Beehive Mountain by Mission Peak lies east of Mission Ridge‘s high point. The nearby ski area spans Squilchuck Creek Basin by Naneum Ridge. Meanwhile, the vast Columbia River flows through Wenatchee to the east.
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Beehive Mountain at a Glance
Access: NF-9712
Round Trip: 3.5 miles
Elevation Range: 3340′-4560′
Gear: none
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
Mission Ridge Ski Resort
Today we headed east to Beehive Mountain after last week’s snowy trip. I initially planned on staying in because the dire forecast continued to change. Then I decided to stretch our legs (and paws) at the last minute.
The open gate meant many drive-ups, likely visiting the two reservoirs. But the main path didn’t look like it reached the top anyway. Still, I wanted us to hang out peacefully by checking the map for ways to avoid the road.
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South Route via Road 9712
But with a late start at 1:30 PM, I wasn’t in the mood to walk the road. I also had no desire to be on the main path with many cars. So from the gate, we walked to the first bend into the forest and went up by a broad gully.
At 350′ above was an old road, which sat next to the main path we bypassed. So we followed it north and walked past a small creek en route. Then we returned to the forest and continued to move uphill.
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Beehive Mountain Summit Views
Soon, we crossed another old road another 300′ higher and strolled through a flat area in the last 300′. We found a rocky trail and followed it up to the top. The remnants of an old lookout marked the flat high point.
Glad people stayed by the ponds below, as we heard all kinds of noises from there. I saw parts of the Columbia River and South Wenatchee. To the north was Horse Lake Mountain, with Mission Ridge west of here.
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Leaving Mission Ridge
Our track came out under 1.5 miles, so we added more distance on the way back. We went east to the southeast ridge from the road at 4000′. Then we went down the ridgeline and crossed the lower path.
From there, we hiked west to the broad gully’s other side and passed the same streams. Before long, we were back in the trees and returned to the starting point.
See more trip photos here.