation and the ride back to the launch field.

Shared rides run $248 per person for groups of five or fewer, $230 for six or more; a private balloon for two runs $690. Lock in a Willamette Valley hotel if you’re building a longer wine country weekend around it.

California — Temecula, where sunrise doesn’t really end

Here’s the trade-off: Temecula doesn’t run a season at all. The valley sits ringed by mountains that block the afternoon wind grounding balloons everywhere else, so operators fly sunrise trips over the wine valley close to year-round, weather permitting.

Compass Balloons runs shared sunrise flights starting at $175 per person; private sunrise flights start at $795 if you’d rather skip the shared basket. Most launches happen between 5:30 and 6:30 a.m. — early enough to test whether the view’s worth the alarm clock.

If Washington and Oregon’s windows don’t line up with your schedule this year, this is the one that’s never actually closed. Lock in a Temecula-area hotel and set an alarm you’ll regret less than you’d think.

Two closing windows, one that never shuts. Which one are you actually booking before the year runs out?

Trip tips: grab a rental car to reach any of these launch fields, or skip the itinerary math and book a camper van instead.

Prices, seasons, and flight schedules change — always confirm current details directly with the operator before you book.