Yesterday’s last-minute trip didn’t leave us much time to explore. I cut the trip short to be in Wenatchee at a decent hour. So we could start early on Beaver Hill. The outing was also an excuse to grab a milkshake at 59er Diner on the way home.
See more trip photos here.
Beaver Hill and Plain Ridge at a Glance
Access: Beaver Hill-Plain Ridge Pass
Round Trip: 3.7 miles
Elevation Range: 2260′-3088′
Gear: microspikes
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
Plain, Washington
There is one fun fact about the community of Plain. The name was “Beaver Valley” over a hundred years ago. But the postal service didn’t approve the name because it was too long. So the residents requested a more “plain” name.
Chumstick Highway connects the Plain and the City of Leavenworth on an old railroad grade. Then it goes through the pass on the north side of Beaver Hill. From there, it’s a short, one-mile hike up to the top.
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Beaver Hill
Beaver Hill is southeast of Plain. It’s also one of the few gems along Wenatchee River Valley. To the west is Natapoc Mountain, which doesn’t see many visitors in any given year. So it provides plenty of solitude.
Beaver Hill makes an excellent beginner hike because of the short distance and mild elevation gain. So that would give us more time to explore other places later if we wanted.
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Going up the North Ridge
From the pass, we hiked southbound uphill along the ridgeline. Before long, we were at the false peak, aka the northwest summit. Then it was only a 10-minute ridge walk to reach the top.
There was snow on the ground. But not enough to snowshoe. So I only used microspikes to keep from slipping on the occasionally icy trail. The temperature was in the low 30s.
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Beaver Hill Summit
Beaver Hill stands just over 2800′. But both summits offered decent views. I could see Icicle Ridge and even the tip of The Enchantments peaks. Plain and nearby high points were all within our sight.
There were also views of the prominent Natapoc Mountain to the west and Tumwater Mountain to the south. I couldn’t see to the north because of the trees. In the springtime, there would also be a variety of wildflowers on the hillside.
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Onward to Plain Ridge
The gorgeous weather today made me want to explore more. So on the way down, I decided to go up to Plain Ridge north of the pass. Even though I didn’t research beforehand, the southwest ridge looked pretty direct.
Later we ran across the road. Then we went right back into the trees on the western slopes. After some scrambling, we made it up on the ridgeline. Then we followed a road covered in recent snowmobile tracks.
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Plain Ridge Summit Plus Outro
The road bypassed the summit below the top. So we left the roadway and stayed on the crest. We postholed half of the time, and it wasn’t enjoyable. But soon, we were on the viewless woodsy summit.
Right below the summit was an opening. And it overlooked Chumstick Highway to the south. So I took a few photos there before we went back onto the road. From there, we scrambled down to the car at the pass to finish the trip.
See more trip photos here.