This week I started just a mile down the road from the Base Area and hiked the Devil’s Spur Trail. This mostly-modestly graded trail makes for an excellent moderate hike, and good riding too from what I’ve heard. It threads through a mix of habitats as it ascends a few hundred feet while traversing northwestward toward an intersection with Beehive Road. Situated on a northeast aspect, you can expect copious late-afternoon shade as you wind through lush green undergrowth and stretches of exposed hillside with sweeping views into the Squilchuck Creek drainage.
Dropping a little bit in elevation this week, I found some new species of flora just starting to work their way up the hillsides as summer heats up. The first fireweed of the season were in bloom near the trailhead, those tall, vaguely conical pinkish purple blooms. Often peaking a bit later than other flowers, look for those to work their way into the Clara drainage and eventually toward the Mission Ridge summit as summer continues. I also found my first Columbia lilies (aka tiger lilies) of the year, a striking yellow flower freckled with brown spots.
And tons of thimbleberries are cropping up along the route, currently adorned with fragrant white flowers that’ll bear edible raspberry-like fruit later in the summer.
The Devil’s Spur runs a couple of miles, climbing gently most of the way, until it meets the Beehive Road. From there you can simply turn around for a round trip of a little over four miles.
I went the longer way: left onto the Beehive Road for a short stretch, then left again onto the Pipeline Trail to start working back toward Mission Ridge. The Pipeline is flatter than the Devil’s Spur, mostly holding its elevation as it winds back toward the mountain and the lower end of the Lake Clara Trail. It’s in great shape, runs through some beautiful forest, and serves up more of those valley views.
Where the Pipeline meets the Lake Clara Trail, I turned left and dropped back down toward the Base Area, which spit me out right in the parking lot by the Chair 5 Pub, a pretty convenient place to finish a hike. From there it was about a mile back down the road to my vehicle, putting the whole loop at just over six miles. If you’d rather skip the road walk, you can always retrace your steps for a longer day out and back.
Base Area Forecast
Friday 6/26: A 40 percent chance of showers, mainly after 11am. Partly sunny, with a high near 60. West wind 8 to 17 mph.
Saturday 6/27: A 20 percent chance of showers after 11am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 56. Breezy, with a northwest wind 13 to 21 mph
Sunday 6/28: Mostly sunny, with a high near 59.
Chair 5 Pub Schedule
We’re open for our standard hours this weekend: Friday from 4-9, Saturday from 11-9, and Sunday from 9-2. This week, we have line dancing on Friday night (6-8) and live music with Norman Baker on Saturday night (6:30-8:30).
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.
