Bentrim Hill by Mission Peak is the eighth tallest peak on the Mission-Naneum Ridges after Mount Lillian. The standard route starts in Haney Meadow and makes its way east into Colockum State Wildlife Area. But the actual high point sits just north of the popular hunting area.
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Bentrim Hill at a Glance
Access: Old Ellensburg Trailhead (#1373)
Round Trip: 7.4 miles
Elevation Range: 5160′-6078′
Gear: none
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
The Preface
Alas, our trip to the Chilliwacks last week had closed out the big mountain season. Unfortunately, this weekend, the weather looked somewhat iffy. So the pup and I escaped to the east of the Cascade Mountains.
Bentrim Hill’s moderate elevation gain had made for a leisurely outing. Views to the nearby places are excellent on a decent weather day. This area is full of spur roads, so plotting out the directions helped find the starting point.
See more trip photos here.
Old Ellensburg Trail
I often wonder how folks find the starting point without any information. By looking at the maps, sometimes the access point isn’t always clear to me. Also, with the decommissioned roads missing from the map, I could have easily missed this trailhead.
It began to drizzle the minute we started walking, but glad that the rain never came. We followed the decent trail hiked past Mount Lillian through sections of burned forest. Soon, we were at Howard Creek, the lowest point of the trip.
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Bentrim Hill Summit via Southwest Slopes
We meandered through the meadows and then continued southeast toward Grouse Spring. The trail gained some elevation through the gentle terrain and took us to Bentrim Hill’s southwest slopes. Then just outside the wildlife area, we left the path and went north.
We made our way up the slopes through the grass. Later we intersected an old road from the south and walked it up to the top. Views were minimal, but sometimes the clouds would shift to reveal the southern landscape. Mission Peak was the only notable high point here.
See more trip photos here.
Outro
After a short visit, we made our way down the west slopes. Then it drizzled again as we reached the main path. Despite the solitude, the sounds of targeting in the nearby canyons had interrupted the calm from time to time. Later the sun came out during the last half a mile back to the trailhead.