Bee Sting Hill by Plain Ridge sits across the Wenatchee River from Natapoc Mountain. At its southern foothills nestles the small neighborhood of Plain, Washington. Moreover, it’s a stone’s throw away from Lake Wenatchee.
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Bee Sting Hill at a Glance
Access: Shugart Flats Road
Round Trip: 3.5 miles
Elevation Range: 1960′-2665′
Gear: snowshoes
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
Third Time Is a Charm
Yesterday we went up to Saddle Mountain on the Olympic Peninsula. Despite the morning rain, we enjoyed an afternoon basking in the sunshine. Today, we visited Bee Sting Hill in Plain as a last-minute resort without a backup plan.
It took three tries this morning to finally settle on a hike. After yesterday, I hoped to stay closer to home by checking out two places by Interstate 90. But we couldn’t reach the first one because of ice and unplowed roads.
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Back to Plain, Washington
The second one was inside a private community when we approached the gate. Judging by the sign, one could still go inside as a guest. But without a nearby backup plan, we spent the next 1.5 hours driving up to Plain.
We explored Beaver Hill and Plain Ridge to the south last weekend. Views were decent in both places, but more so in the former. On the other hand, I had to peek through branches to see anything on Plain Ridge.
I would have liked to go up a taller mountain on a beautiful like today. But we were still waiting until the recruit had enough insulation and stamina. For now, we limited our trips to shorter lengths and low vertical gains.
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Snowshoe the Northern Slopes
The snow berms on the street kept me from parking at the starting point. Instead, I left the car by the stop sign, and we walked through the neighborhood on the north side. But the extra half a mile walk wasn’t much for a short and mild climb.
We crossed the snow berm and soon snowshoed to the top. The only opening on the treed summit offered views of Tumwater Mountain and Icicle Ridge behind Plain. Natapoc Mountain was to the west, with two Enchantments peaks poking out from the ridge.
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Bee Sting Hill Summit
The views were similar to Beaver Hill, so I was thankful for another sunny day! The summit seemed to be on private property despite what the map showed otherwise. But I couldn’t tell by the sign at the road fork below.
It was breezy up on top, and the low 40s weather didn’t feel as cold thanks to the sun. Even with the people living nearby, I thought it was odd not to see anyone here. But I wouldn’t come up often if it were my backyard.
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Outro
We walked the road on the way down, and reaching the bottom didn’t take long. I looked for “no parking” signs before we started but didn’t see any. So I was glad the car was still intact when we returned.
Then it was off to the 59er Diner!
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