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Cowiche Canyon

Last modified Mar 19, 2010 04:00 PM
Contributors: Nathan
More than 200 species of plants grow in Cowiche Canyon. Blue eyed grasses are one of the early bloomers. Photo by Kim Brown.

A group of dedicated volunteers with the Cowiche Canyon Conservancy worked for years to develop this trail--or, rather, to un-develop this trail--because this old railroad right-of-way is now a path through a wild wonderland.

In short, this trail could be the crown jewel in Washington's collection of rails-to-trails. The old train line path weaves through an astounding set of deep road cuts and over a double handful of trestle bridges spanning Cowiche Creek as it climbs through this stunning canyon.The path in the canyon bottom follows a portion of the old 1880s railroad route that stretched from Yakima to the Tieton area in the Cascade foothills. Today the gentle grade makes a terrific 3-mile one-way trek end to end.

Just the rock formations found throughout the canyon make this a worthwhile trail to explore. However, those towering rock sculptures are highlighted by the brilliance of the local wildflower show, which kicks off in mid-April each year. In the canyon lowlands, the first arrowleaf balsam¬root are just starting to bloom. Not enough for you? As you stroll the gentle trail through the natural splendor of the canyon, keep one eye on the sky to watch for kestrels, hawks, eagles, and ravens. You might also see swallows, swifts, bluebirds, and flycatchers. You should also keep an eye on the ground, looking for marmots, badgers, rabbits, and rattlesnakes. Simply put, this old railroad grade is now a pristine wildlands trail.

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Recent Trip Reports

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There are 26 trip reports for this hike. See all trip reports for this hike.
Cowiche Canyon Conservancy — Feb 28, 2010 — mytho-man
Day hike
Features: Wildflowers blooming
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My wife & I took a walk on the Cowiche Canyon Uplands from the Scenic Dr Ext entrance this sunny,...
My wife & I took a walk on the Cowiche Canyon Uplands from the Scenic Dr Ext entrance this sunny, warm afternoon. The trail was a little muddy in spots from our recent rain, but easily walkable. We heard our first meadowlark of the season and saw the following wildflowers in bloom: Canby's Desert Parsley, Yellow Bells, Grass Widows, Sagebrush Violets, Gold Star, Hoover's Tauschia, & Draba Verna, and my wife saw Sagebrush Buttercups blooming in the canyon a few days ago. I don't care what the calendar says, it's springtime at Cowiche Canyon!
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Cowiche Canyon Conservancy — Oct 28, 2009 — mytho-man
Day hike
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I was in Cowiche Canyon for a couple of hours this afternoon. Though most places around Yakima are really...
I was in Cowiche Canyon for a couple of hours this afternoon. Though most places around Yakima are really colorful right now, the canyon turns color a few weeks earlier that most places here and, except for a few cottonwoods, is getting pretty drab. If you want fall color, go to the Tieton River Trail, Umtanum Canyon, Black Canyon, or just drive up Hwy 12 along the Tieton River or through the Yakima Canyon.
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Cowiche Canyon Conservancy — Oct 18, 2009 — mytho-man
Day hike
Features: Fall foliage
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I took a walk in Cowiche Canyon on both Sat & Sun to check out the fall color. On...
I took a walk in Cowiche Canyon on both Sat & Sun to check out the fall color. On Sat I went in from the Weikel trailhead on a cloudy, showery afternoon and on Sun I went in from the Scenic Dr trailhead and walked down into the canyon & up the winery trail on an afternoon that started sunny but ended as overcast. As you can see from the photos, the canyon is very colorful right now & should stay this way for a week or so.
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Cowiche Canyon Conservancy — Jun 14, 2009 — mytho-man
Day hike
Features: Wildflowers blooming
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I took an afternoon walk in Cowiche Canyon on this warm, sunny day. The sky was full of big...
I took an afternoon walk in Cowiche Canyon on this warm, sunny day. The sky was full of big thunderheads and I was hoping one would blow in front of the sun to cool it down a little & give me some diffuse light, but all they did was stay in the distance to enliven the skies of my photos. Wildflower season is winding down here in the shrub-steppe, so I was quite surprised at the number of flowers I found in bloom: 4 or 5 species of desert buckwheat, some blooming in profusion, lupine, some good stands of showy pensteman, syringa, wild rose, western white clematis, and even some sagebrush mariposa lilies. How fortunate I am to have a place like this so close to home!
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Cowiche Canyon Conservancy — May 08, 2009 — Bob and Barb
Day hike
Features: Wildflowers blooming
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We began our hike at the Weikel Road TH. There were many flowers blooming--balsamroot,prairie Star, buckwheat, fiddle-neck, larkspur,phacelia to name...
We began our hike at the Weikel Road TH. There were many flowers blooming--balsamroot,prairie Star, buckwheat, fiddle-neck, larkspur,phacelia to name a few. We saw a red-tailed hawk land in a nest on the rocks near Bridge #4 Many swallow nests were near the hawk's nest and there was much swallow activity! This is a beautiful and peaceful nature walk. The flowers are at their prime, the birds were many, and the sunny skies were great after so much Seattle Rain! When we came to the Uplands Overlook Trail, we hiked as far as the large Cowiche Canyon sign, then turned around to hike to the eastern entrance to then return to the TH.
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Location
Eastern Washington -- Yakima
Bureau of Land Management, Spokane
3.00 out of 5
Based on 5 votes
Featured In...

Best Desert Hikes: Washington
by Dan Nelson and Alan Bauer

Information about this hike provided in partnership with Mountaineers Books. © Mountaineers Books.

Roundtrip 6.0 miles
Elevation Gain 100 ft
Highest Point 1500 ft
Features
Wildflowers/Meadows
Wildlife
Guidebooks & Maps
Best Desert Hikes: Washington (Bauer & Nelson - Mountaineers Books)
Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Yakima

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Driving Directions

From Ellensburg, drive east on Interstate 82 to exit 31A to get on westbound US 12. Take the second exit off US 12 --the exit is signed "N. 40th Ave. and Fruitvale Blvd." Drive under the freeway, across Fruitvale, and in 1.5 miles from US 12 turn right onto Summitview. Continue for 7.1 miles and turn right on Weikel Road (signs on Summitview indicate Cowiche Canyon turnoff). Drive 0.4 mile on Weikel Road, and turn right at the sign for Cowiche Canyon.

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