Day three of our Thanksgiving week hiking extravaganza. But first, we had to give up plan A near Yakima. Then we scratched plan B by Rattlesnake Hills. So we continued east and later found Chandler Butte and McBee Hill.
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Chandler Butte and McBee Hill at a Glance
Access: McBee Trailhead
Round Trip: 9.3 miles
Elevation Range: 780′-2046′
Gear: none
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
Chandler Butte and McBee Hill
Chandler Butte and McBee Hill rise above Benton City. Both of them are also in the Horse Heaven Hills American Viticultural Area. It’s the farthest south we’ve been to in the desert. Nevertheless, it was a nice getaway from the rain.
I only found about two dozens of reports on WTA. But the established trailhead was right by the city. So I had expected to see more glowing reviews and lots of people here.
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En Route to McBee Hill
We reached a nearly full lot and started hiking in the late morning. I looked around and saw people coming down the main trail. But to the right of the entrance was a steeper path. So we went that way.
The trail was in the shade. But glad it wasn’t windy like in the forecast. The path was also steeper than it looked. Then the higher we went, the better the city view we had.
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En Route to Chandler Butte
Later we went up to the ridge just south of McBee Hill. But I wanted to wait and go up top after we came back from Chandler Butte. So we walked around the summit and continued on the jeep trail.
It was four miles to Chandler Butte. But we, or rather, I wanted the exercise. Otherwise, the 1.6 miles to and back from McBee Hill was so not aerobically effective. Not to mention the long drive it took to come here. So we had to get our money’s worth!
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The Final Stretch
From the trailhead, one could also drive on McBee Road up to the jeep trail. But that would cut the distance in half. Again, we needed the exercise and more time to enjoy the view. Later we saw a few target shooters at the halfway point.
The four miles went by fast with few stops. Before long, we were at the gate by the radio facility. There was a jeep coming from the other side. So I opened the gate to let the people continue down the road. Shortly, we reached the breezy summit.
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Chandler Butte Summit
The best part of this summit was seeing the Yakima River. I also saw the hazy Mount Adams and Mount Rainier in the distance. I wondered if people on the nearby hills also saw the same things. Jealous!
We heard target shooting while on top. But the echoing made it hard to tell where it came from. The wind increased. But it wasn’t terribly cold because it was a warm day. It was in the low to mid-50s.
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Outro
Later we saw more target shooters back at the halfway point. It’s nerve-racking to walk past them because they were right next to the road. Not to mention how loud the sounds were.
We stopped on McBee Hill at sunset. By then, everyone had left the place. So we spent a few minutes on top and enjoyed the last light. The evening colors were especially vibrant on this day.
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Lovely!