Black Canyon
Oct 13, 2005
- Type of Outing
- Day hike
- Read More in our Hiking Guide
- Hike: Black Canyon
- Region: Eastern Washington -- Yakima
- Agency: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
- Avg Rating: 4.40
I headed over to the east side, seeking sunshine, and found it.
Following on from Mediancat's report of the 9th, the much-praised wildlife in the Best Desert Hikes book was once again notable for its absence, even though I had the canyon to myself. I saw little more than juncos and chipmunks, sadly no porcupines for me. There are still some butterflies, grasshoppers and ladybirds around, but I saw far more wildlife on the Westberg Trail back in June.
The unnamed road turn-off is indeed pretty daunting for standard clearance vehicles, but okay if you take it a crawl. Thankfully, once past the gate half a mile in, things improve considerably.
The trail is old road, and fairly rocky especially in the early stages, which makes it feel harder than the stats of 7 miles return and 1250 feet gain would suggest. The old cabin is around a mile and a half up the trail - the book claimed it was about a mile in, and I kept checking my pedometer and peering through trees thinking I'd missed it.
Tha canyon is fairly stunning with all the black talus, the usual desert plants, and currently the aspen and cottonwood near their best, though a few are losing leaves now. The upper parts of the trail are less dramatic, but it's a nice view from the ridge.
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