Day Hike - Icicle Ridge

Meet at the Icicle Ridge trailhead at 8am

Directions:   Icicle Ridge — Washington Trails Association (wta.org)

No passes needed to park.  no privy at trailhead

This is  day 3 of a 3 day hiking event.  Leader will be lodging in Plain, WA.  While you may sign up for one or more hikes, lodging or camping in the area would be advised as it is a 2-3 hr drive from the Seattle area. No carpool arrangements will be facilitated by the leader.

This is a moderate  6 mi hike with 1800' elevation gain.

The trail  switchbacks up the steep slope through a mixture of forest and exposed areas with occasional rocks or roots and a steady approximate ten percent grade all the way up for an 1800 foot gain in three miles. 

The trail ends at a small clearing where you can see Leavenworth lying beneath your feet and a short bit further on is the  ridge crest, where you have a view into the Tumwater canyon with the Wenatchee river below and a view of Drury Falls

From the east end of the trail, you can see down into Leavenworth, the Wenatchee and Icicle river valleys, and the foothills of the Cascades. There is an almost 360 degree view of the entire area. There is a thicket of snowbrush (Ceanothus) at the end of the trail protecting the viewer from seeing the steep dropoff beyond.

Note:  There are several patches of poison ivy on this trail. Watch out for these leaves and avoid contacting them.

We will go at a moderate pace with plenty of rest breaks as needed.  Bring lunch and plenty of water, sturdy hiking shoes. Trekking poles will be helpful.  We will lunch at the ridge before heading back.

For safety we will all hike as a group so please assess before hand whether this distance/elevation gain/pace will suit you before registering

For the group's safety, every participant is asked to commit to conservative covid behavior  prior to the trip

Lodging:  

Leader has a cabin in Plain, WA (15 miles from Leavenworth) that participants can request to lodge in.  There are 4 separate bedrooms, so will be limited to one person per room (unless family members). Cabin has air conditioning and outdoor hot tub.  You are also welcome to bring a tent and sleeping bag and set up outside on the lawn.   Dining will be outdoors.  Cost is $35/night per person with a share in the  $150 cleaning fee. You may stay 4 nights (Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat).  Saturday afternoon will have an option to float the Wenatchee River in the afternoon after our hike (not to be missed).  Cabin is near Lake Wenatchee, so participants may also go to the lake after the hike (s) for swimming, kayaking, relaxing.    Please notify leader via a separate email at the time of registration what your lodging plans are and if you wish to stay in the cabin.  Room priority will be given to those staying all 4 nights.

There are also several camping/hotel areas in the vicinity  you are welcome to stay at as well.