Today we went up to Mission Peak near Bentrim Hill. It was one of the few places for us to dodge the rain. Though, we didn’t get much view throughout the trip.
See more trip photos here.
Mission Peak at a Glance
Access: Squilchuck Trailhead
Round Trip: TBD
Elevation Range: 4600′-6876′
Gear: microspikes, snowshoes
GPS: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
Mission Ridge Ski Resort
I tried driving up Liberty Beehive Road (NF-9712). But the roadway was inaccessible because of the closed gate. There was also a big snow pile there to keep out any motor vehicles.
So I drove up to Mission Ridge Ski Resort. Then I parked by the Squilchuck Trailhead. The resort was empty because of the low snow year. It’s weird not to see anyone here during the ski season.
See more trip photos here.
Squilchuck Trail
The trail was icy throughout. So microspikes came in very handy at the beginning of the hike. Soon, we reached Clara Lake past the junction. From there, the path was mostly under the snow.
The trail to Marion Lake was nonexistent. So as soon as I began to posthole, I switched to snowshoes. Then we scrambled for the rest of the way to the top. It was laborious to break trail in crusty snow.
See more trip photos here.
Mission Peak Summit
It became windy around 6400′. So that made the final 400′ of climb somewhat uncomfortable. Glad we could take cover behind the summit boulders. Views up and down Mission Ridge were scarce.
It was cloudy to the west, but with the occasional breaks in the mist. The sea of clouds hovered over the City of Wenatchee and the Columbia River corridor. So no view in that direction either.
See more trip photos here.