Forty for Forty: Peshastin Pinnacles

Article from The Wenatchee World | March 8, 2025

On the Trail                Story by Mark Shipman

Climbing at Peshastin Pinnacles is a rite of spring

As an outdoor enthusiast who grew up in Wenatchee, I was introduced to rock climbing at the Peshastin Pinnacles in the mid-1960s, roughly twenty years after the earliest climbers started honing their rock craft on these sandstone slabs. Being in my late teens at the time, experiences on these walls, etched by a mixture of fear and exhilaration, are still vivid in my memory. So, too, are the memories of being perched on a high nook of stone and enjoying the views over the lush green orchards below and the snow-capped peaks of the Enchantments on the skyline.

By the 1970s and early 1980s, climbing at ‘The Pinnacles’, especially in spring, had become a regional staple in the diet of both local and West-Side alpinists. This was a spot to shake off the rust of winter and prepare for the physical and mental rigors of the coming summer once the high mountains had shed their mantles of snow.

Sadly, by the mid-1980s the owners of this unique collection of slabs (Orlan Bitterman and Perry Flick) were pressured by their insurance companies to prohibit climbing, thereby avoiding the possibility of being sued should an accident occur on their property. In 1986, the area officially closed to climbing.

The Chelan-Douglas Land Trust (CDLT) had formed in 1985 and, because Dr. Don Fager and I were both board members and climbers, Peshastin Pinnacles became an obvious project for us.

Fager and I began meeting with the various property owners to determine what would be required to re-open the area. We also enlisted the help of the Trust for Public Land (TPL), a critical partner in the project and a far more mature organization with the experience to help shape the legalities and finances.  

Within a few months we had a plan acceptable to the landowners and TPL, though it still took a few more years to raise the funds to purchase the property. The funding came from many climbers as well as from organizations such as REI, The Seattle Mountaineers, the Boeing Employees Alpine Society, and the Access Fund.  

Once the property was purchased, it was turned over to Washington State Parks to be managed as a climbing, hiking, and picnicking destination. In 1991 Peshastin Pinnacles was officially added to the roster of Washington State Parks and Fager was present at the opening ceremony to cut the ribbon.

Today, Peshastin Pinnacles continues to operate as a state park. Since the mid-1990s, however, the blossoming of Vantage as a climbing destination has stolen much of the thunder of the Peshastin Pinnacles as a springtime tune-up for the coming climbing season. The area is now actually more popular among hikers who enjoy walking between these unique rock formations while taking in the area’s views, and rubbernecking at the few climbers who still enjoy the area’s vertical terrain.

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Mark Shipman is a retired ER doctor and part owner of Wenatchee’s Riverfront Rock Gym. He is also one of the founders of the not-for-profit Chelan-Douglas Land Trust, which turns 40 this year.

PESHASTIN PINNACLES DETAILS

Access: Drive Highway 2 a few miles west of Cashmere. About 0.2 miles west of Milepost 109, turn north onto North Dryden Road. Follow this 0.5 miles and turn into the entrance of the State Park (well marked). The entrance road leads to a parking area, picnic tables, a vault toilet, and the gate allowing access to the trails.  

Hiking: Use the schematic map in this post to determine a hike of appropriate length and strike off. Hikes of 30 to 90 minutes in length are possible. Decades ago the trails were mainly steep, eroded tracks that beelined straight uphill to desired climbs. Today’s trails were designed by the Access Fund and built by a combination of State Park employees and CDLT volunteers. The trails are well-graded and easy to walk, though few are flat.  

Seasons and Times: From March 15 to October 31, the park is open daily, 6:30 a.m. until dusk.

Permits: A Discover Pass (good for state lands) must be placed on the dashboard of all vehicles using the park. Day passes can be purchased on location for $10. Yearly $30 passes that can be used at all Washington State Parks, Department of Natural Resource lands, and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife lands are also accepted. 

Provided photo/The Wenatchee World file photo/Don Seabrook