Today, I decided it was time to finally make my return to the top of The Ridge for the first time since the chairs stopped turning. Accessing the top of Chair 2 via the Summer Road is a journey of about 10 miles with just over 2000 feet of elevation gain, just enough to give you some serious appreciation for the virtues of chairlifts. Do the whole thing and you get a front-row seat to some fantastic early-summer transitional scenery, the week summer officially arrives.
Down low, summer’s already here. The hike up got pretty toasty in the early-afternoon sun, and the wildflowers are putting on a full show, with lupine running the display and penstemon, scarlet gilia, paintbrush, and a good mix of other colors filling in around it.
The road itself is in good shape. Somehow there seem to be a lot fewer loose rocks than last summer (shoutout Mountain Ops, perhaps?), making for smooth travel on foot. Past Midway the views open up into the upper basin: Wenatchee Mountain and its Microwave tower across the way, the Chair 2 lift line running up the hill, and the Bomber Cliffs off to the looker’s right. The route also takes you right past the bomber wing at the entrance to Bomber Bowl, a familiar winter landmark, and it’s always good to see it standing tall among the summer growth.
From down below, the upper mountain can look a little stark this time of year, all that dark, choppy basalt and the talus slopes spilling out beneath the cliffs. Get up into it, though, and it’s the opposite of bare. The mountainside is teeming with life: new growth everywhere, flowers and undergrowth coming in, and the tamaracks leafing back out.
Keep climbing and it’s clear summer hasn’t quite caught up to the top yet. Above about 5,500 feet it still feels like spring. The lupine plants are coming in dense and thick, but the first purple stalks have yet to emerge in those shadier spots where they tend to grow thickest and longest.
The reward for the climb is, of course, the sweeping vistas, and they keep getting better the higher you go. A breeze picked up as I gained elevation, which was welcome on a warm day, and the Columbia Valley opened up below, up the river one way and down toward Wenatchee the other, with Glacier Peak standing out to the north. Top out at the summit and you finally get the look west: Mount Rainier and Mount Adams in full view on a bright, clear day, with the Enchantments out in the distance too.
As for snow: the route is completely snow-free. There are just a couple visible patches hanging on beneath Microwave (and perhaps a couple more nestled into hard-to-see crannies under Windy Ridge), but they’ll probably only make it another week or so if these warm sunny days persist.
I retraced my steps back down the road and rolled into the Base Area just in time for an early dinner before relaxing to the sound of live music with Maia Leaf.
We look forward to seeing many of you on-mountain for Father’s Day tomorrow!
Base Area Forecast
Father’s Day, 6/21: Increasing clouds, with a high near 70. North wind 3 to 6 mph.
Chair 5 Pub Schedule
On Sunday, 6/21, we’re hosting our Father’s Day BBQ! Breakfast & lunch will be served from 9-2, and the Father’s Day BBQ special will be available during lunch & dinner from 11-7.
Next week, we’ll return to our standard summer hours: Fridays from 4-9, Saturdays from 11-9, and Sundays from 9-2.
No chairlifts run during the summer season.
Summer Access Policy
During the summer season (May–October), public access within the Mission Ridge Special Use Permit area is permitted except where restricted due to maintenance and construction. We love seeing the Mission Ridge community in the mountains and on the trails year-round, but please make sure to check out the full access policy by clicking the link below.
