Fall might just be the most underrated season at Mission Ridge. As cooler days settle into the Cascades and winter starts feeling a little closer, the mountain trades summer green for brilliant shades of gold.
This October, join us for three Saturdays celebrating this special season of transition. Tamarack Festival brings the community together for guided hikes, live music, family activities, food and drinks at Chair 5 Pub, and a changing lineup of special activities each week.
Join us October 3, October 10, and October 17 and make a day or three of exploring Mission Ridge in the fall.
A few Tamarack Festival experiences need an advance reservation to make the most of your day on the mountain. Sign up here to secure your spot.
$150 per session. A guided group outing with a professional photographer. Includes 10 edited, high-resolution photos.
3 miles roundtrip and 1,000 vertical feet, about two hours. Meet under the Hampton Lodge deck.
1 mile roundtrip and 500 vertical feet, about an hour. Meet under the Hampton Lodge deck.
Planning to sell some gear? Reserve your spot here. Buyers can just show up.
Stay the night on the mountain and wake up to a crisp fall morning at Mission Ridge.
Tamarack Festival contains something for everyone, whether you’re looking to stretch the legs, learn something new, or simply relax and enjoy the show.
Two sets every Saturday at the Chair 5 Pub, mid-afternoon into the evening, with a different lineup each week.
Comfort food, Chef Rey’s specials, and drinks by the fireplace or out on the deck. No reservation needed.
Wilderness crowns, friendship bracelets, and a coloring contest at the KaWham Cafe. Face painting joins the lineup on October 17.
A short session at the KaWham Cafe on the western larches that turn this mountain gold every October.
Apple bobbing and potato sack races out on the deck, plus pumpkin painting at the KaWham Cafe starting at 4:00 PM.
Face painting in the Base Area on the last Saturday of the festival, alongside the Gear Swap.
Get a close look at the amazing machines that keep our snow surfaces in top shape during winter.
Fall merch and the gear you need for winter. The Rental Shop also opens with limited services on October 17.
All three Saturdays share the same lively backbone. Chair 5 Pub opens at 11:00 AM, guided hikes leave at 2:00 and 3:00 PM to get the legs moving, and then live music carries the afternoon into the evening over dinner.Â
Each one still has its own character. October 3 is the day about the trees themselves with an educational Larch Talk in the lodge, October 10 leans into fun & games, and October 17 starts pointing toward winter with the Gear Swap. Pick your Saturday below for the full lineup.
Kick off Tamarack Festival with a full afternoon of fall fun. Head out on a guided hike, gather the family for a photo session on the mountain, learn a little more about the tamaracks around us, and settle in for live music as the afternoon rolls into evening.
Come back for another Saturday on the mountain, with guided hikes, family photos, kids activities, live music, and a few new ways to get into the fall spirit.
We’ll wrap up Tamarack Festival with one more golden Saturday on the mountain, including guided hikes, family photos, live music, kids activities, face painting, and a gear swap in the Base Area.
The full rundown on everything happening during Tamarack Festival: hike routes and distances, how the photo sessions work, what changes week to week, and where to go once you’re here.
There’s no better way to take in fall at Mission Ridge than getting out on the mountain. Guided hikes to Lake Clara and Midway are offered on October 3, 10, and 17, giving you a chance to stretch your legs, enjoy the fall colors, and explore the mountain with the community. Both hikes meet under the Hampton Lodge deck.
Lake Clara – departs 2:00 PM. This 3-mile roundtrip hike climbs steeply up 1,000 vertical feet on single-track trail through primarily forested terrain before topping out at Lake Clara, a beautiful lake nestled into a basin beneath Mission Peak and ringed with western larches. This guided trip will take around 2 hours. Sign up for the Lake Clara hike.
Midway – departs 3:00 PM. This 1-mile roundtrip hike ascends 500 vertical feet on the Summer Road, a graded gravel access road, to our mountain’s Midway. You’ll be rewarded en route and at the endpoint with big views upslope and across the bowl, slopes covered in golden larches. This guided trip will take around an hour. Sign up for the Midway hike.
The gold-and-green palette of Tamarack Festival is the perfect opportunity to get your group together on the mountain and capture the moment.
A small group heads out together on a group hike with a professional photographer, with opportunities along the way for each party to have photos taken surrounded by Mission Ridge’s fall scenery. Families, friends, couples, a crew of ski buddies – anyone can book a session. Kids along for the outing can also take on the Mission Ridge Explorer Passport during the outing, with nature-focused challenges that encourage them to notice the trees, wildlife, sounds, and other details around them while they explore.
Registration is open now. Sessions are $150 and include 10 professionally edited, high-resolution photos. Perfect for Christmas cards, holiday gifts, photo albums, or simply capturing this season of life. Book a Tamarack Festival mini photo session.
There will be plenty for younger explorers to do throughout Tamarack Festival. Activities change a little each Saturday and include fall crafts, wilderness crowns, friendship bracelets, coloring, games, and other hands-on fun.
Look for additional special activities including apple bobbing, potato sack races, and pumpkin painting on October 10, and face painting on October 17, out in the Base Area from 3:00 to 5:00 PM.
On especially nice fall days, some activities may move outside into the Base Area.
Winter is never too far from our minds at Mission Ridge. Stop by the Base Area during Tamarack Festival for an up-close look at some of the equipment that helps make winter happen, including a snowcat and snowgun.
Kids can even climb into the snowcat for a photo while Mission Ridge team members are on hand to answer questions about the equipment and how it helps us get ready for winter.
Live music runs at the Chair 5 Pub every Saturday of Tamarack Festival, with two sets each day: 3:30 to 5:30 PM, then 6:00 to 8:00 PM. The lineup changes every week.
Give some ski and snowboard gear a new home, or find something new-to-you for the winter ahead, during the Tamarack Festival Gear Swap in the Base Area from 2:00–6:00 PM on October 17.
Interested in selling gear? Gear Swap sign-up is open now.
All gear is sold as-is. The event organizer makes no guarantees regarding the condition, safety, or performance of any item. Buyers assume all responsibility for inspecting equipment prior to purchase.
Tamarack Festival might be a celebration of fall, but winter is right around the corner.
The Mission Ridge Retail Shop will be open each day of the festival, giving you a chance to stop in while you’re on the mountain to grab your favorite fall merch or the ski and snowboard gear you need to stay warm this winter.
On October 17, the Rental Shop will also be open with limited services available during the final day of Tamarack Festival and the Gear Swap.
Want to make a weekend of it? Camping is available Friday and Saturday nights during Tamarack Festival, giving you the chance to spend the night on the mountain and wake up to a crisp fall morning at Mission Ridge. Reserve a campsite.
The Chair 5 Pub will be open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays throughout October. It’s impossible to go wrong with classic comfort food, Chef Rey’s specials, and plenty of drinks, especially when the views outside are alight with the bold colors of the season. Warm up by the fireplace inside, or enjoy the fresh mountain air on the Hampton Lodge deck. View the Chair 5 Pub menu.
The golden season doesn’t last forever. Grab the family, meet up with friends, take a walk through the tamaracks, enjoy some music, and spend a bit of your fall here on the mountain. We’ll see you up here!
Thank you to our Tamarack Festival sponsors: Samantha Swangwan Photography, Safeway Wenatchee, and Dusty’s Ski and Snowboard Shop, the official sponsor of the Tamarack Festival Gear Swap.
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7500 Mission Ridge Rd
Wenatchee, WA 98801
Snowline: (509) 663-3200
Phone: (509) 663-6543
Email: info@missionridge.com
New Mission LLC operates Mission Ridge Ski and Board Resort under special use permits from the U.S. Forest Service and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
