Northrup CanyonUp to 200 of the big birds roost in the trees along the south side of the canyon each night--get to the trailhead early to see the squadrons of eagles flying out of the canyon as they head to the fishing areas of Banks Lake. Even without the baldies, the area offers a great experience with nature. While the eagles focus on fish, the local populations of red-tailed and Cooper's hawks hunt inland for upland birds, rodents, and small mammals. The prey animals find shelter in the rich ground cover of the canyon. Ever-present sagebrush provides the best cover, but the little beasts also scurry under the clumps of balsamroot and other desert wildflowers. The trail climbs into the canyon, which holds the only native forest in Grant County. The forest is mostly pine (ponderosa and lodgepole pine), but some Douglas fir also is in the mix. Those trees make this canyon a logical home to birds of all kinds, and the result is a bird lover's paradise. Following the track as it meanders through the heart of the canyon, look and listen for avians such as great horned owls and barred owls, woodpeckers and flickers, grouse and quail, swallows and sparrows, hawks and eagles. Hike up the canyon for a good 1.5 miles, and you'll find the forest diversifying with the inclusion of willow and aspen trees. Continue up the canyon to find an abandoned farmhouse, and scramble around the forest at your leisure before heading back the way you came.
Driving Directions:
From Ellensburg, drive east on Interstate 90 to exit 151 (State Route 283) signed "Ephrata/Soap Lake." Drive through Ephrata. At Soap Lake turn north on State Route 17. Drive through Soap Lake and keep going about 20 miles to State Route 2. Turn right onto SR 2. In 4.2 miles, you'll come to a Y junction. Stay straight to merge onto SR 155. At 18.8 miles from the Y junction, turn right onto a gravel road marked Northrup Canyon Natural Area. Continue 0.7 mile to the new trailhead. (See page 85 for trail map.). Recent Trip Reports
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Day hike
Issues:
Blowdowns | Mudholes | Snow on trail
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Winter in Northrup Canyon is a mix of beauty and ugly. The day was a beautiful 30+ degrees. At the...
Winter in Northrup Canyon is a mix of beauty and ugly. The day was a beautiful 30+ degrees. At the parking lot which needs a Discovery Pass it was a bit of fog with the peaks and sky shadowing through.
Except for one hardy young family with 4 children, we had the canyon to ourselves. Take your hiking poles as the road in is icy and snow crusted. Within the first quarter mile the sun broke through and the eagles were soaring. The 1 and 1/2 mile to the old homestead was excellent. But don't stop there. As you approach the homestead look to the left for the trail sign showing the way to Northrup Lake. One more mile through beautiful granite and basalt rock formations and some climbing rewards you with this small pristine lake for you to rest and recharge before you have to head back to the fog. Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
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Turning onto Northrup Canyon Road from HW 156 immediately gave me that different feel. Driving to the trailhead shows the...
Turning onto Northrup Canyon Road from HW 156 immediately gave me that different feel. Driving to the trailhead shows the difference: the rocks are different ... There is granite! And the vegetation is different!
It is an easy hike from the trailhead up to the abandoned farmhouse. But the changes in the terrain that are reflected in the various vegetation types make it all very worthwhile. While hiking I think of the people that lived here, and what it would have been like to live there. After passing the bridge over the creek, I am a bit surprised to see more buildings than just the old farmhouse I was expecting to see (later I learned that the newer house is used by rangers). Anyway, I find this a good spot for a short rest. I sit and look around and keep wondering about the different rocks. Then I move on and continue up the trail towards Northrup Lake. It is definitely going up. And sometimes a bit down. After some time I arrive at a pool with not too much water. This can't be the lake! It is indeed not. Northrup Lake is just a few steps further, at the upper end of the canyon. Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
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After setting up camp at Steamboat Rock SP we drove to the Northrup Canyon TH which is across SR 155...
After setting up camp at Steamboat Rock SP we drove to the Northrup Canyon TH which is across SR 155 from the CG and a part of the park. This is not a difficult hike as stated in Nelson and Bauer's "Best Desert Hikes Washington". According to our GPS the trail-road takes you 1.8 miles to the old homestead buildings, not 3 miles as stated in the book. Buttercups and blue bells were blooming, but other flowers were just beginning to bud. The shooting stars were mostly "shot"! We were here 4 years ago the second week-end in May and and there were many bitterroot along the trail to Northrup Lake. Today there was no sign of them, but they will be beautiful when they do bloom.--probably not for at least 3 weeks as the flowers seem to be "behind" this year. We hiked the trail to the lake which begins to the left of the white building before the old homestead buildings. It gains about 400 ft. Because it was our turn-around time, we didn't hike down to the lake which was probably another 1/4 mile from the point where you can see the lake below. This is a very pleasant hike through the only forest group of trees in Douglas County. There are aspen, Ponderosa and White pine with a few firs.
Day hike
Issues:
Mud/Rockslide | Snow on trail
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It was looking to be a cold weekend, but the hiking bug had hit so Jayson, Pat, and myself headed...
It was looking to be a cold weekend, but the hiking bug had hit so Jayson, Pat, and myself headed out towards Wenatchee for a bit of day hiking and car camping.
After dropping off our gear at our campsite at Steamboat Rock State Park, we headed the mile or so to the Steamboat Rock trailhead. Day time temp was mid-fifties, so I was able to ditch the jacket. Along the way, we passed the leg of some unfortunate deer and blood on the rocks. A quick scramble up the rock and we found we had the whole mesa to ourselves. Banks lake below was still frozen and we spent much of the day making fun of Pat for bringing a full pack ("training" he says) and hiked along the perimeter of the rock, daring ourselves to see how far over the cliff sides we'd peer. We spotted a herd of about 30 deer, all keeping a wary eye on us as we passed to the east. On our way back to the trail, we found a relatively fresh carcass of an unfortunate deer (cougar?) after the coyotes and birds had taken their fill. The very cold night (20 degrees) passed with the coyotes howling through the night. The campground was relatively clear, with only a few trailers of some nice folks and a small troop of boyscouts who kept relatively quiet. The next morning, we headed out to Northrup Canyon. Book says this is 3 miles to the cabins and another mile to the lake, but we did all 8 miles in just over 2 and a half hours, so I doubt it. No eagles to be seen and heavy cloud cover, but it was a nice change of scenery from the day before. The first mile of trail had thick ice on the trail making it slippery at times, the last mile thick mud. Would bring gators. Photos: http://www.flickr.com/[…]/ Jayson's photos: http://jaysonmcivorphotography.com/gallery/7697136_xwmB8 Day hike
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Janet Putz and I hatched a plan to drive to the coulees. I invited HikerJim Kuresman, who mused aloud,...
Janet Putz and I hatched a plan to drive to the coulees. I invited HikerJim Kuresman, who mused aloud, “Hmmmm…it’s probably not going to rain over there…?”
“No. Freezing fog,” I said. We learned that Dry Falls Interpretive Center is open on weekends this winter as an experiment. We arrived just as the ranger was closing up, but she would love to have folks drop by and pay a visit. We camped at Steamboat Rock SP – currently under about 6-8 inches of snow. But the restrooms are open (and warm). The temps Friday night dipped to 21 degrees. According to the locals I spoke with (I love the locals here), the temps aren’t uncommon, but the amount of snow is. Twice during the night, Janet and I heard a pack of coyotes howling. And twice during the night, I heard some live-action frost-wedging going on up at the Rock. A loud, popping CRACK, and then rocks rumbling and tumbling down slope. 2 wedgies within a few minutes of each other. Geomorphology at work. That was really, really cool! It dawned clear and cold. We went into town to the dam Visitor’s Center, and walked the bridge/museum, we headed to Northrup Cyn (definitely do the bridge walk – there are history readerboards installed on the walkway; very interesting). Northrup Cyn is gorgeous in winter. Tall sagebrush retains a silvery-green hue and the grasses are golden, the red-osier is beginning to attain its glorious scarlet color. Eagle-watchers present, but no eagles at Northrup this day, though we did see some at Thompson Lake at Steamboat Rock SP. This is eagle-watching season for the Grand Coulee – there’s an eagle festival next weekend! The freezing fog rolled just as we were leaving Northrup Cyn; a spectacular bank of fog lit up by the orange/pink sunset. Simply amazing. The fee for camping at Steamboat is $19 per night, and is open year-round |
Northrup Canyon. Photo by Kim Brown.
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