We headed east to avoid the rain in the Yakima Canyon and hiked the 3 mile interpretive trail at Ginkgo Petrified Forest SP. The cages which hold the petrified wood are distracting, but one can understand why they have to be this way. It is sad to see the garbage that people put inside some of the cages. :(! Most of the flowers were past their prime, but we did see some sagebrush Mariposa lilies, purple sage, hopsage, and many bouquets of a yellow flower I haven't been able to identify as yet. After our hike, we went to the Interpretive Center which is about 2 miles east of the trail. It was closed today, but there are many pieces of petrified wood to see outside and a short trail to Native American petroglyphs.

We stopped for a mini hike (just a mile or two) to break up the drive between Seattle and Spokane. It was a good choice, since we had a solid hour of sunshine, the only sun we saw across the entire state. Will be stopping here again, and exploring the backcountry trail here too. It's a lovely, convenient spot for a fall, spring or winter hike (summer might get a little hot).

Highlights:
Sunshine, views and elk. While the petrified trees are interesting, the lovely little hiking trail up to the ridge was a great chance to stretch our legs and get our heart rate up a bit. We spotted lots of fresh tracks and scat on the trail and were rewarded with a view of a large elk herd one ridge over, the Columbia in the distance. Dramatic clouds and great desert views topped things off.

Trail:
There are basically two loops starting at the interpretive center, one that just visits the trees, and a longer one that climbs a bit more and intersects the smaller trail. I believe the sign said it was 3 miles around the longest route...not bad for an interpretive center. The trail was a little soggy, but in great shape and very cushy. Great for spotting wildlife tracks.

Logistics:
The interpretive center parking lot is very easy to find even without directions. It's well signed all the way from the highway. We were the only car in the parking lot. If you don't have a Discover Pass or forget it at home, you can purchase a day pass there with cash.

After my trip last week over to Black Canyon near Ellensburg, my kids were feeling a bit jealous. They kept pestering me to take them on a trip to the desert, too. So, Friday we hopped in the car and drove over to Vantage to visit the Ginkgo Petrified Forest Interpretive Center. The drive was very long, and despite our (relatively) early start, it was early afternoon before we got there. Along the way I tried to point out to my children how the vegetation changed as we went over Snoqualmie Pass and continued east. We enjoyed watching for raptors in the sky, and keeping our eyes out for the numerous windmills dotting the landscape.

The Interpretive Center perches on the edge of a cliff over the Columbia River. Visitors get a great view of the river and the gorge. The Center itself is small, but is filled with just the right amount of information. Displays describe the geologic history of the area, and how there got to be so much petrified wood around there. We watched a short video describing the process, as well, and how people found the petrified logs and decided to protect them in the park. The video was just right for my children – not too long, containing the pertinent information, explained at a level we all could understand. The script was poetic without being sappy. We left with a better appreciation for the geology of what we were seeing outside. We also enjoyed looking at the sampled of petrified wood and other rocks inside. If you go, call the park first; the Interpretive Center is only open a few days a week.

The Interpretive Center has many large logs on display outside, and also has a display of Native American petroglyphs. This rock art was removed from an area downstream from Vantage, physically chopped out of the cliffs of columnar basalt when a dam was put in and the resulting reservoir would have buried them. Fascinating stuff, standing there wondering what the people were thinking when they drew those images, and what they were trying to communicate.

After we had our fill of the museum, we drove the few miles up the Old Vantage Highway to the Petrified Forest Trail. There is a large parking area on the north side of the road, and it is well marked. The trailhead has a porta potty and a picnic table, but otherwise no amenities. As we were preparing our packs and getting set to hike, we met another homeschooling mom and her kids coming back from the trail. We chatted for a bit – it is so nice to meet other folks like this when we go out. [They had a tiny motor home type vehicle, and it gave them more freedom to be able to travel around with the kids. The 10-year-old girl had bought it out of her own savings.]

Annika saw a lizard of some sort in the bushes while I was packing, and we all remarked on the lovely cricket noises that were surrounding us. We applied sunscreen liberally, donned our sun hats, and were on our way up the path. I recommend picking up a free hand-drawn map of the trails at the Interpretive Center before you hit the trail. There are some cris-crossing paths, and it will help you decide how to plan your route. I thought it would be best for us to start on the section of the trail with the petrified wood and come back on the general hiking trail.

The petrified logs have all been encased in cages made of stone and wire to protect from vandals and thieves. They each have a label inside telling you what kind of tree it is. We marveled that scientists could figure out what kind of wood it used to be. Some logs are mostly brown and tan, but some have interesting crystallization and you can see in marvelous detail the grain of wood. Some are small, but some were truly large trees. All were buried in lava flows for eons before coming to light after the layers of lava had been eroded away.

Across the highway you can see a granite rock standing by itself among the sagebrush. This is a glacial erratic that we heard about in the movie at the Interpretive Center. We got to see some beautiful desert flowers in full bloom along our hike. We also saw lots of scat, mostly from elk and what we assume are coyote. (Annika remarked how the elk found the perfect place to poop, right next to the trail! They did a good job! She has to poo almost every time we hike, so was making connections between herself and the elk.) We walked past some burrows in the hillsides, wondering what lived inside. We enjoyed the views out east toward the river, and all around being able to see the way the land rises and folds on itself.

Annika was chatty; I enjoyed holding her warm little hand, sweaty and gritty from playing in the dirt. My poor son, though, was wilting and groaning in the “heat.” It has been so cold and wet this spring; he hasn’t seen temps in the 70s since last summer. There is no shade along the trail, and it is rough and rocky and has lots of ups and downs. You can see the parking lot from several sections, and there are many social trails back down to the cars. Gabriel really wanted to quit and go back down. But I believed he could complete the hike, and thought it would be OK to push him a bit this time. In all honesty, it was tough having such a long drive, too, and getting there after lunch to start hiking. My kids do much better with a morning start and shorter drive. I coaxed them both along to the end of the interpretive section, and then we sat down for a rest and a treat of chocolate covered raisins and apples.

That seemed to do the trick, or maybe it was just telling them we were halfway done. He got more energy then and took the lead for the hike back. We followed the hiking trail part, which is up higher on the hillside, and it is a gentler track, much easier on little feet. It felt mostly downhill, too, so that helped. In no time we were back to the car, taking our warm boots off and digging out more snacks. Annika was disappointed we hadn’t seen any rattlesnakes, as she wanted to practice being still and hearing them rattle.

Instead of heading directly back to I-90 to go home, I wanted to check out the Old Vantage Highway, which meanders through the hills back toward Ellensburg. I thought perhaps we’d get to see a closer shot of the windmills. Indeed, the road goes right through the wind farm, and we were thrilled to see a turnoff for the Wild Horse Wind Farm Visitor Center. We drove the 3 miles up the road to the Center, and we had about a half an hour there before they closed for the evening.

This was the highlight of the trip for Gabriel. The windmills (do we even call them that when they are so huge?) are all over, in lines on all the ridges. We got out of our car at the top, and were blown away by the gusty wind. We ran up to the Visitor Center, the children shrieking in delight. The Center is definitely worth a visit. There are all kinds of displays inside, from how they made the machines and why it is so windy there, to the vegetation and natural history of the area. You can pick up trail maps to hike in the wind farm. The staff are friendly and full of answers to all of your curious questions. We stayed there till they closed; they are open from 9:30 till 5:30 most days at this time of year (but check their website to make sure they will be open when you visit.)

After that it was back to the freeway, making 2 bathroom stops along the way, and then we drove to the Rest Area west of Ellensburg to stop and make dinner. I had brought along our camp stove and some pasta, canned chicken and cheese to cook up for a warm meal. This is the first time I have planned a meal like this; usually I just make everyone eat power bars or cheese and crackers. It was heartening to have a warm dinner to fill us up, and the kids appreciated having some time to play. Gabriel was a big help, fetching water, throwing garbage away, and even asking the fellow at the coffee stand if he had a can opener. (I had forgotten to pack mine to open the can of chicken.) Thankfully, they had one; I’m proud of my son for being brave and helping us out.

I must say, the rest of the drive home was very long and exhausting. The whole way I was trying to think about how I could plan this kind of trip in the future. It’s so tough finding other families who have the same freedom we do and who are willing to take this kind of trip. It would have been ideal to have been able to camp out near Vantage or even Ellensburg and not have to do all that driving in one day. I didn’t feel quite confident enough to camp by myself with 2 young children, though it sure was tempting. Hubby’s work schedule doesn’t always allow for him to join us, either. I know other parents struggle with this, too, so it seems there should be a better way.

However, I don’t regret this trip, despite the length of the drive. The night before I had attended a talk by Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods and The Nature Principle. He talks eloquently about the need for children and adults to have time in nature, and I know for myself I need this kind of outing often to keep my spirit on an even keel. The kids learned so much. Even Annika absorbed and understood how lava flowed over the landscape and buried the wood millions of years ago. We all have a sense now of what the desert feels like in the spring time. And in a heart-warming moment, Annika said, “Mommy, when I grow up and have kids I’m going to take them hiking in the desert every day. Maybe I’ll even live in the desert!” So I guess we’ll have to stay tuned and see where this all leads.

Trip stats for my personal reference:
Hiking, approx. 3 miles and 300 feet elev. Gain
Drive time from Lynnwood, 3 ½ hours with bathroom breaks and a longer stop to make lunch and get the wiggles out.

I had read the reports about the interpretive trails - that the petrified trees were caged and that the whole experience was somewhat disappointing. Because the whole concept of seeing petrified trees in the wild was so enticing to my dinosaur-loving five year old son, we went anyway.

He didn't seem as disenchanted as I was, which was good. In fact, he had fun climbing the grates and peering through. Me - well I didn't realize they'd actually be caged AND in a hole in the ground. It makes sense now that I think about it, but it brought back memories of my neighborhood zoo in the 1970s and the black bears in their stark concrete and iron bar cages.

So with that in at least my mind, my son and I did a short loop that took in most of the cages and every flower we could find. We climbed to a knoll with a peek-a-boo view of the Columbia River, which was nice but not spectacular.

Ultimately, we decided to go to the visitor center a couple of miles down the road. Although the center was closed on this Thursday afternoon, we were happy to find all sorts of petrified specimens outside that we could touch and even sit on. It helped us imagine what this tree-less expanse must have looked like 17 million years ago as a thick and diverse forest.

My suggestion for future visitors: go to the interpretive trails first and hop out for a 20 minute viewing of the caged trees. Then head to the visitor center to see the trees out front (and the petroglyphs) and catch the amazing views of the Columbia River lumbering by. And if you have time for a hike, drive down to the road below the center and hike up in the Gingko Petrified Forest backcounty. For hiking, it is a much more impressive natural setting, and you can wander for miles with the ribbon of the Columbia as a backdrop (see my trip report from February 2011).