A buddy and I started around noon from the bottom of where Swakane Rd gets rough, around the shooting range. Hiked up the road to the Swakane Trailhead turnoff maybe 2 miles up, then went right, up the closed road which was in good condition for a hiking trail. Went another 6 miles up the aptly named road "Rattlesnake" which had some thick snow patches and downed trees along it near the top 2 miles, but which were never even remotely impassible. After maybe 4 hours of hiking from the bottom we reached the last summit push before swakane peak, only a 0.3 mile hike to the top, but only if you take the direct way and scramble some rocks. My dog Hazzie was not a fan. At the top we had pretty killer views of Waterville, Keystone Point and the Entiat Mountains, a little edge-view of the Enchantments, and a commanding view of Wenatchee and deep into Malaga as well as the slightest view of what I found to be Mt. Rainier, though it was extremely faded and distant. We regrettably took a direct route down the mountain to cut back to the road sooner, as daylight was waning, and we did save about 4-5 miles on the downhike because of this... but the wildflowers were difficult to avoid trampling as they covered the ground like thick grass. Took us maybe 6 hours and 11 miles roundtrip, would very much suggest this hike for some good elevation gain and views if you have the time for it.

9 Mountaineers joined me for a trip to the saddle below the peak (14 miles, we started from the parking area before the road turns rough). There were some short patches of snow on the last mile. The flowers were best on the lower half, balsamroot, lupine, large-flower triteleia, shooting stars, ball-head waterleaf, bluebells, a bit of phlox and more. Spring beauties were out above. Once we got out of the canyon, the only mammals we saw on this sunny Saturday were some mule deer.

To break up the long drive to the Methow Valley, I took a side trip to hike up Swakane Peak. I hadn't been in this area for a few years and wanted to see the current conditions.

The last 1.5 miles of the road to the trailhead is pretty rough with potholes, rocks, and one large seasonal puddle. A high clearance vehicle will be less stressful to drive through here, but speed will still be 5 mph with some sections of 10 mph to avoid damage.

One significant improvement at the trailhead was the addition of a "No Target Shooting" sign. This has helped reduce the trash, but obviously not all gun owners comply.

At the start, temperatures in the mid 40's, a slight wind, and clear skies were perfect for the hike up the road.  I saw a couple of sunflowers in bloom, but it's still early for flowers.

At 2700ft, I stopped for the first part of lunch and to get my trekking poles off the pack.  I was going to do the XC climb to the 3923ft point, since I didn't know the current snow conditions.  In a prior year I had experienced the "fun" of postholing up the road on the north side of the ridge.

On the XC climb,I attempted to follow game trails up the ridge, stopping for a couple of pictures of small flowers. In a week or two, this area will be a flower garden.

At 3800ft, I took a longer break, sitting among the "stacked plates" rock formations to get out of the wind. While having some more lunch, I enjoyed the view down to Wenatchee and over to snow covered Mission Ridge. The north side Burch Mt. has some snow on the upper 400ft. A large raptor was ridge soaring by doing a steep dive, then pulling up into a steep climb and just about the peak, folding its wings and diving again. All this without flapping its wings.

I continue up and crested the 3923ft point in time to see about 12 deer, just before my accidental breaking of a branch cause them to takeoff down the hill at high speed.

Once over to the pass at 3820, I crossed the road and climbed the southeast ridge of Swakane Pk (4297ft). The wind had been picking up, so I only spent about 15 minutes on top as I cooled off.

I was able to see the road on the north side of the ridge and it had minimal snow. So, I would be able to use it for the return - easier on the knees than the descent down the XC route.

I descended down the west ridge of the peak and took the road back to the pass. There were about 10 snow patches on the road on the north side of the ridge that were melting fast. Most had bare dirt around one side or the other. The snow depth was at most 12" and not a problem to walk through. (Yes, I know I selected Snow Free for this Trip Report.)

The warm descent down the road to the car was uneventful, completing this solitary hike.

Wife and I were chasing the sun with the rain forecast in the cascades so we found ourselves going to Wenatchee. The road to the trailhead is very rough but passable, even with a high clearance vehicle you have to go very slowly. We arrived around 10 am, there was one other vehicle who was someone we ran into as we started but he turned around early. Most of the beginning hike was what we expected, a dry desert hike with occasional wildflowers. A gentle breeze was very welcome since there wasn't much shade. As we got to 3300ft on the north facing slopes, the landscape completely changed. The desert quickly disappeared and in came the lush green meadows, pine, and fields of wildflowers. Our jaws were on the floor. Lupine was everywhere and continued on until we got to the saddle just south of the peak, with occasional flushes of penstemon, scarlet gilia, lewisiopsis, yarrow, bisquit root, balsam root, and many more. We continued on to the gate on the west side of the peak and took the faint trail up to the summit. It felt a little scrambly but can be "hands free" as the description said. We soaked in the views and made our way down, running across the occasional lizard and marmot. We ran into two other couples coming up, for a total of 5 people that day which surprised us since we thought this would be a popular hike for all the rain west of us. If you are looking for wildflowers, this hike will not disappoint! I'd expect the lupine to be in full display for at least 2 more weeks.

The road to the trailhead is a bit rough but I think any car could make it. The trail ascends up a closed road so the gain is gentle but constant. Very windy today and all exposed to the sun so make sure to wear sunscreen. We came across one non-venomous snake, no other wildlife to note. Some beautiful wildflowers on the northern slopes. Towards the top our AllTrails route took us to an off-trail viewpoint above the river valley that felt like a summit, looks like if we kept following the road we would have gone to Swakane Peak. I’m back on forth which path would have better views. Saw maybe 25 people today which was a welcome change to hikes closer to Seattle.