Umtanum Canyon
May 17, 2007
- Type of Outing
- Day hike
- Read More in our Hiking Guide
- Hike: Umtanum Creek Canyon
- Region: Eastern Washington -- Yakima
- Agency: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife - L.T. Murray State Wildlife Recreation Area
- Avg Rating: 3.60
- Be Aware Of
- Overgrown
This is a nice hike to do in spring when most of the trails in higher elevations are still snowbound. The parking fee at the BLM site is $5 ($2.50 with a Golden Age passport). The first 2 1/2 miles of the trail to a point past the first talus slope (where a trail crew has placed stepping stones) are in good shape, but past that point the trail is overgrown and squeezes past two narrow places where it traverses an eroded slope above the creek with no trail profile left, not even a boot's width. We turned around after approx. 3.5 miles (GPS coordinates N46o 52.082' W120o 32.439') at a campsite where one trail continues upcreek and another crosses the creek on some improvised logs. Elev. gain 600 ft. in, 140 ft. out. At this time of the year, the most spectacular wildflowers are in the upper, more difficult part of the trail. In mid-May, we counted 48 different flowers and shrubs in bloom. We saw one great blue heron and two snakes. On the return trip, while crossing one of the several talus slopes, it is easy to miss the trail where it re-enters the bushes below.
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