Umtanum Creek CanyonThe trail leaves behind the highway and clusters of anglers and rolls up past an old homestead (complete with an overgrown, brambly apple orchard) and leads into pristine desert wildlife habitat. The year-round waters of Umtanum Creek draw a vast collection of critters to this canyon. Bighorn sheep roam the canyon walls and browse the grass-rich bottoms. Deer abound throughout the area. Coyotes hunt the heavy populations of rabbits, rock chucks (marmots), and upland birds (quail, pheasant, chukar, grouse, Hungarian partridge, and others). Rattlesnakes are frequently seen in the summer (another reason to visit in winter months) when they congregate to take advantage of the mice, voles, and ground squirrels that thrive in the creek-fed grasses and tree stands. Beavers and muskrats build homes in the creek, creating an endless series of pools and ponds throughout the length of the valley. All around, underfoot and on the canyon walls, desert wildflowers color the canyon. From the trailhead parking area, cross the Yakima River via the broad foot-traffic-only suspension bridge, then cross the high berm of the railroad tracks. Once over the railroad route, enter the L. T. Murray State Wildlife Recreation Area. The trail meanders through a broad sagebrush flat for 0.5 mile or so before crossing an old fence line (a few rotten posts and a low mound of dirt are about all that remains of the fence). Around this old homestead site you'll see the remnants of an old cabin--mostly just its rock foundation and a scraggly grove of apple trees. That's the last real imprint of humans in this wild canyon. Various species of sage provide texture and fragrance to the canyon floor, while the canyon walls tower overhead. Visit in winter and you might find a dusting of snow (possibly a few inches). A thin blanket of snow is actually a benefit to hikers as it serves as a tapestry on which the comings and goings of the local population are recorded. If you find snow, you'll also find tracks left by deer, bighorns, coyotes, small mammals, and game birds. The creek is the only water source for miles around, and it's easy to see the pathways of animals that come down from the canyon rim to get water. The trail crosses the creek at about 1 mile. The crossing is typically an easy rock-hop, though at times you'll be forced to find a shallow spot between beaver ponds--or to carefully cross on a beaver dam. Extensive beaver activity is visible on this small desert creek. Some dams (made primarily from the local aspen, cottonwood, and alder) stand 6 to 8 feet tall, creating ponds that stretch several dozen yards upstream. Frequently the dams are built back to back with a new one standing at the upper edge of the lower dam's pond. About 2 miles up the trail, the trail skirts around a stand of low alder. On several visits to the area, we've encountered a portion of the resident herd of bighorn sheep (usually numbering 50 or 60 animals) either bedded down in this area or vacating their beds. The alder grove apparently provides good shelter for them on cold winter nights. The trail continues up the canyon, but past the 3-mile mark it becomes narrow and largely overgrown and many creek crossings are needed. Rather than push on through the brush, turn around here and return through the rich canyon, remembering that you will find plenty to see on your way back.
Driving Directions:
From Seattle, drive east on Interstate 90 to exit 110. After exiting, continue east on Interstate 82 about 3.5 miles to exit 3 (Thrall Road). At the stop sign, turn right on State Route 821. Turn left at the next stop sign to continue southeast along State Route 821 into Yakima Canyon (signed "Yakima Canyon") and continue about 8 miles to the Umtanum Recreation Area (between mileposts 16 and 17). A large gravel parking lot is on the right (west) side of the road. The parking lot is BLM you must pay $5.00 from 5/15 - 9/15 to park; fee collection box is at the parking lot. Recent Trip Reports
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Day hike
Issues:
Snow on trail
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I led my first Winter Walk of the season for the Cascadians today to Umtanum Canyon & it was truely...
I led my first Winter Walk of the season for the Cascadians today to Umtanum Canyon & it was truely a winter walk with snow on the ground & in the air. Only Ethan and Karen Martinis from Ellensberg & her dog, Jasmine, had the courage to brave the elements with me and it was quite a different experience from when Ethan, Brenda, & I were here at the end of October. Today it was snowing lightly under very low clouds (almost fog) as we crossed the swinging bridge over the Yakima River. The farther up canyon we went, the harder it snowed. We went about 3 miles up the canyon, but finally decided to stop when the trail became mostly snow covered talus about 100' above the canyon floor. We found a nice spot for lunch overlooking the canyon, but didn't lounge around as we often do. By this time there was 2-3 inches of snow on the ground. About a third of the way back down the canyon the snow slacked off & the sky began to lighten up. By the time we reached the lower crossing of the creek we had some blue sky & even some sun. Some of the cottonwoods still had yellow leaves and the shrubs & large clumps of basin wild-rye were beautiful in the snow. Except for one other hiker in the lower canyon, we had the place to ourselves. We didn't see any wildlife except for a few birds as we hiked, but on the drive up the Yakima Canyon Ethan & I saw a bald eagle cruising low along a hillside, a large deer, and a herd of big horn sheep near the road. All in all, it was a very nice start to the Winter Walk season.
Day hike
Features:
Fall foliage
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Returning from a 2 week camping and hiking trip to SW Utah, we camped at Big Pines CG Saturday night...
Returning from a 2 week camping and hiking trip to SW Utah, we camped at Big Pines CG Saturday night so that we could hike Umtanum Canyon Sunday before heading home to Seattle. We have hiked this area many times in the spring but never in the fall, so we were hoping to see the aspen with their leaves of yellow and gold. The aspen grove at the beginning of the canyon still donned many of their golden leaves, but those after the first creek crossing had shed their leaves. We turned around at the second creek crossing. All the creek crossings were easily done. Several others were enjoying the beautiful fall color of the grasses, oregon grape, and other plant life. The sun was just beginning to come over the hills to light up the colors as we were returning to the TH at about noon.
Day hike
Features:
Fall foliage
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Brenda, Ethan, & I took a hike up Umtanum Canyon today. The forecast was for cloudy skies & a...
Brenda, Ethan, & I took a hike up Umtanum Canyon today. The forecast was for cloudy skies & a 40% chance of precip, but we started under partly cloudy skies & by noon it was mostly sunny & warm. We hiked about 1/2 mile beyond the second creek crossing, then returned to the crossing & climbed a buttress on the north side of the canyon for lunch. The views up canyon from here were especially nice. We lazed around here for close to 2 hours soaking up the views & the sun before heading back to the car. There were lots of others out enjoying the beautiful day, but it never seemed crowded. There was still quite a bit of green in the trees in the lower part of the canyon, but after the first crossing the fall color just got better & better. What a wonderful hike!
Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming | Fall foliage
Issues:
Overgrown | Washouts
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The trail starts easily and enchanted us with flowering sage brush, numerous plants bearing exotic seed pods, glimpses of raptors,...
The trail starts easily and enchanted us with flowering sage brush, numerous plants bearing exotic seed pods, glimpses of raptors, bluejays and ?flickers. We leisurely walked for about a mile, crossed the stream as we expected, and could not proceed much farther. Retracing our steps we found a makeshift trail continuing along the south side of the creek which seemed to detour around a washout, perhaps another crossing point. Nevertheless we could not find a way to proceed further, and turned back
Umtanum Creek Canyon
— Aug 06, 2011
— lilbied
Multi-night backpack
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We love this trail! In August, it was a great hot summer backpack along a beautiful creek. We...
We love this trail! In August, it was a great hot summer backpack along a beautiful creek. We got to the trailhead at 8pm, with the campground full of river floaters for the weekend. Just hiking in .5 mile we found adequate places to set up camp along the creek. Although we bedded down in some grass along the river edge, there is a large clearing on the left of the trail after .5 mile. There are also at least 3 other great river-side sites for camping, the best at about 2 miles at the crossing of the river on a bend.
Best sitings were birds: Ravens, Golden eagle, and several other falcons. We also scared two different garter snakes when hanging out in the stream and crossed paths with a couple yellow-bellied racers. Did not come across a single rattle snake in two days- although we looked! Spent hours looking for (and finding) crayfish, stream insects, and fish. So far this is our favorite hike it the area. |
Umtanum Creek Canyon. Photo by Bob & Barb.
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