Beebe Springs Wildlife Area
Chelan,
Washington
Overview
Beebe Springs Wildlife Area is a 200 acre former orchard on the banks of the Columbia River that has undergone extensive rehabilitation to improve salmon and steelhead spawning habitat. There are a number of short, but connected trails throughout the main wildlife area and you will find steel sculptures of Native Americans, interpretive signs and benches interspersed throughout the area. Included is Buddy’s pond, which allows free fishing for anyone under the age of 12. Across Highway 97 is another section of the park located on a hillside with 3 additional trails.
Directions
To access the upper trailhead parking, driving North on Highway 97 from Wenatchee, take a left onto Highway 150 immediately after Beebe Bridge. Drive 1.6 miles and the parking lot will be on the right hand side.
Parking
Trip Reports
Back at home after a fun morning of solo mountain biking up at Echo Ridge, the family and I decided to head to Beebe Springs Wildlife Area for a quick hike. We had to head into Chelan for errands, and Beebe Springs is only a couple of miles outside of Chelan.
There are a couple of options in terms of where to start, and we opted to head down to the main parking lot by the Columbia River. There were only a couple of cars in the lot, not surprising given it was already in the high 80s by the time we arrived.
From the car we headed South on the LaChappelle trail, through what looked like a dense stand of willow shrubs. Shortly thereafter, there was a closed sign on the trail, as it looked like it was flooded, or had been recently, with a serious amount of mud and standing water.
We backtracked and hopped on the Grasslands Trail, passing by a cool metal statue of a Native American riding a horse. Farther along the trail there were more metal statues of Native American women working the fields, and there was signage along the way, providing history of the area.
We passed over the Beebe Springs Creek, and the trees lining the creek provided a brief respite from the sun. Much as expected on a summer day, it was hot! We eventually reached Frank’s pond, which is open for kids to fish. And indeed there was one youngster trying his luck at fishing as we passed by. We didn’t spot any fish in the crystal clear water, however we did notice a frog sitting in the pond.
We headed down a set of stairs and connected back onto the LaChappelle Trail, following that South until it became overgrown near the Beebe Bridge. Turning around, we decided to look for a shaft spot to cool down, eat a little food, and drink lots of water. Near Frank’s pond there was a large informational stand, which provided some much needed shade.
Back onto the Grasslands Trail, we made our way back to the car. We passed a couple of places to sit, and noticed how none of them were in the shade.
A nice summer stroll along the trails at Beebe Springs. We didn’t get much of a view of the Columbia River along the trails we took, but it was a great place for a family hike, and I enjoyed learning more about the area that is our new home.
