Trip Reports

Showing all trip reports for the hike "Umtanum Creek Canyon"

Showing 128 trip reports


No image submitted	Umtanum Creek Canyon — May 18, 2013 — Bsanner Eastern Washington -- Yakima Expand report text Hide report text Got out of the Seattle rain and headed east for an early spring hike along the creek and up the cany... Got out of the Seattle rain and headed east for an early spring hike along the creek and up the canyon. Apparently this is the perfect time to hike this trail if you are a bird watcher. One Seattle man told me he had seen 50+ different types of birds this day. Not sure if I should believe him, but the sounds of many birds were in the air. The trail is relatively flat and has two creek crossings that aren't challenging, but do have risk of getting your boots wet. We had seen previous reports of rattlesnake sitings, but none to day (whew). We were disappointed in not seeing any of the big horn sheep that herd in the canyon. Overall, it was a nice day to be out on a easy desert trail in early spring.

	Umtanum Creek Canyon — May 18, 2013 — Pam and Paul Kaperick Eastern Washington -- Yakima Why go now: Wildflowers blooming Beware of: Blowdowns, Overgrown Expand report text Hide report text We arrived at 9 AM and hiked the trail with 70 oz waterpacks. The trail was in good shape except tha... We arrived at 9 AM and hiked the trail with 70 oz waterpacks. The trail was in good shape except that it was overgrown in places and there were some dangerous branches hiding in the thinner cover in the trees. We saw 3 or 4 snakes that were likely rattlers based on the colors, but they weren't hanging around to be a problem. The area requires a NATIONAL PARK PASS not a Discover Pass as the trail description says and a $5 parking fee. I would recommend the hike to anyone looking for a quick stretch. We were done in just over 2 hours including stops.

No image submitted	Umtanum Creek Canyon — May 11, 2013 — The Sidos Eastern Washington -- Yakima Why go now: Wildflowers blooming Beware of: Bugs Expand report text Hide report text The wild flowers were in bloom, so things were really pretty. We saw one small rattlesnake along the... The wild flowers were in bloom, so things were really pretty. We saw one small rattlesnake along the trail, but it didn't bother us as we skirted around it. We did come home with a bunch of ticks on our dog that we hadn't thought about. So, before you head home make sure to brush down everyone for ticks and use some tick repellent on your dog before you hike.

No image submitted	Umtanum Creek Canyon — May 08, 2013 — mOuNtAiNeEr51 Eastern Washington -- Yakima Why go now: Wildflowers blooming Expand report text Hide report text I did what that Cascadian group did the week before. I hiked up the steep trail on the north side of... I did what that Cascadian group did the week before. I hiked up the steep trail on the north side of the creek mouth to the top of that hill. I didn't go all the way to the bigger hill to the south like they did, though. The trail is easy to follow at first but then fades away. So you get to choose your route to the top. You may see occasional cairns. Balsalmroot and lupine was spectacular although it is already past its peak, so hurry if you still want to hike around here! The bitterroot is still blooming nicely. I luckily didn't encounter any rattlers but I know they are there, so be careful!

	Umtanum Creek Canyon — Apr 28, 2013 — sketch Eastern Washington -- Yakima Why go now: Wildflowers blooming Expand report text Hide report text Herd of bighorn sheep seen up on the rocks in the canyon. 1 big ram and several females. Plenty of... Herd of bighorn sheep seen up on the rocks in the canyon. 1 big ram and several females. Plenty of blooming wildflowers: lupine & balsamroot on the trail going up to Umtanum Ridge, oregon grape & miner's lettuce on the canyon floor; also lilacs and apple blossoms by the old settler's homestead. I didn't see any snakes, but other hikers reported seeing one or two.

	Rattlesnake Dance Ridge Trail, Umtanum Creek Canyon — Apr 27, 2013 — NWphotographer Eastern Washington -- Yakima Why go now: Wildflowers blooming Expand report text Hide report text I'm new to adding trip reports, but not new to WTA. My focus is more on providing users with some im... I'm new to adding trip reports, but not new to WTA. My focus is more on providing users with some images of what they might see rather than focus so much on the actual trails. I'll be providing brief trail notes going forward, but also some good images. This trail is under-rated and also listed as "Yakma River Canyon" which is incorrect. The directions from other user reports under that designation are correct, though. This trail is short - ca. 1 mile each way, but quite steep. Some srambling is required, but nothing too difficult. The views are good from the start and improve as you go up. For those lookin ros something longer, this hike could be combined with Baldy Mountain for a strenuous day or with Umtanum Creek Canyon for a relaxing second hike. Both are nearby. On this day I doubled up by going to Umtanum Creek Canyon and scrambling up a side wall about 1/2 mile into the Canyon. Saw one rattlesnake.

	Umtanum Creek Canyon — Apr 26, 2013 — SeattleNovice Eastern Washington -- Yakima Why go now: Wildflowers blooming Expand report text Hide report text Please be careful of rattlesnakes. Our family encountered three on the first mile of the path last ... Please be careful of rattlesnakes. Our family encountered three on the first mile of the path last Friday. If you go, please prepare for the possibility by learning how to react if you encounter a rattlesnake (I think you're supposed to freeze and slowly back away -- they will strike out of fear or anger if they feel threatened). Keep your eyes on the path so you don't accidentally step on one. We had a great time though! We saw lots of beaver dams and wildflowers, and the suspension bridge is fun to walk over. Given the number of rattlesnakes we saw, I would be cautious about bringing small children or pets on this hike (although I've never been before and maybe it's just the time of year).

	Umtanum Creek Canyon — Apr 18, 2013 — Hikermom Eastern Washington -- Yakima Why go now: Wildflowers blooming Expand report text Hide report text On our way home from Walla Walla Matt & Kirk & Sylvie & I drove the Yakima Canyon Road (821) & hiked... On our way home from Walla Walla Matt & Kirk & Sylvie & I drove the Yakima Canyon Road (821) & hiked Umtanum Creek. Both provided a wonderful chance to view the amazing geology of the Yakima Canyon, and the creek hike allowed us to see the riparian area budding out and the wildflowers in bloom. Headed across the Yakima River on a bounciful, beautiful, and fun suspension bridge, crossed under the railroad tracks, and found our trail heading up the left side of the creek. We delighted in the flowering brush, budding willows and Cottonwood, and rich birdsong surrounding us. At about a mile we passed through old fenceposts and twisted apple trees at a long-abandoned homesite. We lost count of the many current and abandoned beaver dams we saw along the way; about half a mile past the old homestead we crossed the creek handily on some human-piled logs. The wildflowers were especially abundant on this side of the creek: Balsamroot, Lupine, Larkspur, Phlox, stunning displays of Oregon Grape, Red Oisier Dogwood, Sticky Currant, and tons of a flowering brush that I think was Mock Orange (native). I also saw several lily-like plants almost in full bloom that I think may have been Death Camas. (Clearly I need to take a plant identification course!) Stopped for lunch and admired bluebirds flitting among the aspen and poplars in front of us; continued on for another mile to a point where the creek had severely undercut the trail and the hillside was steep and decided to call it a hike. Turned around and made our way back, taking almost as many photographs on the way out as the way in. What a delightful, 5 mile round trip, spring excursion!

No image submitted	Umtanum Creek Canyon — Apr 04, 2013 — Washington Trails Association Eastern Washington -- Yakima Beware of: Road to trailhead inaccessible Expand report text Hide report text ONE DAY ROAD CLOSURE: The Canyon River Road to Umtanum Canyon trail will be closed Saturday, April 6... ONE DAY ROAD CLOSURE: The Canyon River Road to Umtanum Canyon trail will be closed Saturday, April 6, for a marathon race. http://www.ontherunevents.com/yrcm/

No image submitted	Umtanum Creek Canyon — Mar 30, 2013 — edlorah Eastern Washington -- Yakima Expand report text Hide report text Started out about 9:30AM on a beautiful, clear, and eventually warm Spring day. Hiked in about 3.25 ... Started out about 9:30AM on a beautiful, clear, and eventually warm Spring day. Hiked in about 3.25 miles and had lunch. I was here in late summer a couple of years ago and was able to go much farther into the canyon this time because the late-season underbrush was absent. In late summer the trail seems to disappear. In fact, I was surprised that very little was blooming as yet.Most of the grasses seemed pretty brown and dormant. But it's plainly Spring, and the birds were putting on a great show, courting and swooping along the canyon walls. We climbed to the top of of one of the ridges- about 600 feet- and had a spectacular view up and down the canyon and to the high desert beyond. As we hiked out we encountered lots of day hikers coming in. A rather disturbing moment as we passed a young man carrying an assault rifle. He was polite and greeted us as we passed but .... really? An assault rifle in a wildlife sanctuary where plenty of parents are hiking with their young kids? It was bizarre and disturbing. And by the way, the signage at the trailhead states that firearms are not allowed on BLM land.

	Umtanum Creek Canyon — Mar 24, 2013 — Loren Drummond Eastern Washington -- Yakima Expand report text Hide report text We worked in a quick hike here on the way home from a weekend of camping and hiking in the Yakima Ri... We worked in a quick hike here on the way home from a weekend of camping and hiking in the Yakima River Canyon. On a Sunday morning, there were quite a few cars parked at the trailhead parking lot/campground. It looked like some folks were fly fishing and others were just enjoying a sunny day playing in the creek. Since we only had an hour, we opted to head up the trail that branches off of the main trail just after you cross the river and come up from under the train tracks. We followed the trail on the eastern wall of the smaller canyon south of the main Yakima River Canyon and got some lovely views back down onto the canyon before it disappeared from view. The trail was in pretty good shape, with only a few spots where it had eroded down the hill. The tread was pretty soft for dog paws and muddy in a few spots where the trail neared the drainage creek. We ran across a few other hikers, but not as many as on the main Untanum Creek Canyon. We were hoping to climb up to more views, but had to turn around before we topped out on the ridge. If you lived in Ellensburg, this would make a great little early morning training hike.

No image submitted	Umtanum Creek Canyon — Mar 23, 2013 — hikertim Eastern Washington -- Yakima Why go now: Wildflowers blooming Beware of: Mudholes Expand report text Hide report text Hiked the canyon with 8 Boy Scouts. The weather was beautiful and sunny. There was mud on the trail ... Hiked the canyon with 8 Boy Scouts. The weather was beautiful and sunny. There was mud on the trail but it was easily avoidable. There were some frozen creek crossings that were a challenge but overall I will definitely rerun. There was adequate areas for all of the tents at the end of the trail and plenty of water from the creek. Make sure to bring water treatment as there are beaver dams present. Overnight temperatures were in the low 20s

	Umtanum Creek Canyon — Mar 16, 2013 — GingerB85 Eastern Washington -- Yakima Beware of: Overgrown Expand report text Hide report text It was a beautiful day for a hike, balmy and clear. We did have difficulty finding a place to cross... It was a beautiful day for a hike, balmy and clear. We did have difficulty finding a place to cross the creek (perhaps swollen from snow melt), but finally were able to cross. Some of the trails were overgrown, but not unpassable. Lots of signs of spring. We saw a few groups of deer and a few bighorn sheep. Lots of butterflies and small birds and a few pheasant. About three miles in, there were large cat tracks by the creek. The creek at that point would have been difficult to cross and the trail overlooking the creek was partially crumbled down toward the creek below. We opted to start back at that point.

	Umtanum Creek Canyon, Umtanum Ridge Crest — Mar 03, 2013 — explorerdogs Eastern Washington -- Yakima Expand report text Hide report text Oh the bridges we have crossed. We put another notch in our belt today for a bridge crossed. Along ... Oh the bridges we have crossed. We put another notch in our belt today for a bridge crossed. Along with my gephyrophobic dog we have crossed many bridges, (middle fork snoqualmie, deception creek, east bank baker lake to name a few) but still have some more to conquer. Today's bridge was unique as it bounced as we stepped as well as swayed from the wind adding another level of fear and excitement. The canyon was beautiful and sunny. The trail was very muddy in spots from where the snow has melted out. There were several areas that crossing the creek were not too difficult, you just had to walk along and find one to fit your comfort level, and then picking up the trail along the otherside was not too difficult. There were quite a few hikers out on this trail today, more as the day progressed. We continued along the canyon trail until it almost petered out and then returned and headed up the ridge trail. This path was not so well travelled and we pretty much had it to ourselves. There was some slick mud and a few icy snow patches, but with hiking poles and careful steps we all made it down without incident. (Careful the mud is almost slicker than the snow). A beautiful hike and even near the end of winter it was amazing the different colors that were out from the different variation in tree and brush limbs.

	Umtanum Creek Canyon — Feb 20, 2013 — idealbradley Eastern Washington -- Yakima Beware of: Overgrown, Mudholes, Water on trail, Snow on trail Expand report text Hide report text It was a great Day! We ran from the clouds of Seattle. It took about two hours to get to the trailhe... It was a great Day! We ran from the clouds of Seattle. It took about two hours to get to the trailhead. Really not a bad drive at all. The trailhead signage states the trail is closed 3.5 miles in for sensitive wildlife. There were maybe three groups that left the parking lot at the same time. we did not see a soul after the creek crossing about mile in. The rest of the afternoon was an awesome hike. My only difficulty was in a few spots the snow on the trail turned to slippery ice. My hiking buddy and I both fell once going downhill. MicroSpikes would have solved this problem. We sat by the creek had a nice lunch. Also we spotted a few groups of deer.There were plenty scat signs of the ones we didn't see. The further you go, around mile 3, the more overgrown the trail gets and was hard to follow. We turned around soon after. I suggest waterproof boots for the mud, trekking poles or microspikes for the ice, and binoculars for the abundant wildlife.

	Umtanum Creek Canyon — Feb 17, 2013 — MamaSofi Eastern Washington -- Yakima Beware of: Overgrown, Snow on trail Expand report text Hide report text The weather was sunny and a little cold, but great for the hike. The bit of mud and snow on the tra... The weather was sunny and a little cold, but great for the hike. The bit of mud and snow on the trail was not a problem. However, we could not find the creek crossing at the 1 mile mark. Other people were running into the same problem. It was not obvious where to cross, so we turned back. It would have been awesome if we could have kept going, but with little kids, we were not about to take chances to get across the creek.

	Umtanum Creek Canyon — Feb 16, 2013 — onehikeaweek Eastern Washington -- Yakima Beware of: Overgrown, Mud/Rockslide, Mudholes, Water on trail, Snow on trail, No water source Expand report text Hide report text Flickr: http://bit.ly/umtanum-creek-canyon Another rainy day in the Cascades so we hiked in Easte... Flickr: http://bit.ly/umtanum-creek-canyon Another rainy day in the Cascades so we hiked in Eastern Washington. We got to the trailhead pretty late so there were already quite a few cars in the lot. Some people were fishing, some were having a good ol' time car camping, the rest were people taking short walks along the canyon. On the other side of the suspension bridge we saw a group walking into the canyon with alcohol and bags of goodies in hand. Rather than crashing their party, I decided to head up the slopes immediately to find peace and quiet somewhere else. Most of our time was spent traversing westerly on Umtanum Ridge checking out the views. Sunny but windy, with occasional clouds hanging overhead. On the way back we traversed northerly down into the canyon and hiked back out to the parking lot.

	Umtanum Creek Canyon — Nov 25, 2012 — Natasha'n'Boris Eastern Washington -- Yakima Expand report text Hide report text Umtanum Canyon is a nice winter hike and often has wildlife. We weren't sure we would see any bighor... Umtanum Canyon is a nice winter hike and often has wildlife. We weren't sure we would see any bighorn sheep in Umtanum Canyon since it's hunting season, but figured it was worth a try to get some sun in after a pretty dreary week on the west side of the Cascades. We arrived to only a few pickups in the parking lot about 10 a.m., one of which had a pretty happy springer spaniel that had been out bird-dogging. The trail was remarkably quiet after we crossed the suspension bridge and under the railroad. We saw one hunter on the ridge to the north and a couple of hikers. The apple trees planted long ago had ripe apples that we sampled by snagging them with a ski pole. On the trail, we found many piles of coyote scat loaded with apple. The trail through the canyon was clear but the fallen leaves frosty, perhaps because the sun never really seems to hit the ground this time of year. It makes the canyon a pleasant walk, but very icebox like. We scrambled up a game trail onto a ridge to have lunch in the sun by a rock formation that looked like a giant hand. We found ourselves sitting by a hole in the basalt with vegetation, small scat, and a lot of urine marking the entrance. After peering in and seeing the glint of eyes, we moved away to another lunch spot. We did see our sheep, in a great place for a picture, but then found we didn't have a long lens on hand and could only take a picture of its perch. I was relieved to see at least one since the disease outbreak that decimated the herd (disease bearing domestic sheep, go away from here!). On the way back up 82, we saw some folks on the roadside pointing big lenses across the river and saw several more. We also saw a lot of deer and a small herd of elk picking grass off the slopes. This would be a good destination for people with kids who are curious about nature- there's always something to see.

	Umtanum Creek Canyon — Jul 21, 2012 — banana slug Eastern Washington -- Yakima Why go now: Wildflowers blooming Expand report text Hide report text This lovely canyon hike has something to offer in all seasons. Today on this warm sunny day it was... This lovely canyon hike has something to offer in all seasons. Today on this warm sunny day it was the breeze that blew through the canyon, the scent of sagebrush and the opportunity to observe and photograph a variety of butterflies that make this canyon their home. We had the trail mostly to ourselves passing a few hikers and a youth group. The majority of people that parked in the overflowing parking lot were here to float the Yakima River. With campsites along the river you could spend a summer weekend hiking and floating.

	Umtanum Creek Canyon — Jul 04, 2012 — shuksan1 Eastern Washington -- Yakima Why go now: Wildflowers blooming Beware of: Overgrown Expand report text Hide report text Nice Fourth of July hike in the eighties. Brought our dog with us. The canyon is wide at the conflue... Nice Fourth of July hike in the eighties. Brought our dog with us. The canyon is wide at the confluence with the Yakima with a flat bottom and high basalt cliffs and bluffs on the sides. To find the trail after crossing the suspension bridge, go under the railroad tracks and to the left (south) along the tracks. The trail is signed. It says the trail is closed at 3 point something miles. We figure we went about 3 miles. We didn't reach an official closure point but the last three quarters mile was a serious bushwack so we called it good. Lots of signs of beaver activity there. There is a real nice flat camp site on the creek at about two miles in a grove of trees. A small owl with bright yellow eyes was perched on a big log there and let us get quite close. It just blinked at us indifferently. As previous reports indicated, this hike is a real tick fest so do a thorough search when you get back to your car before leaving. My wife found at least seven in her hair. A pretty hike all in all.

	Umtanum Creek Canyon — Jun 01, 2012 — efader Eastern Washington -- Yakima Why go now: Wildflowers blooming, Ripe berries Beware of: Overgrown, Bugs Expand report text Hide report text Great hike, all the way to the end and past, I dont recomend going to much further, to much brush an... Great hike, all the way to the end and past, I dont recomend going to much further, to much brush and I brought a tick home. Lots of wildflowers and butterflys, also saw 4 mountain goats and a low flying hawk. Great day hike, Definetly go,look for the fruit trees. Pooring in western wa, 85 degrees and sunny here!!!

No image submitted	Umtanum Creek Canyon — May 28, 2012 — chief_tracks_alot Eastern Washington -- Yakima Expand report text Hide report text PLEASE READ- THIS COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE OR YOUR HIKE it was memorial day weekend 2012 and we w... PLEASE READ- THIS COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE OR YOUR HIKE it was memorial day weekend 2012 and we were planning on an overnight hike. we got about 4 miles into Umtanum Canyon when we passed a couple walking back. they mentioned how it got a little bottle necked up ahead but they did fine. we had 3 dogs and 3 people. about 5 mins after talking to the couple we stumbled upon a rattle snake. this was not pleasant. when it all happened my freinds dog was positioned between me and the snake; me being 3 feet away and the dog being 1 foot away. Rattler struck multiple times but the dog dodged, then lunged in. snake wheeled around and bit dog on the throat. i ended it with a machete, but after 2 more close calls on the other 2 dogs. Dog that was bit survived, but we saw 5 MORE RATTLERS ON THE WAY OUT!!! not uch to see in this canyon and it is a very easy walk. IF YOU CHOOSE TO DO THIS please be aware of the dangers of rattle snakes. when we went it was hot weather and the snakes were funneled down into the canyon through the rocks on all sides to find shelter. keep the weather and time of year in mind. Please be careful, it was not a fun experience.

No image submitted	Umtanum Creek Canyon — May 26, 2012 — saunteric Eastern Washington -- Yakima Beware of: Bugs Expand report text Hide report text Lovely hike with the gorgeous canyon walls, easy creek crossings, birds and other wildlife to see (i... Lovely hike with the gorgeous canyon walls, easy creek crossings, birds and other wildlife to see (including some big horn sheep(?) up high on the canyon wall). The only down side was the incredibly large number of ticks on ourselves and the dog. Even after very careful inspections before we headed home, we kept finding more crawling on ourselves and in the car! There was a small fire about 2.5-3 miles up the canyon that looked like it had been started by lightning earlier. We helped Boy Scout troop 498 clear fuel away from the burnt out region around the tree that had been hit by the lightning and get some water on the flames.

	Umtanum Creek Canyon — May 26, 2012 — Heidi Eastern Washington -- Yakima Why go now: Wildflowers blooming Beware of: Bugs Expand report text Hide report text Lovely sunny day with a slight breeze made hiking a delight. Once we got beyond the holiday beer sw... Lovely sunny day with a slight breeze made hiking a delight. Once we got beyond the holiday beer swigging campers, the trail was fine. Many wildflowers in bloom. The balsam root flowers were just beyond their peak but many other wildflowers were in full bloom. We did not observe any big horned sheep but noted a lot of bird activity, alas no binoculars so birding was limited for us. I did see other birders with spotting scopes. Easy hike, nice flowers and good weather. You would think I have nothing to complain about. Ticks, ticks, and more TICKS! We removed several from ourselves and about 30 from the dog. That sure gave me the willys. Just remember tick check. One other note we received a warning ticket from the ranger stating that discovery passes are not valid in the parking lot.

No image submitted	Umtanum Creek Canyon — May 13, 2012 — VALLEYGIRL Eastern Washington -- Yakima Why go now: Wildflowers blooming Expand report text Hide report text Took a morning hike (trail run) around 7AM. Wildflowers are in bloom and the lilac grove at the old... Took a morning hike (trail run) around 7AM. Wildflowers are in bloom and the lilac grove at the old homestead were fragrant. But the rattle snakes are out. Seemed early but there they are. I would definitely do this hike again...maybe in April. Have to apologize if someone found our doggy poop bag. We had it in our hands for the whole trail and when we got back to the parking lot it was not there. Hiked back another mile to find it, but didnt. Maybe it fell in the river coming back over the bridge.

No image submitted	Umtanum Creek Canyon — May 06, 2012 — sketch Eastern Washington -- Yakima Expand report text Hide report text Foliage is growing in along the trail, blocking visibility somewhat, but the stream crossings were p... Foliage is growing in along the trail, blocking visibility somewhat, but the stream crossings were passable over several log "bridges". Look left at the first creek crossing to see a beaver dam. Lilacs and apple blossoms are in full bloom at the settlers cabin: follow the boot path to the right after the first creek crossing to discover the cement foundation, stairs, and sidewalk inscribed "Nov 25, 1933". 4 bighorn sheep were spotted along the ridge bordering the canyon. They appeared to be shedding out their winter coats and otherwise looked healthy. We hiked further up Umtanum Ridge to see balsamroot, lupine, & phlox just coming into bloom. Also saw a pygmy short-horned lizard ("Horned Toad"). Great views of the Stuart range from the ridge.

	Umtanum Creek Canyon — May 06, 2012 — Nathaniel Eastern Washington -- Yakima Why go now: Wildflowers blooming Expand report text Hide report text Started late- around 3:00 from the TH. Made it up the trail a few miles before finding an excellent ... Started late- around 3:00 from the TH. Made it up the trail a few miles before finding an excellent camping spot next to the creek right after the second crossing. Flowers are blooming- not yet peak but I couldn't complain! This hike has always been spectacular- every time we go. It was incredibly windy at night on the 5th- tent blew around like crazy before we made it to bed. Today was much more pleasant- temperature was warm and there was a slight breeze. The interesting parts: we had a lovely tick experience to start the day, some poison ivy, and also a nice rattlesnake. No bites and no poison ivy rashes to report though! There was a gopher snake that came towards us at good speed (up until it realized that we were there). The word must have gotten out today about this trail- there were a TON of people walking up there! Overall- a lovely hike- just be sure to protect against ticks (check yourself at the end), stay out of the ivy, and keep your eyes open for snakes.

	Umtanum Creek Canyon — May 05, 2012 — Angela Eastern Washington -- Yakima Why go now: Wildflowers blooming Beware of: Bugs Expand report text Hide report text We started with lunch in Ellensburg, and were concerned because the wind was very strong there. The ... We started with lunch in Ellensburg, and were concerned because the wind was very strong there. The wind was much more moderate down in the canyon. We started our hike just before 2:00 and hiked 1 1/2 hours up and an hour down. We took the trail up toward the ridge. Many wildflowers were in bloom. Phlox and balsam root were dominant from a distance, but there were many other flowers as well, including larkspur, woodland star (Lithophragma), and a few lupines (they were just starting). The sagebrush was not yet blooming. The birdsongs were quite lovely, especially after we reached grassy uplands. We saw only two butterflies -- they were Sara Orangetips. The most significant entomological note was the ticks -- we treated our dogs with Advantage the night before, but still collected several ticks from each one, and half-a-dozen from our clothes and ourselves. We did close the bottoms of our pantlegs in anticipation of this difficulty.

	Umtanum Creek Canyon — May 04, 2012 — PL Eastern Washington -- Yakima Why go now: Wildflowers blooming Expand report text Hide report text The weather report for Ellensburg today was partly sunny, low 50's, 20% chance of showers. Good enou... The weather report for Ellensburg today was partly sunny, low 50's, 20% chance of showers. Good enough for a return trip 3 weeks after our last visit on 4/13, and that's exactly the weather we got. Alternately sunny, cloudy, breezy, calm, warm, cool. The canyon is leafed out and trails will soon be overgrown, balsamroot is abundant, and other wildflowers are appearing. The homestead apple and cherry trees were in full bloom and full fragrance, as were the wonderful old serviceberries. Thanks to whoever laid the log bridges over the two main creek crossings. We walked 2 hours into the canyon, past suddenly giant lone ponderosa pines and across four talus slopes, following several large cairns to where the trail petered out at a high vista. Just before, my pole missed a rock and went instead into a crevice, and the next sound I heard was an insistent rattle. Oops. Several ticks joined us for lunch. However, these inconveniences were rewarded by the incredible high views of light and shadow and rocky relief, including looking down on a splendid great blue heron on a long flight high up-canyon right towards us. This place is amazing and every visit has new surprises. We saw a pair of kestrels copulating on a snag, a lone male bighorn sheep lying down on a ridge across the canyon (lucky sighting), and thousands and thousands of swallows both in the canyon and all along the Yakima on the way back to the freeway. Not really a trail report detail, but it was hard to stop grinning on the way home at having outsmarted the weather. The sky was spitting rain on our final mile out, and light hail began when we got to the parking lot at 2 pm. The skies lowered and we left a downpour behind us, slogged through rain and snow at the pass, and then got seriously wet on the west side. Ha.

	Umtanum Creek Canyon — Apr 29, 2012 — Bob and Barb Eastern Washington -- Yakima Why go now: Wildflowers blooming Expand report text Hide report text The canyon is lush and green with new growth and the flowers and bushes are beginning to bloom addin... The canyon is lush and green with new growth and the flowers and bushes are beginning to bloom adding color to the area. A bull (?) snake sunning itself along the trail slithered away as we approached wanting nothing to do with us! Several cars were parked at the TH, but the trail never seemed crowded. We hiked a little over 2 miles to a grove of cottonwood trees beyond the campsite at the second creek crossing. Two years ago we saw several Lewis Woodpeckers nesting in the grove. We saw none today or last year when we visited the same grove. In 2 different areas we watched a Northern Harrier soar in circular patterns above us "talking" to us as if to say, "Leave! You're in my territory!" It would alternate between circling above us and landing on distant rocks or a tree at our eye level. Near the cottonwood grove Bob watched a 4 foot rattlesnake slither to a nearby sagebrush where it curled into a large ball! Apple blossoms were on the trees. Phacelia, lupine, Arrow-leaved balsamroot, lupine, larkspur, Oregon grape, meadow death camas, yellow and purple desert-parsley, and serviceberry were blooming. We found no ticks! :)!

No image submitted	Umtanum Creek Canyon, Durr Road and North Yakima Skyline — Apr 29, 2012 — mOuNtAiNeEr51 Eastern Washington -- Yakima Beware of: Overgrown Expand report text Hide report text Plan was to hike up to Umtanum Falls from the Durr Road crossing of the creek. Once Durr Road passes... Plan was to hike up to Umtanum Falls from the Durr Road crossing of the creek. Once Durr Road passes the shooting grounds, it gets really, really rough as it descends to the creek. I damaged my Camry's muffler, so only higher clearance vehicles should attempt this drive. The creek is higher that usual since it's spring, so my car wouldn't be able to cross the creek. We parked before the creek (broken glass everywhere) and crossed it on foot. It took a minute to find the trail that leads off to the right. It is unmarked and not much of anything. I doubt to many hikers travel on this part of the trail. The trail is brushy and hard to follow at times, and pretty clear at other times. We set off in what sounded like a warzone because of the shooters on top of the hill. And right away we came across my first rattlesnake of the year. Yes, they are out, and this was a perfect habitat for them with all of the grass, brush, logs, and rocks. Watch your step! We probably made it halfway to the falls before a bush ahead of me hissed really loudly at us. I was willing to go around it since I can handle hiking with the rattlers. But my friends have never seen wild vipers until that day and wanted to turn back. It was probably a good idea since I am sure there were more snakes yet to come. Snakes are out, road is killer. If you want to hike up the Umtanum Canyon, start at the Yakima Canyon TH. For the falls, start at the Umtanum Road TH above the falls.

No image submitted	Umtanum Creek Canyon — Apr 28, 2012 — bluehoss Eastern Washington -- Yakima Why go now: Wildflowers blooming Beware of: Bugs Expand report text Hide report text Beautiful, lush canyon floor stroll. Easy, so we brought our big pups. We got to see our first gli... Beautiful, lush canyon floor stroll. Easy, so we brought our big pups. We got to see our first glimpse of the native cacti. Tiny, prickly little boogers. Birds everywhere, the plant life was thriving on the unique micro-climate and habitat of the canyon floor. Only thing I want to report otherwise is that there are some serious ticks out and about. We must have pulled 30-40 off our dogs when we got home. I even had one stuck in my armpit for crying out loud! Be careful with your dogs on this one.

	Umtanum Creek Canyon — Apr 20, 2012 — Bruces Walks Eastern Washington -- Yakima Expand report text Hide report text Check "Bruces Walks" Youtube Channel for the side canyon hike at this location, continuing on can pr... Check "Bruces Walks" Youtube Channel for the side canyon hike at this location, continuing on can provide a good work out. The directions to reach this location are orientated from Ellensburg, the Kittitas Valley. It is at the bottom of the selections with the name: Umtanum Creek Side Canyon Hike in the Yakima River Canyon. http://www.youtube.com/[…]/UCaeUkaZE9EQkKrIjGv_HGmA?feature=watch

No image submitted	Umtanum Creek Canyon — Apr 20, 2012 — Bruces Walks Eastern Washington -- Yakima Expand report text Hide report text Check "Bruces Walks" YouTube Channel for the side canyon route, a great direction to go in this loca... Check "Bruces Walks" YouTube Channel for the side canyon route, a great direction to go in this location. Traveling to this location is coming from Ellensburg, the Kittitas Valley. The trail continues on for a good work out. Find Umtanum Creek Side Canyon Hike in the Yakima River Canyon near the bottom of the selections. http://www.youtube.com/[…]/UCaeUkaZE9EQkKrIjGv_HGmA?feature=watch

	Umtanum Creek Canyon — Apr 14, 2012 — amccain Eastern Washington -- Yakima Expand report text Hide report text My 14-yr old son and I stopped to do some hiking on the dry side of the state as we were headed home... My 14-yr old son and I stopped to do some hiking on the dry side of the state as we were headed home from Kennewick. I grew up in this terrain, he had never been on a hike with so few trees. The bridge over the Yakima was a fun "bounce" and we were happy that the stiff wind died down as we ducked under the tracks and headed up the canyon. The trail was easy to follow and when we came to the first water crossing, we stayed on the left side of the creek for a few hundred yards trying to find a dry crossing but eventually gave up. We stripped off our shoes and socks and just waded across barefoot. We saw others able to jump across at a log jam just down stream. We climbed the obvious tree on the other side of the creek before continuing up the canyon. We felt that we were there a week or two early as the leaves on all the trees weren't quite developed and no wildflowers were in bloom. You could tell everything was just about ready, but not quite. We spotted plenty of butterflies and small birds flitting around. The views of the basalt canyons was pretty impressive. My one complaint was that we didn't find a good turn around point/destination. We just hiked about 2+ miles up the canyon and then turned around. It was a pretty simple hike.

No image submitted	Umtanum Creek Canyon — Apr 13, 2012 — PL Eastern Washington -- Yakima Beware of: Water on trail Expand report text Hide report text Although the ramble along the short mile from the parking lot to the old homestead is very pleasant,... Although the ramble along the short mile from the parking lot to the old homestead is very pleasant, water shoes are necessary to get into the spectacular part of the canyon. We followed the trail to the first creek crossing after the homestead, then walked a long mile on the opposite side, then descended to where the creek takes a sharp bend and crossed back. The crossings were shallow and easy and switching shoes and boots back and forth was well worth it, because this route got us well into the canyon without dead-ending in dense shrubbery and tick heaven. The best of this hike begins after the second creek crossing. We passed through a pretty aspen grove, then along a group of snags where in a previous year we'd seen a flock of Lewis's woodpeckers (only courting flickers today). Then the trail widened before pushing us against the canyon wall along a good trail across a couple of talus fields. We saw huge, lone lodgepole pines, vast swaths of orange lichens on the canyon wall, and wonderful hoodoos that just kept getting better. Because of time spent wayfinding earlier, we probably went only about 3 miles into the canyon, not as far as the good trail continued. Birds: violet-green swallows, a pair of ravens in a mesmerizing courtship flight, and lots of kestrels and harriers, including a long view of a splendid adult male harrier sitting at the base of a tree. The highlight was a golden eagle that appeared above the canyon rim like a submarine and coursed along it before catching the thermals high above. Very few wildflowers were out. Instead, our seasonal reward was seeing and hearing thousands of wild honeybees working the newly blooming vine maples that were everywhere.

No image submitted	Umtanum Creek Canyon — Apr 10, 2012 — Karen Daubert Eastern Washington -- Yakima Beware of: Mudholes, No water source Expand report text Hide report text It was cloudy in Seattle but beautiful in the Yakima Valley. I had never explored this trail and th... It was cloudy in Seattle but beautiful in the Yakima Valley. I had never explored this trail and thoroughly enjoyed it. The creek trail involved a few crossings and I was glad to have my poles. I turned around at the sign saying end of trail. I especially enjoyed the wildflowers and the descriptions and photos from the environmental education class at the nearby school. The entire trip was around 2 1/2 hours. I had a little extra time so I also explored the Umtanum falls trail which was a little crowded but the falls were nice. My favorite part of the hike was meeting a father and son who were out on their first hike together.

	Umtanum Creek Canyon — Apr 04, 2012 — Riri Eastern Washington -- Yakima Beware of: Overgrown, Water on trail Expand report text Hide report text Was in Ellensburg for the day, so Bubba and I took Daphne and Zoe, our four-legged companions, on a ... Was in Ellensburg for the day, so Bubba and I took Daphne and Zoe, our four-legged companions, on a short 4-mile hike through Umtanum Creek Canyon. No Discovery Pass needed right now. BLM was installing new, wider planks on the suspension bridge today--thanks! The hike was easy, flat, and filled with the wonderful fragrance of sage. Scenery was typical for the drier side of the state, lots of tall grasses and alder, cottonwood and aspen thickets. I was a bit surprised that this wasn't a canyon featuring soaring rock walls, just some not-overly-steep cliffs. Still, the scenery was pleasant enough and the day was warm and sunny. The creek crossing at 1 mile is not a rock hop right now; we did it with shoes off and the water was mighty cold. At 2 miles, we faced another creek crossing and opted for a side trail on the same side of the water we were on. This game path was quite overgrown and we lost the trail about 0.5 mile into it. Had lunch then turned around. Saw lots of birds but no large wildlife and fortunately no snakes either. The dogs had a fun time, although Zoe came back with two ticks. Ran into a handful of people in our 2.5 hours there and only two who braved the first creek crossing.

	Umtanum Creek Canyon — Mar 23, 2012 — HalfCenturyHiker Eastern Washington -- Yakima Beware of: Mudholes, Snow on trail Expand report text Hide report text Day 3 of 3, see previous posts on March 21st and 22nd. Little did I know what was ahead of us! I ne... Day 3 of 3, see previous posts on March 21st and 22nd. Little did I know what was ahead of us! I never thought the hike to the top of the ridge overlooking the Yakima river was going to be so strenuous!!! After you cross over the suspension bridge at the trailhead you take a left at the fork in the trail which takes you UP to the top of the ridge. In just a few miles you gain over 2100 feet in elevation. If you are not in good shape or have a weak heart I would not suggest taking this trail. The last portion of the trail is the steepest! We set up camp on the top of the knoll and enjoyed the fantastic 360 degree view. We took our walkie talkies with us so we listened to the local weather. It was going to be 26 degrees in Ellensburg so we knew at 3500 feet it was going to be a very cold night, around 20 degrees. I am now a very steadfast believer in emergency blankets. Without them it would have been a very uncomfortable night. We wrapped one around ourselves inside our sleeping backs and then put one over the top of both our sleeping bags. At times we were almost too warm. Always pack emergency blankets with you! They saved us. The views are amazing and the stars at night unbelievable. You can also see the city lights of Ellensburg and Yakima. In the morning we enjoyed a hot breakfast, packed up and headed down the trail. All in all, a great start to the hiking season.

	Umtanum Creek Canyon — Mar 22, 2012 — HalfCenturyHiker Eastern Washington -- Yakima Beware of: Mud/Rockslide, Snow on trail Expand report text Hide report text Entry 2 of 3 We awoke to a winter wonderland! So much for an only 30% chance of precipitation! Abou... Entry 2 of 3 We awoke to a winter wonderland! So much for an only 30% chance of precipitation! About two inches of snow had fallen overnight. It was on the verge of being too cold overnight but we were prepared. We enjoyed a hearty breakfast before we packed up and headed out of the canyon, planning to hike up to the ridge in the afternoon. The colors of the canyon were enhanced by the snowfall and blue sky. I was very impressed by the colors of the light green & red lichen and dark green moss on the cliffs surrounding the canyon, set off by the dusty gray browns of the landscape. It didn't take us long to get back to the trail head for lunch and then take the fork in the trail heading up to the top of the ridge overlooking the Yakima River and surrounding Eastern Washington. Little did I know what was ahead of us.... See March 23rd for the dramatic conclusion.

	Umtanum Creek Canyon — Mar 21, 2012 — HalfCenturyHiker Eastern Washington -- Yakima Beware of: Mud/Rockslide, Snow on trail Expand report text Hide report text After reading Mytho-man's many Eastern Washington trip reports, my son and I decided to to head for ... After reading Mytho-man's many Eastern Washington trip reports, my son and I decided to to head for Umtanum Creek Canyon (thanks Mytho-man) for a multi-night excursion. Umtanum Creek trail is mostly level for the entire three miles into the canyon, a very pleasant walk. We pushed up the canyon about 4 miles until there was too much underbush to get through. We found a great place besides Umtanum Creek and set up camp for the night. We were enjoying our freeze dried dinners when it began to snow, our 30% chance I guess, lol! It was absolutely beautiful. What an awesome feeling to enjoy a hot dinner while watching the snow lightly fall. We bedded down for the night wondering what it would look like in the morning. During the night we could hear the snow gently falling on the rainfly and then slide off as it got to heavy. See March 22 entry for what it looked like.... 1 of 3 day entry

	Umtanum Creek Canyon — Feb 11, 2012 — RBSquires Eastern Washington -- Yakima Beware of: Mud/Rockslide, Mudholes, Water on trail, Snow on trail Expand report text Hide report text The trail head is clearly marked as a camping/picnic area and the bridge is difficult to miss. The t... The trail head is clearly marked as a camping/picnic area and the bridge is difficult to miss. The trail was in good condition, though covered in packed snow/ice. We lost the trail at one point following a pair of tracks that took us in the wrong direction for about a mile, but we were able to backtrack and head off in the right direction. Ice on the trail made it difficult to traverse steeper areas, and resulted in some wet feet when we stepped on ice-covered puddles. A nice day hike if you're not interested in great vistas (you're in a canyon the whole time).

	Umtanum Creek Canyon — Nov 19, 2011 — mytho-man Eastern Washington -- Yakima Beware of: Snow on trail Expand report text Hide report text 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.

	Umtanum Creek Canyon — Nov 06, 2011 — Bob and Barb Eastern Washington -- Yakima Why go now: Fall foliage Expand report text Hide report text 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.

	Umtanum Creek Canyon — Oct 30, 2011 — mytho-man Eastern Washington -- Yakima Why go now: Fall foliage Expand report text Hide report text Brenda, Ethan, & I took a hike up Umtanum Canyon today. The forecast was for cloudy skies & a 40% c... 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!

	Umtanum Creek Canyon — Oct 02, 2011 — hikingcrone Eastern Washington -- Yakima Why go now: Wildflowers blooming, Fall foliage Beware of: Overgrown, Washouts Expand report text Hide report text The trail starts easily and enchanted us with flowering sage brush, numerous plants bearing exotic s... 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

No image submitted	Umtanum Creek Canyon — Aug 06, 2011 — lilbied Eastern Washington -- Yakima Expand report text Hide report text We love this trail! In August, it was a great hot summer backpack along a beautiful creek. We got ... 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.

No image submitted	Umtanum Creek Canyon — May 29, 2011 — rachelb Eastern Washington -- Yakima Why go now: Wildflowers blooming Expand report text Hide report text Did the hike with our two small kids (6 and 2.5). Pretty wildflowers, lots of birdsong. Trail was dr... Did the hike with our two small kids (6 and 2.5). Pretty wildflowers, lots of birdsong. Trail was dry and easy to hike. It was pretty busy (Memorial Day Weekend), but everyone was friendly. Unfortunately, there was a group of young guys shooting skeet at the start of the trail so the gunshots echoing off the canyon walls pretty much put paid to any wildlife sightings. It's hard to get under or climb over the railroad track with a kid in a backpack. The stream crossing wasn't bad- two wet feet but not dangerous. In all, worth the drive from Seattle to get some dry, sunny hiking on a kid-friendly trail.

	Umtanum Creek Canyon — May 28, 2011 — nikm Eastern Washington -- Yakima Why go now: Wildflowers blooming Beware of: Overgrown, Washouts, Water on trail, Bugs Expand report text Hide report text Over memorial day weekend our Boy Scout troop hiked in and camped 3 miles in. We camped just before ... Over memorial day weekend our Boy Scout troop hiked in and camped 3 miles in. We camped just before trail markers indicating that the remainder of the trail was closed until July 15th. We had to cross the creek 5 times - we were able to use make-shift bridges a number of times, but a good portion of the group ended up getting their feet wet on several of the creek crossings. About two miles in the trail became over grown and on some portions we had to crawl under fallen trees or clear through brush. The trail was very busy with day hikers the first mile or so in, and we passed a number of camps sites until about 2 miles in where we only encountered one or two other groups on the way in. We did a day hike up to the top of the Canyon (about 600ft) and enjoyed fantastic views. We encountered a lot of rattle snakes and other snakes both in the canyon and on the hike up to the ridge. It's a great trip, but the trail is a bit difficult at times and camping sites were a little hard to find, but we did eventually find a satisfactory camp for approximately 12-13 tents.

No image submitted	Umtanum Creek Canyon — May 14, 2011 — tdouglass Eastern Washington -- Yakima Beware of: Mud/Rockslide, Mudholes, Washouts, Water on trail, Road to trailhead inaccessible Expand report text Hide report text Drizzling rain going in on the hike, rained all night, at 2 A.M. the creek was starting to gain wate... Drizzling rain going in on the hike, rained all night, at 2 A.M. the creek was starting to gain water levels so we checked it every 30 minutes and the creek turned into a flash flood. The flood took out the trails we took in so we packed out of the valley at 4 and walked above it, getting back to the car at a 8:30.

No image submitted	Umtanum Creek Canyon — May 14, 2011 — GingerLily Eastern Washington -- Yakima Why go now: Wildflowers blooming Expand report text Hide report text Umtanum Creek Canyon is an enchanting fairytale of a place to frolic and tickle the senses. The scen... Umtanum Creek Canyon is an enchanting fairytale of a place to frolic and tickle the senses. The scent of sage and cottonwood fills the lungs whilst butterflies, warblers, and hawks fly above and all around in lilting circles. The panoramic views are saturated in shades of umber, rust, gold and green. The wildflowers seem to sprawl and nestle themselves up into the highest rocky crevices and then settle along the banks of the creek, trail, and meadow, though; it is the silvery blue sage that sets the tone, encouraging awareness and reminding us of our deep connection to the earth and spirit. As late morning gave way to afternoon the sun shone brighter and the sky more blue than anywhere we had driven for miles and miles just minutes prior...quite uncanny but most appreciated! As we crisscrossed the creek there was a shady set of rocks near the creek-side to eat lunch and absorb the numerous chirps, coos, and trickles of the cool water rolling past. After lunch we were surprised and a bit frightened to cross paths with a rattle snake soaking up the sun along the edge of the trail. As fate would have it we were spooked by another rattle snake on our return trip! All in all the "meeting" was harmless and educational, but do keep a keen eye out for them and your ears tuned to the subtle shakes. We will be returning soon to hike the ridge top trail.

	Umtanum Ridge Crest, Umtanum Creek Canyon — May 13, 2011 — Tomas Eastern Washington -- Yakima Why go now: Wildflowers blooming Expand report text Hide report text Goober Canari and I set out for the sunnier, drier, side of the state with a hike along the Yakima R... Goober Canari and I set out for the sunnier, drier, side of the state with a hike along the Yakima Rim. It took us around 2 hours to get from Puget Sound lowlands to Ellensburg. The Umtanum Creek crossing was not difficult w/ my SUV, the water only being a couple of feet deep. We began the ascent up to Umtanum Ridge from there. We saw the only person we would see up there on a motorcycle. We found the north trailhead which is another old road. We chose to continue in the car and drove almost 4 miles on the rough road before parking and setting out on foot. The views are incredible up on the ridge. Mt Rainier and Mt Adams to the west and the Stuart Range to the north. Skies were clear but it was quite windy, enough to keep us in jackets. We walked to the end of the road and a little ways past to the edge of the ridge. From this vantage point we could see the Yakima River with its many twists and bends, as well as the Mahre Ski Pond. The wildflowers are at their spring peak. The most prevalent are the Balsamroot and Lupine. We also found numerous amounts of flowering Simpson's Hedgehog Cactus. There were many other varieties of wildflowers and the hills were still quite green. We also noted many old fenceposts including corner posts weighted down with rocks. Incredible that settlers at one time attempted to scratch out a living up here. We returned to the car - about 5 miles round trip of hiking. We next set out for the Umptanum Creek trailhead off of Highway 821. Quite a few more folks at the parking lot for that trailhead. We crossed the suspension footbridge and ducked under the RR tracks. We hadn't gone but a few paces before we spotted a PNW Rubber Boa slithering away in the grass. These snakes are supposedly not often seen by people but another WTA writer posted a picture of one recently and now our sighting (it was too quick for my camera). We walked about 3 miles or so along the creek. The temps were warmer down here with less wind. We also saw desert marmots and evidence of beavers (but no beavers) and, at our turnaround point, a rattler (No, not Theo Ratliff, a rattlesnake). Goober's fine trail moxie enabled him to see the rattlesnake on the trail (before one of us stepped on it) and we watched it slither into the tall grass. We would also see a garter snake, making 3 types of snakes sighted. We returned to the car having logged about 10 miles on foot and many more in the car. We encountered few bugs and no ticks (and no Tic Douloureaux). We topped off this great day in the sun and nature with a stop at the Tav in Ellensburg for Super Mother Burgers and cold beverages. I hope to return to this area to do more exploring of the Yakima Rim area. Now is a great time to head here with the comfortable temps, sun, wildflowers, and snow free trails/roads. I wouldn't recommend a passenger car for the drive up to the ridge, however.

	Umtanum Creek Canyon — May 06, 2011 — Bob and Barb Eastern Washington -- Yakima Why go now: Wildflowers blooming Expand report text Hide report text Shortly after crossing the bridge across the Yakima River we saw a snake sunning itself across the t... Shortly after crossing the bridge across the Yakima River we saw a snake sunning itself across the trail. When seeing us, it slithered into its hole to the right of the trail.We hiked a little over 3 miles seeing very few hikers. The 2 creek crossings were easy. Flowers seen were oregon grape, death camas, brodiaea, puccoon, thistle, arrow leaf balsamroot, lupine just beginning to bloom, ballhead waterleaf, purple desert parsley, serviceberry, and quince by the old homestead site. We saw northern harriers, Townsend's warblers, yellow-rumped warblers, yellow warblers,and kestrel. The canyon was very green and beautiful with all the new spring growth. We saw no rattlesnakes and found no ticks. Instead of crossing the creek near the old homestead on our return we continued along to creek to the TH.

	Umtanum Creek Canyon — May 04, 2011 — Rush On Eastern Washington -- Yakima Why go now: Wildflowers blooming Expand report text Hide report text Beautiful sunny day with minimal foot traffic. No grouse as I was hoping for but several American ke... Beautiful sunny day with minimal foot traffic. No grouse as I was hoping for but several American kestrels and Northern harriers, warblers and a rattle snake sunning on the trail. Also, lots of ticks :) Trail itself isn't challenging, but the change of ecosystem was terrific.

	Umtanum Creek Canyon — Apr 29, 2011 — RedBackpack Eastern Washington -- Yakima Why go now: Wildflowers blooming Expand report text Hide report text Fantastic hike for any experience level! Today was a strikingly beautiful day in the canyon. Beau... Fantastic hike for any experience level! Today was a strikingly beautiful day in the canyon. Beautiful drive to get there, easy to find, and a very well worn trail. Would be great for kids, dogs, grandparents, etc. Best part of this trail was the fact that it branched out every quarter mile or so. You could spend all day winding and circling through the canyon. We did get a little bored near the end of the trail and decided to follow some mountain goat paths up the canyon wall. Steep, dangerous, but man were the views incredible! We actually scrambled up the entire canyon wall to the mountain top. Insane views, but probably better left to the mountain goats. Scrambling back down kicked out butts!

	Umtanum Creek Canyon — Apr 08, 2011 — PL Eastern Washington -- Yakima Expand report text Hide report text Beautiful drive past the snowy Stuart Range and along the Yakima River to the trailhead. The Yakima ... Beautiful drive past the snowy Stuart Range and along the Yakima River to the trailhead. The Yakima is high and fast, predicting the conditions that we found at Umtanum Creek. We chose not to cross the rushing creek and high water at ~1 mi (usually an easy hop), which would have allowed us to go deeper into the canyon. Instead we scrambled a bit on talus, explored the homestead site, looked at beaver dams, then backtracked. Inspired by a distant coyote heading straight up the ridge (sheep trails be damned), we followed an easier trail up-canyon near the trailhead, unmarked but obvious, ascending past a pretty waterfall. We left the trail to follow a track into open sage country to a high plateau, our lunch site. We were serenaded by a western meadowlark and had peeks of snowy foothills of the Stuart Range through the plateaus on the other side of the canyon. On this rare spring day of fine weather, the sun was very warm at lower elevations, the wind predictably chilly on the ridge. The landscape is still spare: little is blooming yet, and the trees are just budding. In a couple of weeks, this area should be spectacular with bloom. Birds: western meadowlarks, bank swallows, prairie falcons, redtail hawks, towhees, juncos, and a great blue heron in the most splendid breeding plumage I have seen. The show continued after we left the parking lot in the afternoon. Along the east side of the Yakima R., we sighted about 30 molting female & juvenile bighorns in three groups within a couple of miles. No lambs yet. A pneumonia epidemic has crashed the local bighorn population, and in the canyon (west side of the Yakima) we saw no sheep, so sighting these sheep was a thrill. Soon afterwards, along Rt 82, we saw an osprey on the nest, and a minute later another osprey hovering and plummeting after prey. Driving time from door to trailhead: 2 hours. In and above the canyon: about 7 miles in 4 hours, with lots of gawking.

	Umtanum Creek Canyon — Jan 16, 2011 — whitebark Eastern Washington -- Yakima Beware of: Snow on trail Expand report text Hide report text Strange subtropical weather in Eastern Washington prevailed on our hike. The air was misty and humi... Strange subtropical weather in Eastern Washington prevailed on our hike. The air was misty and humid, and the warmth was trying hard to melt all of the snow and ice left over from the recent cold snap. The Umtanum Canyon trail itself was covered with 6" to a foot of packed snow...not bad footing but you might bring Yaktrax. We hiked on the trail for awhile, then were tempted by the sunny and dry south-facing slope of the canyon. A short but steep scramble to us to a fine perch on a lava cliff, where we lingered and soaked up the bright warm sun. More off-trail exploration took us to the top of the ridge and down a steep user trail back to the trailhead. Even though the slope was bare of snow, slick mud made the descent a challenge. Interesting January conditions, indeed!

	Umtanum Creek Canyon — Jan 08, 2011 — Feel Free Videos Eastern Washington -- Yakima Beware of: Snow on trail Expand report text Hide report text This was a great short hike for us and our first winter camping trip. It is very cold in the canyon ... This was a great short hike for us and our first winter camping trip. It is very cold in the canyon as the sun does not hit the valley floor in most places during the winter. A full report can be watched on Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHHPBMY9Zjs

	Umtanum Creek Canyon — Dec 04, 2010 — mytho-man Eastern Washington -- Yakima Beware of: Snow on trail Expand report text Hide report text I led my second Winter Walk of the season for the Cascadians today. Six of us hiked up Umatanum Can... I led my second Winter Walk of the season for the Cascadians today. Six of us hiked up Umatanum Canyon under gray skies. There was maybe an inch of snow at the parking lot by the swinging bridge, but farther up there was 3 or 4 inches. The first crossing of the creek was not difficult. We crossed the creek again about a mile and a half up the canyon (no difficulties) and contiued up the south side of the canyon for perhaps another mile and a half on the trail that I think was built by WTA a number of years ago. We climbed a small buttress to get above the canyon for lunch, but the views up & down the canyon were limited because we were back up a side canyon a little ways. This was farther up the south side of the canyon than I had been before. We only saw one other hiker in the canyon all day. We saw a herd of 4 bighorn rams with impressive curls on the highway as we were driving up the Yakima Canyon, but the only wildlife we saw on our hike were 2 sheep high on the canyon rim.

No image submitted	Umtanum Creek Canyon — Oct 29, 2010 — Weluv2hike. Eastern Washington -- Yakima Expand report text Hide report text Great hike, saw two owls in a tree. Lots of wildlife.... Great hike, saw two owls in a tree. Lots of wildlife.

	Umtanum Creek Canyon — Oct 13, 2010 — foxterrierguy Eastern Washington -- Yakima Expand report text Hide report text I was thinking we'd get a fall color show at Umtanum, but that is still a few weeks away. Instead w... I was thinking we'd get a fall color show at Umtanum, but that is still a few weeks away. Instead we got a beautiful end of summer palate with soft yellows, gold and sage, all under a deep cerulean sky and warm sun. Only a few people around on a week day. Went with my friend MT who is recovering from knee replacement and he did great on the mostly level, wide trail. There is one obvious fork in the trail about a mile in, go to the right and cross the creek. The left fork turns into a nasty bushwack after a while. Right after you cross the creek there, if you detour to your right and follow a faint trail along the creek, past a fire pit, you'll come to the foundation of an old house. In that general area there are also a number of old apple trees full of apples right now. This is a great late fall hike, 2.5 hours or so from Seattle, easy for most people, and its often nice over by Yakima even when it's cloudy on the west side.

No image submitted	Umtanum Creek Canyon — Aug 27, 2010 — SunSage Eastern Washington -- Yakima Why go now: Wildflowers blooming Beware of: Overgrown Expand report text Hide report text This was a first time backpacking trip for 3 of group of 6- two of which were 12 year old girls. We... This was a first time backpacking trip for 3 of group of 6- two of which were 12 year old girls. We wanted to make sure that the trip would be one that would instill a life long desire to continue backpacking and it didn't fail. The weather was perfect- sunny and warm, slight gusty winds just enough to cool you down. Not a bug in sight (in late August even!) and plenty of water to drink. We saw coyotes, bats, snakes- brown ones and a rattler. So little elevation gain that it is hardly worth mentioning. The scenery was spectacular, starting at the suspension bridge over the fast moving river- fun, then crosses the railroad tracks. The train that passed blew its horn way in advance of the crossing. Enter wide open meadow's filled with aspen and sage brush following Umtanum creek. There plenty of camping spots along the trail. Some take a little seeking out and some are right on the trail. The last and best camping spot is right on the trail as it crosses the creek to the right. The trial looks like it goes to the left, but don't be fooled. The trail peters out quickly on this side. There are some rocks piled up to redirect traffic but it didn't work well as it looks like you will walk right into someones camp. Which it actually does, forge ahead because the trail continues along for quite a way on this side of the creek and is well worth the intrusion on the campers (if any). This camp trip was wonderful for both the novice backpacker and the highly experienced.

No image submitted	Umtanum Creek Canyon — May 29, 2010 — H. Lindsay Eastern Washington -- Yakima Why go now: Wildflowers blooming Expand report text Hide report text We went on this hike as part of a church outing. From the information on this site we spent $180.00 ... We went on this hike as part of a church outing. From the information on this site we spent $180.00 on WDFW parking passes. This is BLM land you must pay $5.00 at the parking lot in a collection box. There had also been USFS passes purchased. So we had two parking passes in our window. The citations we all got stated USFS and WDFW pass not valid on BLM land. The hike was a nice easy walk. We went two miles in. No wild life seen (w/exception of one snake). There are still some flowers in bloom.

	Umtanum Creek Canyon — May 16, 2010 — Slow Loris and Walks Ahead Eastern Washington -- Yakima Why go now: Wildflowers blooming Expand report text Hide report text The weather forecast included a chance of rain today. We had planned to hike on Umtanum Ridge, but ... The weather forecast included a chance of rain today. We had planned to hike on Umtanum Ridge, but we tentatively decided to check out the Umtanum Creek trailhead (46 51.331 -120 29.007) for ridge access and also some other nearby BLM sites. Walks Ahead talked to a couple of hikers for recommendations, and they praised the creek trail. The day was actually sunny and warm, so we decided to hike the creek canyon instead of the ridge. We crossed the Yakima River on the sturdy but slightly swaying footbridge and ducked under the railroad tracks on the other side. After that is the lovely trail. Almost right away we heard a bird doing various vocalizations and mimicry but couldn't ID it; we met some birders later (one of whom Walks Ahead had worked with in a previous life) who told us it was a yellow-breasted chat. We quickly came to a trail leading off to the left which we assume is the trail to the ridge -- we saw people going up a little later. We stayed to the right through meadows, open areas, areas of shade, and over creek crossings. Near the beginning were reportedly the remains of a farm and apple orchard, but all we were able to see were a few old fence posts and one apple tree. The trail generally had grass and brush on both sides. Soon after the first creek crossing, Walks Ahead heard a rattlesnake in the brush and alerted other hikers. A little later we caught up with the same people, who in turn had heard a second rattlesnake and pointed out to us where it was. We passed carefully and continued for a while. After about two hours from the trailhead (about an hour and 40 minutes of actual hiking because of conversations), we came to a slight bend in the creek where there was a crossing and a place to sit to view the pretty creek and also part of Umtanum Ridge above. We stopped there to eat our lunch and relax. We were probably only a mile and a half in out of the suggested three miles but decided to turn back and not risk a recurrence of heat problems that we had experienced the day before. On the way out, we came upon a pair of trail runners beating the bushes for a rattlesnake they had heard. They gave us a stick, and we hurried past to the sound of the rattle. We warned the next hiker and gave her the stick. We continued on, enjoying the fresh new foliage until we came to the apple farm area, where Slow Loris spotted a rattlesnake in the path ahead of Walks Ahead. We stopped to take a lot of pictures and then tried to figure out how to get past without walking in the grass and risking stepping on another rattlesnake. Slow Loris finally lobbed a small stone, trying to scare the snake but unintentionally hitting her instead. Was she mad! We kept our distance, and she went off into the grass hissing and rattling. The trailhead was not much farther. After the hike, we decided to check out the other three BLM camping areas on this part of the Yakima River and look for the Squaw Creek area shown on an older map. We never found the Squaw Creek area, but we drove into the other areas except for the Lmuma Creek area, which we found out later was the new, politically correct name for Squaw Creek. We got the sense (later confirmed by reading on the web) that all three areas could be noisy at night and added to that was the noise of the train on the other side of the river, so we decided not to use these areas in the future. One of the areas had walk-in tent sites, but they were not far from the main car and RV area.

No image submitted	Umtanum Creek Canyon — May 15, 2010 — TOM Eastern Washington -- Yakima Beware of: Bugs Expand report text Hide report text I was with a group and arrived close to noon about. The weather was sunny and comfortable warm. We w... I was with a group and arrived close to noon about. The weather was sunny and comfortable warm. We were not the only people on the trail, the traffic on the trail was on the heavy side mostly day hikers. The flowers were on the retreat side of the plant cycle. For safety we carried our drinking water and use the creek water for cleaning. We had fear the water of the creek was from the farm run off. Because of the people on the trail there was not much of wild life. There was snakes of couple of breeds, was on the trail sunny them selfs. They ran as soon as they know you are comming. The little young rattle snakes were both on the trail and in the green grass areas. One tried to hide under a tent in the afternoon. So be caution is a good word. We did not hurt any snake, because we need as many snakes we can get in Eastern Washington to keep the mice checked. The real danger is people go near bushes where the snakes hide in to pee, mainly ladies, it would be best to forget modisty when needs apply but go away from the trail in a clear area were you can see were you are going to squak. The other part of this report was the tick and their related group. They were infested high levels of these animals.

	Umtanum Creek Canyon — May 09, 2010 — terpene Eastern Washington -- Yakima Why go now: Wildflowers blooming Expand report text Hide report text Judging from recent trip reports, and due to snowpack in the high country, a lot of us are becoming ... Judging from recent trip reports, and due to snowpack in the high country, a lot of us are becoming desert denizens this spring. I've certainly become a fan of the drier areas, and returned to the Umtanum area for the fourth time to check out the Umtanum Creek trail. While lacking the spectacular views available up on Umtanum Ridge, the creek trail has its own charms. Who would'a thunk there'd be beavers out in the sagebrush country? The high point of the hike for me was discovering a large meadow full of purple lupines (I didn't try to ID the species as lupines can be very tricky that way). I spent over an hour here taking pictures and just soaking in the ambience, which was reminiscent of the poppy fields from an old movie. I spotted (and heard) two rattlesnakes along the trail, both small, and heard reports of several more from other hikers. I feared for the dogs running off leash on the trail. I don't mind well-behaved dogs loose on the trail, but definitely wouldn't advise the practice in this area. I didn't see any ticks, tho I'm sure they're around. There were so many people on the trail that any lurking in the shrubbery would have been knocked to the ground. Wildflower season is winding down here, so see them soon if interested.

	Umtanum Creek Canyon — May 07, 2010 — Bob and Barb Eastern Washington -- Yakima Why go now: Wildflowers blooming Expand report text Hide report text We hiked 3-3 1/2 miles up the canyon crossing the creek 2 times over easily crossed logs and rocks p... We hiked 3-3 1/2 miles up the canyon crossing the creek 2 times over easily crossed logs and rocks placed by previous hikers. This was our third year to hike the trail on this same week-end in May. For 2 years we have seen Lewis Woodpeckers in a grove of trees shortly after the second creek crossing near a campsite at about 2 miles in. We were disappointed to find none this year. We did see a pair of kestrels in a tree one of which was having a snack on a recent catch! We saw several yellow-rumped warblers and one yellow warbler. We returned to the TH on the other side of the creek through the old homestead with the lilac trees. We saw no snakes or ticks.

No image submitted	Umtanum Creek Canyon — Apr 10, 2010 — aBoyAndHisDog Eastern Washington -- Yakima Why go now: Wildflowers blooming Expand report text Hide report text I got a fairly late start on this hike, not getting to the trailhead until about 2 in the afternoon.... I got a fairly late start on this hike, not getting to the trailhead until about 2 in the afternoon. The parking lot at the trailhead was packed…..probably 40 vehicles. I thought that finding a hike on the wta.org’s 10 best desert hikes had been a mistake. But, as it turns out that was not the case. The dog and I set out over the suspension bridge and up the canyon. It was a beautiful, sunny Saturday afternoon so there were lots of people on the trail’s first segment up to the crossing. I had read the latest trip report that said the creek was running pretty deeply. That was not the case today. It was a quick hop across a small log and on we went….the dog chose the wet route. The crowd cut in half after this point. The canyon gets tighter and more scenic as you push on, and the crowd thins with every creek crossing. We walked along under the beautiful cliffs, enjoying the new tender greenery shooting forth from both branch and soil. The trail is beautiful, there are many very nice campsites at varying distances up the trail. We finally came to a crossing that goes over a beaver dam (by me estimate 3-4 miles). It’s pretty sketchy, plus the trail turns really brushy at this point. We pushed a little ways past this point, but with the full pack dragging through the branches, I decided to go back to a nice spot we had just passed a little ways back. We camped just below the trail in a wide open campsite by the creek. It was at the foot of some huge cliffs, the spot was big enough to throw the stick for the pooch and get her to a full run, and even had some leftover firewood that some poor sap had lugged all the way up the canyon. It was a nice night and a beautiful day followed. There were some weird noises that night as we sat by the fire. Sort of a distant ‘whoomp’ like an explosion of some kind coming from way down the canyon? Not sure what that was, at first I thought maybe the beavers were dropping trees, but I couldn’t hear any branches breaking……it didn’t sound like a tree falling, but I couldn’t think of anything else it could be. A woman that I ran into the next day had camped at the trailhead and said she thought it sounded like some mining noise to her. Who knows? All in all, this is a beautiful trail in wonderful shape (until the beaver dam), that provides a great way to grab some sun and get out early while there is still snow in the Cascades. I didn’t see any snakes thankfully, but I also didn’t get to see any of the bighorn sheep…..although we did explore some of their high trails and found some beautiful hanging gardens around springs that originate high in the canyon walls.

	Umtanum Creek Canyon — Mar 01, 2010 — HikerJim Eastern Washington -- Yakima Expand report text Hide report text Janet was heading east for a winter hike up Umtanum Canyon and I tagged along. We met in Bellevue at... Janet was heading east for a winter hike up Umtanum Canyon and I tagged along. We met in Bellevue at 6:30 am before the sun rose. A great colorful sunrise presented itself. After a stop in Cle Elum we exited the freeway on Canyon Road and drove down the Yakima River Canyon. There were only two cars in the lot when we arrived at 8:30. It was a little chilly but not as cold as I feared. Low clouds were overhead much of the way from Snoqualmie Pass but it was mostly clear as we set out. The route begins by crossing a suspension bridge over the Yakima River. The trail used to cross over the railroad tracks but that is now blocked off and a short detour takes you under the end of the railroad bridge over Umtanum Creek. I have hiked up to the top of Umtanum Ridge many times from this trailhead but had not gone very far up the valley. Most of this days route would be new to me. The turn off heading up Umtanum Ridge occurs just after the railroad tracks. Our route followed the left side of the creek. In late spring the creek is pretty small. This day it was wide and deep. We had some warning as a trip report from the past weekend showed the roaring creek at the first crossing one mile in. We had light shoes packed for the creek crossings. The valley will be full of color in a few weeks but for now the trees and bushes are mostly bare. Only sagebrush has some color. The first crossing came up quickly and it was broad and deep. I"m 6'4" and Janet is 6'2" so our long legs helped. We crossed at an angle towards the current and the water was knee deep. No problem. Other than the time to take off boots, put on creek crossing shoes, and reverse the process four times the crossings were not too bad. The trail mostly follows just above the creek though at times it climbs a bit and moves farther from the creek. The many bard white trees provided start contrast to the dark shaded walls of the valley. Also some of the bushes have new limbs colored a dark red. Some spring color is just beginning. Janet pointed out apple trees as we passed by an old homestead. The second creek crossing was a little more interesting. At the narrowest point I reached out and plunged my hiking pole down. I almost buried the whole pole. It was more than waist deep. A nearby wider spot looked better. The current was very strong but with poles we were able to slog across. Maybe a little more than knee deep. As we were preparing to cross we saw a lone hiker on the other side. He continued down along that side of the creek. Was there a way to avoid both creek crossings? We decided to check it out on the way back. The trail remained easy to follow. Some spots were a little overgrown but it was not a problem. Ticks are my main concern on this trail. It is a magnet for rattlesnakes but they usually don't come out until the days get warmer. We did not see any snakes this day. We did have long pants and long sleeves because of the tick concern. We saw where the creek had become a large lake and figured it must be because of beaver dams. Hunting around we found numerous beaver felled trees though none looked to be recent. This lake I named "Middle Umtanum Lake" we found upper and lower lakes too. Much of the way on the south side of the creek was in shade as the sun is not yet high enough to reach over the wall of the canyon. In one spot it does and Janet noticed a large bush that was covered in new green leaves. Just a little sun and the valley will "spring" to life. A nice sunny spot provided for a good lunch break. Farther up the valley the sky was cloudy. Behind us it was mostly sunny. We continued on and soon came to another crossing. This one was wide and deep. A beaver dam forced any crossing to be below it. Janet's GPS showed we were now about 3 miles up the trail. The route had been getting brushier as fewer folks make it this far up. The hiking guide mentions a number of more crossings higher up. For all these reasons we chose to turn around at this point. Hiking back was easy and the day had warmed considerably. If not for ticks I would have been comfortable in shorts and short sleeves. We stopped at Middle Umtanum Lake and bushwhacked a short way to the beaver dam that created the lake. It is still in fine shape. A few minutes later I spotted yellow out of the corner of my eye. Looking down I saw a dozen blooming buttercups. How had we missed them coming in? Did they open after we came by? I'm not sure if I have ever seen blooming wildflowers in February before. It was an unexpected treat. At the creek crossing we decided to try the trail that we saw the lone hiker take along the side of the creek. It started out promising but soon turned into bushwhacking. With a mile to the main trail at the next crossing we thought better of it and went back to the crossing. The water seemed a little higher now but not enough to cause any problems. As we sat down to change back into boots Janet noticed movement high on the ridge above. She saw three big horn sheep. Out came cameras and we managed a few long range shots. Now we just had easy walking and one more creek crossing to go. When we had climbed up above the creek Janet spotted another lake and a very long beaver dam. I dropped down the slope and headed over to explore. The ground was marshy and every other bush had long sharp stickers. It must have looked comical as I tried to avoid all the brush and periodically sank into the muck. I did get close to the dam and found what might have been the beaver's lodge. A neat unexpected treat. I was surprised to have only seen one person. I figured the first creek crossing would stop most people but a few would just slog across. I think only three of us made past the first crossing. After the last crossing we did start to see more people. On couple passed us and headed down to the creek. A minute later they came back. Not to their liking. The last mile went quickly and we were soon back at the car. Though we had seen few people there were now more than 20 cars in the lot. It was nice to get out of Western Washington for a change. No snow and spring like temperatures were nice too. Thought spring colors are not here yet we did see a few flowers and the stark leafless trees had a beauty all their own. Thanks for inviting me along Janet, I had a great time. 35 photos have been posted at: http://www.hikingnorthwest.com. Go to "Trips-2010" on the left margin.

	Umtanum Canyon — Feb 27, 2010 — mytho-man Eastern Washington -- Yakima Why go now: Wildflowers blooming Expand report text Hide report text I was supposed to lead a snowshoe for the Cascadians today, but I was feeling wimpy, the weather for... I was supposed to lead a snowshoe for the Cascadians today, but I was feeling wimpy, the weather for the mts was snow &/or snow & rain, and it was supposed to be partly sunny & warm out here in the shrub-steppe, so I lead a hike to Umatanum Canyon. We could see when we crossed the suspension bridge over the Yakima River that Umtanum Creek was running high & muddy, so we crossed the creek on the RR bridge and took the trail up the north side of the creek the whole way to avoid having to cross the creek farther up. We hiked until we had to start going over a lot of loose talus, stopped for a rest, then went back down the canyon a ways and climbed up on a buttress with a nice view for lunch. We lazed in the warm sun for an hour or so & then headed back. The day started cloudy, but became sunny & warm. We heard canyon wrens, saw a small herd of bighorn sheep up close, buttercups were in bloom, and the wax currant was leafing out. What a nice day!

No image submitted	Umtanum Creek Canyon — Feb 21, 2010 — jaybird Eastern Washington -- Yakima Expand report text Hide report text Started at parking lot with 2 adults, 1 female and 1 male, 3 girls ages ranging from 9-13 and a dog.... Started at parking lot with 2 adults, 1 female and 1 male, 3 girls ages ranging from 9-13 and a dog. It was a great day, 50 degrees (shady spots were borderline frigid) light sweatshirt and pant weather. Plan for creek crossings. There are a few different paths over the creek so you can be a little picky about which fallen tree you choose to use. It was very beautiful and I think the kids even had a good time. We did pass the carcass of a dead baby sheep on the trail. Overall it was awesome to get outdoors in February and get some exercise with the famiy. Good Sunday, get out and take a picnic lunch with the kids sort of hike.

	Umtanum Canyon, Umtanum Creek Canyon — Nov 08, 2009 — Eric Jain Eastern Washington -- Yakima Why go now: Fall foliage Expand report text Hide report text Despite the nice weather, the parking lot was less than half full when we arrived at noon, and the t... Despite the nice weather, the parking lot was less than half full when we arrived at noon, and the trail wasn't crowded. Days are getting short, so we didn't hike in more than a few miles before turning around. The trail up to that point was almost like a stroll in the park; just two small stream crossings. The trail branched several times; we always followed the more worn branch. Not sure it even matters... Other than birds, the only wildlife we saw were several Bighorn sheep (on the south ridge of the canyon).

	Umtanum Canyon — Nov 04, 2009 — mytho-man Eastern Washington -- Yakima Why go now: Fall foliage Expand report text Hide report text I took a walk in Umtanum Canyon on this mostly sunny day. There's still quite a bit of fall color l... I took a walk in Umtanum Canyon on this mostly sunny day. There's still quite a bit of fall color left, especially the cottonwoods, though it is definitely past its peak. I hiked up the first sidecanyon to the left as far as the aspen grove at the spring. These trees were still looking very nice. Later in the afternoon I went down to the main canyon, but only went as far as the first big aspen grove. These trees had mostly lost their leaves, but were still attractive anyway. Umtanum Canyon is always a colorful end of Oct - early Nov hike.

	Umtanum Canyon — Oct 10, 2009 — foxterrierguy Eastern Washington -- Yakima Why go now: Fall foliage Expand report text Hide report text This is probably the best time of year to see Umtanum, not too hot and pretty colors everywhere. Th... This is probably the best time of year to see Umtanum, not too hot and pretty colors everywhere. The foliage should continue to be nice for at least a few more weeks. Our excitement on the trail today was the dogs finding a decomposing porcupine pelt and getting quills stuck all over their snouts. My son took the photo below of me holding Ruby as I was struggling to remove quills. What we didn't see was the rattle snake in the photo just to the right of Ruby and below my arm. A few seconds later I was standing ON the snake when my son yells "SNAKE!!" and we both had heart attacks. It was too cold for the snake to have much energy and he gave us a feeble rattle and hid under a bush. I finished removing the quills and got out of there, although not necessarily in that order. As a side note, those quills hurt and are hard to get out. I got one jammed in the end of my finger as I struggled with the dogs, and they are covered with nearly invisible barbs that resist your efforts to pull them out. It's quite painful :D

	Umtanum Canyon — Jun 14, 2009 — coral belle Eastern Washington -- Yakima Why go now: Wildflowers blooming Beware of: Bugs Expand report text Hide report text Umtanum Canyon is a desert oasis in more ways than one. Until July 15, the trail is closed after 3.... Umtanum Canyon is a desert oasis in more ways than one. Until July 15, the trail is closed after 3.25 miles to protect the sensitive ecosystem, so it doesn't offer much if you are a mileage hound or a peak bagger. But if you are interested in exploring the floor of a rich desert canyon enlivened by Umtanum Creek, you may love this hike. Go now while the rattlesnakes still sleep! Go early for the best chance of spotting wildlife. Go anytime if you want to avoid crowds...though the parking lot was full of people launching rafts and kayaks into the Yakima River, I ran into only a handful of people, most with big scopes for the abundant and varied bird watching to be found in the canyon. On the trail expect to be intoxicated with the scent of sage and wild rose (still blooming, but not for much longer), Lewis's Mock Orange and what smelled to me like wild chamomile. The creek meanders along the floor of the canyon punctuated periodically by beaver dams and quiet pools. The sun was bright but tempered today by high clouds. I sat for a while at the edge of the creek and no sooner was I settled when a doe tiptoed out of the high grass and passed within 6 feet of me. Rumor has it that a herd of big horned sheep live in the canyon, but I did not have the priveledge of seeing them today. To get there head east on I90 to the Canyon Road exit in Ellensburg. Drive south on the Canyon Road following the Yakima River. Turn into the Umtanum Recreation Area parking lot just past milepost 17. Pay $5 to park. Bring sunscreen and lots of water and bug stuff. Have fun crossing the suspension bridge to get to the trail.

	Umtanum Canyon — May 31, 2009 — Bob and Barb Eastern Washington -- Yakima Expand report text Hide report text We had hiked this trail 2 1/8 miles from the TH a few weeks ago and had seen several Lewis's woodpec... We had hiked this trail 2 1/8 miles from the TH a few weeks ago and had seen several Lewis's woodpeckers flying around an area with many snags. While I baby sat our 2 young grandsons at Big Pines CG, Bob and our youngest son returned today to view them again. They were feeding their young and fun to watch. They also saw goldfinch, Lazuli Buntings, and yellow-breasted chats. As an added note we had been camping at Big Pines since Friday AM and while there saw nighthawks each day in the late afternoon and evening. They are great fun to watch and listen to!

	Umtanum Creek Canyon — May 10, 2009 — Bob and Barb Eastern Washington -- Yakima Why go now: Wildflowers blooming Expand report text Hide report text We hiked about 1/8 mile beyond the campsite at 2 miles (after second creek crossing) to a group of s... We hiked about 1/8 mile beyond the campsite at 2 miles (after second creek crossing) to a group of snags where there were 3 Lewis's Woodpeckers flying around!--Very cool and fun to watch! We guessed they were courting! The fruit trees, quince and lilacs were blooming near the old homestead. Many flowers added to the beauty of the area. Most people we passed had seen rattlesnakes along the trail,but we saw only one small one.

No image submitted	Umtanum Creek Canyon — May 09, 2009 — Big Pants Trekkers Eastern Washington -- Yakima Why go now: Wildflowers blooming Beware of: Blowdowns, Overgrown, Washouts Expand report text Hide report text Lovely day to hike Umtanum Canyon, with the temperature just nosing 70 degrees and a soft breeze blo... Lovely day to hike Umtanum Canyon, with the temperature just nosing 70 degrees and a soft breeze blowing fluffy white clouds along. This was the first time I've hiked the canyon trail, I've always taken the left-hand trail to ascend the ridge (which my friends always refer to tongue-in-cheek as the "gentle f-ing ridge hike" because we think it's like what they say about childbirth - you forget the pain and only remember how beautiful it is). Anyway, the canyon. Aside from the earlier reports I wanted to report that flowers are still blooming, we didn't see any wildlife but we heard some snakes slithering off the trail ahead of us. Not being familiar with the trail, I will say that where there is a left fork down the bank to a creek crossing and nice camp, just beyond that the main trail is losing the battle with the creek. There's a really sketchy area where you have to watch your footing so you don't slip down 10 feet to the creek; and beyond that it's clear that a lot less people have traveled because it's extremely brushy, so we turned around. It took us about an hour to hike in that far at a good pace, so I would say that's between two and three miles. If anyone knows please comment and correct me. The trail definitely could use some WTA love beyond that point.

	Umtanum Canyon — Apr 30, 2009 — mytho-man Eastern Washington -- Yakima Why go now: Wildflowers blooming Expand report text Hide report text I took a walk in Umtanum Canyon today in preparation for an interpretive walk that I am leading for ... I took a walk in Umtanum Canyon today in preparation for an interpretive walk that I am leading for the Get Intimate with Shrub-Steppe event in the canyon on Saturday. I hiked the trail up the first sidecanyon to the left as far as the watering trough. After lunch I went back to the main canyon & hiked as far as the creek crossing. The trees are leafing out & there is nice balsamroot, phlox, serviceberry, golden currant, & oregon grape in bloom. There were also hillsides of balsamroot &/or phlox in bloom in the Yakima Canyon. The day was partly cloudy & mild. A nice walk.

	Umtanum Canyon, Umtanum Creek Canyon — Apr 09, 2009 — trail snail Eastern Washington -- Yakima Why go now: Wildflowers blooming Expand report text Hide report text Umtanum Creek and ridge. 4/8/09 Imagine my surprise to see Pelicans on the Yakima river! I had ... Umtanum Creek and ridge. 4/8/09 Imagine my surprise to see Pelicans on the Yakima river! I had only seen them over at the ocean and never thought of them as fresh water birds. According to my book, the lump on the bill indicates they were breeding. All that excitement before we had even begun the hike– this was clearly going to be a wonderful day. We were met by strong gusty winds in the parking lot, the suspension bridge was swinging and squeaking before we stepped a foot onto it. Sun filtered through high clouds with occasional sun breaks. At the start of the day, the wind was cold, by mid-day it was t-shirt hiking weather, the wind still gusty enough that I had to do a “two step” to maintain balance at times, but without the sting. As the sun settled behind the ridge, out came the long sleeves again. I was worried about rattlesnakes, so inadvertently mistimed this hike. We only saw one snake, (not a rattler) but also, only the most minuscule flowers were in bloom. The trees were bare, with out leaves to cushion their branches they rattled and clacked in the breeze. Larger ones squeaked and groaned as they swayed. After crossing the railroad tracks we went on the trail to the left, up the canyon to the ridges and hills above. The path kept luring us up and up. We would say, “okay just to the top of this ridge”, only to realize at the “top” that it was not the top at all, and we still wanted to see what was “up there”. Finally selecting a windswept hill, we sat in a grassy place to have lunch while we listened to the songs of two Larks singing to each other, each perched on it’s own sage bush. We saw no real wildlife, but lots of droppings and tracks. I am excited, I believe I saw my first cat tracks. I am not sure it would be a cougar, they were only about 2 1/2 inches. Perhaps a Bobcat, though. I need to search my books, to be sure. It certainly seemed to be a likely location, going up a cliffy bank away from a small creek. With the leaves only beginning to bud out on a few bushes, and very few flowers, the colored rocks and lichen (?) on them seemed more striking then usual. Finally we started down, so we could have time to walk down the Umtanum Creek trail before going home. The creek was running pretty high. The old beaver dam is still intact. They must do some pretty good construction when they build them! Down near the creek is where we saw the snake, slowly moving across the trail in the warm sun. Nyla said it looked like a Garter snake, and my book backed her up on it. It was about 2 1/2-3 feet long, and very thin. Later in the day as we were hiking back to the car, we heard a Mourning Dove. What a sweet mellow sound… What a wonderful hike, and nice break from snow shoeing! by Trail Snail

	Umtanum Creek Canyon, Umtanum Ridge Crest — Apr 09, 2009 — GaliWalker Eastern Washington -- Yakima Expand report text Hide report text April 9, 2009: Umtanum Ridge and Umtanum Canyon Last year I had wandered the rolling hills of Umt... April 9, 2009: Umtanum Ridge and Umtanum Canyon Last year I had wandered the rolling hills of Umtanum Ridge after accessing it from the North Trailhead; that approach had involved a hellish (though scenic) drive on Durr Road and I had vowed never to try that again. This time I decided to approach Umtanum Ridge from the Umtanum Creek Canyon access. A 2hr drive had me on the trail at 8:30am. After crossing the suspension bridge over the Yakima River and then the railroad tracks just adjacent, I quickly took a left to enter the first side canyon on the left. Lovely, scented desert plant life surrounded me and crisp conditions heralded the start of a beautiful day. The way up the narrow canyon was on the stiffish side, but rugged cliffs kept my attention on the scenery rather than the exertion. A pretty creek was my companion, with tiny, lush basins providing more interest. Eventually, things began to open up and the rolling, tumbling hills of Umtanum Ridge began to appear. Puff-ball clouds dotted a blue sky, keeping things cool, by periodically shielding me from the warming sun. There wasn't much of a flower-show, except for one splash of yellow about two-thirds of the way up. The remaining third was steep, steep, steep. The reward was the gorgeous, scalloped Umtanum Ridge crest. I decided to head right to the nearby 3,630ft high point of Umtanum Ridge, where I decompressed, had lunch and enjoyed the sights and music from birdsong. The descent was relatively quick, since I also wanted to explore the Umtanum Creek Canyon. As I entered the canyon, my progress ground to a standstill as a lovely cottonwood grove enticed me with its charms. This place must be fantastic in autumn, but the gleaming white trunks still took my breath away. I finally managed to tear myself away and resumed onward progress. About a mile in, I crossed Umtanum Creek on partially submerged logs. The creek was a rushing, chattering companion and provided constant entertainment: a beaver dam here, a limpid pool there. Towering basalt cliffs rose impressively on either side. Around 2.5mi into the canyon I reached my turn-around point. As I sped back to my car I finally began to encounter other hikers...perfectly timed. Additional photos: http://www.flickr.com/[…]/72157616568680168 Cumulative stats: - Distance: 12mi - Elevation gain: 2,580ft - Hiking time: 6.5hrs

	Umtanum Canyon — Jan 03, 2009 — mytho-man Eastern Washington -- Yakima Expand report text Hide report text I took a walk in Umtanum Canyon this afternoon. I left my truck about noon under sunny skies and wa... I took a walk in Umtanum Canyon this afternoon. I left my truck about noon under sunny skies and walked a mile or so up the canyon to where major side canyons come in from both sides. Most of the canyon was in shade, but here it was sunny until, of course, I sat down for lunch, when the clouds moved in. It stayed mostly cloudy for the rest of the day, though there was a fairly nice sunset as I drove home through the Yakima Canyon. The trail was compacted enough that it was easy walking without snowshoes or traction devices. The most difficult part was the suspension bridge, which was very icy. I didn't see much wildlife today: only one bald eagle across the river as I drove up the canyon, a big horn sheep way up on the ridge behind me as I ate lunch, a porcupine in the top of a ponderosa pine near the mouth of the canyon that some folks from Seattle were trying to photograph, and a female downy woodpecker going after seeds on the dried mullein stalks, but the canyon itself was beautiful.

	Umtanum Canyon,Umtanum Ridge Crest — May 10, 2008 — Opus Eastern Washington -- Yakima Beware of: Overgrown Expand report text Hide report text With the rest of the usual crew either recovering, out of town, or otherwise occupied I signed on fo... With the rest of the usual crew either recovering, out of town, or otherwise occupied I signed on for a trip to Umtanum with team BadDog. A snow free trip with the prospect of flowers sounded very nice. I was also itching to try out my lightweight Montrail Namche boots I picked up on Steep and Cheap recently. We arrived at the trailhead to find lots of tents and an RV setup. Some sort of conservation event was going on. We parked and started up the trail, immediately hitting the first obstacle: Holly, today's white-dog, wouldn't cross the bridge. Joanna picked her up and carried her across. Once across we started up the ridge trail, passing many people out admiring the flowers. The flower show was decent but nowhere near years past. It looks to me like fewer plants and most have yet to bloom. Much of the balsamroot appeared dead, likely doomed by that last batch of April snow. Bruce zoomed ahead and we finally caught him on the ridgetop. Here Joanna surprised us all by pulling out a huge wheel of double Gloucester cheese from her pack, which we then chased madly down the hill to the canyon floor, completing our loop. Actually, though cheese was a theme of the day, she'd toted along fresh watermelon and oranges which tasted great on this very warm day. We moseyed along the ridgetop road down to the radio towers and stopped for lunch. Along the way we found a tiny lizard and passed a group of backpackers headed the opposite way. Our lunch spot was surprisingly cold with a brisk wind. Dropping down just beyond the brim though we were again very warm. After some off-trail travel we reached Durr Road and followed that to the valley floor. We made a side trip to check out the creek ford - very shallow today and wouldn't be a problem for a Subaru or truck. Now the fun began as we started up the canyon floor back to the car. At first we had easy, if brushy, trail to follow. But then we hit a red sign informing us of a wildlife closure through July. Unfortunately we had no choice but to go on. After passing a large log Bruce informed us we'd both walked past a large snake basking in the sun. It wasn't a rattler but still added some excitement. We'd lost the trail as well, and were sick of getting cut to pieces by the brush, so began climbing the side of the canyon to get above the brush. We were on snakewatch now and the process was: 1. Watch footing 2. Look ahead for snakes 3. repeat. Our loop wasn't going as planned - we ran into a narrow slot canyon blocking our path. Dropping back to the brush wasn't an option so we went back onto the ridge. Partway up I heard a loud rattle somewhere nearby. I froze, then stomped to figure out where the snake was, before moving around it. Past this obstacle and finally with clear travel we followed an animal trail along the hillside. As we went we kept an eye out for another way down to the valley floor, knowing there was a real trail below. Several slot canyons presented themselves but looked to cliff out. Crossing through another one, Bruce was in the lead. He walked right past a small sage brush but as I approached there was a loud rattle and a snake reared up ready to strike about six inches in front of me. Before my brain processed this I'd already jumped backwards. We yelled for Holly who thankfully hadn't seen the snake and worked our way downhill away from it. It was a small rattler but that was my closest encounter with one so far. I was actually glad it was a rattler - any type of quiet snake and I'd likely have been bitten. We continued down the slot canyon on animal tracks, crossing over the little stream inside hoping to get to the valley floor. It soon ended in a 20 foot drop of basalt cliff and scree. None of us are mountain goats so that wasn't an option. We had to yo-yo back up yet again. While Bruce and Joanna started up I went a bit further to the edge of a rock outcrop on a hunch. I could see a nice sloping grass run with a faint boot track down. Before they went too high I yelled back and we made our way down, finally on the real trail. We were all glad to be out of serious snake territory and on flat ground. My feet were especially glad - the Namches were very comfortable but certainly not a good off-trail boot for this terrain. Now it was a nice flat walk back, and a race against the rain. Soon a squall moved in causing us to put on our rain jackets - which in turn immediately caused the rain to stop. Minutes later the jackets came off. Happily the cars were now in sight! Even better Holly had worked up some courage and crossed the bridge on her own. We piled in the Forester and after a quick stop for drinks at the Thorp Antique Fruit barn headed out - nine ours after our hike began! Riding back I spotted a tick on Holly's ear, picked it off and sent it out the window. Every itch now felt like a phantom tick to us. Our loop turned out to be a more exciting trip than planned. In the end the GPS tracked 15 miles with 3446 ft of gain. Oddly these numbers disagree with what the unit told me when we returned to the car, but the map seems sound. What a long day! It's nice to remember what sorts of distances and gain are possible when not weighted down by snow gear. Full trip photos @ http://www.pbase.com/billcat/umtanum2/

	Umtanum Canyon — May 02, 2008 — Bob and Barb Eastern Washington -- Yakima Expand report text Hide report text We hiked about 3 miles along Umtanum Creek Canyon. Wildflowers were just beginning--dark purple dese... We hiked about 3 miles along Umtanum Creek Canyon. Wildflowers were just beginning--dark purple desert- parsley,lupine,larkspur. These were few and far between. The Balsamroot didn't appear to be near ready to bloom-just green leaves popping through last year's dead leaves. We saw many yellow- rumped warblers, a female hairy woodpecker being courted by 2 males, a beaver swimming into its home when it saw us, 1 lone bighorn sheep and then further along 6 playing on rocks across the creek as we began to ascend above the creek about 1/2 mile from the campsite at about 2 miles. This is a very pleasant spring hike.

No image submitted	Umtanum Canyon — Apr 26, 2008 — Eric de Place Eastern Washington -- Yakima Expand report text Hide report text Spring had finally sprung, and we headed east to the desert country. The Umtanum Canyon trail was fu... Spring had finally sprung, and we headed east to the desert country. The Umtanum Canyon trail was full of hikers on Saturday -- and it's in great shape for the first 2.5 miles or so. At that point it contours up the south side of the canyon and makes a somewhat sketchy traverse of steep talus. It's no biggie, really, but some folks with big packs on were having a tough time. (It might be better to bushwhack along the canyon floor.) The trail is closed at 3.25 miles in for ""sensitive wildlife."" Anyone know what exactly? Hikers appeared to be respecting the closure. We decided to head cross-country from there and so we climbed up the north side of the canyon to the ridgeline. We made our way cross country across the open sage steppe with views for a million miles in every direction. We ran into a herd of 8 bighorn sheep, most of them juveniles. Caught a glimpse of pelicans soaring in the distance (over the Yakima River we think). Saw scores of yellow-rumped warblers and white-crowned sparrows, a pair of chuckars, some cowbirds, a kestrel, a red-tailed hawk, and a few other birds. We headed east on a rambling course along the ridgeline, occasionally dropping into a tributary canyon and scrambling back out the other side. About halfway back we descended back to the Umtanum Creek via a brush draw and hiked on the trail back to the car. It felt like it was in the 70s, with the wonderful dry heat of the east side. Terrific. And it'll be prettier in a few weeks when the flowers start blooming in earnest.

	Umtanum Canyon — Apr 20, 2008 — Seattle Explorer Eastern Washington -- Yakima Beware of: Overgrown, Bugs Expand report text Hide report text What an excellent hike! Very close to Seattle and Spokane. The trail is fairly well maintained, but... What an excellent hike! Very close to Seattle and Spokane. The trail is fairly well maintained, but there are several of them. Stick to the most heavily used trail and do not get sidetracked. Multiple trails lead to dead ends, and you must cross the river which is fairly easy. There are very nice places to camp throughout, so get there early to find the best one.

No image submitted	Umtanum Canyon — Mar 16, 2008 — whitebark Eastern Washington -- Yakima Expand report text Hide report text The break between the endless March storms that the weather forecasters promised was narrow indeed o... The break between the endless March storms that the weather forecasters promised was narrow indeed on Sunday, but we found some bright sun in Umtanum Canyon. Spring was just beginning to happen in the canyon. The grass was greening up and a few buttercups added bright splashes of color. The following weeks should bring an ever-increasing flower show. The first ford of the creek was difficult due to high water in the creek. If you come here, don't try to find a dry place to cross; there isn't any. Just grit your teeth and wade through the cold water. The ford can be avoided if you take the alternate, somewhat crude right bank trail, which you can find by crossing the creek on the railroad track. The second ford was easily crossed on logs. Beyond here, the trail became a bit muddy and icy, but there was no real difficulty until the end of of the maintained trail at the third ford, about 3 miles from the trailhead. A sunny gravel bar made a nice spot to rest and enjoy a snack. We did not try to go farther up the canyon. Beyond the third ford, the trail deteriorates into a brushy mess, and there is no point in continuing unless you want to take on the challenge of reaching the Durr Road.

No image submitted	Umtanum Canyon — Oct 30, 2007 — mytho-man Eastern Washington -- Yakima Expand report text Hide report text I spent a very enjoyable day in Umtanum Canyon today. I walked about half way to the Durr Road. The ... I spent a very enjoyable day in Umtanum Canyon today. I walked about half way to the Durr Road. The fall color was about a week past its prime, but with the sunny, mild weather I found plenty to photograph. I saw a small group of big horn sheep on the other side of the canyon on my way back to the truck. Except for a group from the Everett area, I had the place to myself.

	Umtanum Canyon — May 17, 2007 — EckartS Eastern Washington -- Yakima Beware of: Overgrown Expand report text Hide report text This is a nice hike to do in spring when most of the trails in higher elevations are still snowbound... 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.

No image submitted	Umtanum Canyon — Apr 01, 2007 — whitebark Eastern Washington -- Yakima Expand report text Hide report text It must have been an April Fools joke. The calendar said ""spring"", but the bitterly cold wind that... It must have been an April Fools joke. The calendar said ""spring"", but the bitterly cold wind that greeted us at the trailhead parking lot said ""winter."" At least the weather was better than at Snoqualmie Pass, where it was 29 F and snowing. Here, deep in the desert country east of the Cascades, blue skies prevailed, a soul-uplifting sight for our group of mossy, rain-soaked Seattle escapees. Bright sun battled the cold air to a draw, so it wasn't such a bad day to hike. Spring was just getting going in the canyon. The trees were still bare, but the hillsides were greening up and buttercups provided splashes of color. We followed the canyon trail about four miles, to the third ford. Because of the heavy brush, high water in the creek, and basically non-existent trail beyond this point, we didn't feel like continuing farther. A gravel beach by the creek provided the perfect sunning spot for a long lunch break.

	Umtanum Canyon — Mar 18, 2007 — Trekkers C & H Eastern Washington -- Yakima Expand report text Hide report text A great break from the clouds and drizzle on the west side of this state, we left on our small hike,... A great break from the clouds and drizzle on the west side of this state, we left on our small hike, about 2 miles into the canyon, around mid-day. It was in the mid 60's. Not a lot of other folks, not a lot of animals or flowers yet, but there was evidence of beaver activity. Several dams were along the stream. We even saw a beaver 'springboard', where a short tree was felled under a higher and bigger tree, so that one could be cut up and dragged away in smaller pieces. Amazing! This is a good late winter hike for those not wanting to contend with snow, although others said they hiked up onto Untanum Ridge and encountered patches near the top. Anyone who likes desert hiking, this is a good time to get out before it gets too hot. Enjoy!

No image submitted	Umtanum Canyon — Jan 20, 2007 — mytho-man Eastern Washington -- Yakima Expand report text Hide report text I led my monthly Winter Walk for the Cascadians today. I was recovering from a nasty head cold so I ... I led my monthly Winter Walk for the Cascadians today. I was recovering from a nasty head cold so I needed an easy walk & Umtanum Canyon fit the bill. Our party of 6 walked 31/2-4 miles up the canyon & had lunch in the sun on a buttress on the south side of the creek. The lower part of the trail was compact ice with about 1/2 inch of snow which gave us some traction. Farther up it was just 6-8 inches of snow. The creek crossings were icy, but not too difficult. The day was sunny, but this time of year the canyon is mostly in the shade. We saw one small heard of big horn sheep in the distance as we ate lunch. Except for the last 1/4 mile back to the cars we had the canyon pretty much to ourselves.

No image submitted	Umtanum Canyon,Umtanum Creek Falls — May 27, 2006 — Tdog Pack Eastern Washington -- Yakima Beware of: Bugs Expand report text Hide report text Ticks. Ticks. Ticks. Good, mellow hike, although fewer flowers than I hoped. There are many trails l... Ticks. Ticks. Ticks. Good, mellow hike, although fewer flowers than I hoped. There are many trails leading up the canyon. None seem better than any other. We also hiked up to the falls. Quite beautiful. We saw a lazuli bunting, quite the handsome little birdy. Oh yeah, did I mention ticks.

	Umtanum Canyon — May 20, 2006 — PLC Eastern Washington -- Yakima Expand report text Hide report text The flowers are peaking right now in Central Washington... it was a beautiful day - 70 degrees, sunn... The flowers are peaking right now in Central Washington... it was a beautiful day - 70 degrees, sunny, no ticks, no rattlesnakes. Saw tons of wildflowers and every color songbird you could imagine, including a couple orioles and handful of goldfinches. The trail was fairly crowded with bird watchers, but mostly we were alone and it was quiet and peaceful. A great hike for this time of year.

	Umtanum Canyon — May 14, 2006 — eelpi Eastern Washington -- Yakima Expand report text Hide report text Quick follow on to my report from last Tuesday - I went back to the canyon today, this time with an ... Quick follow on to my report from last Tuesday - I went back to the canyon today, this time with an accomplice (and with the sunscreen!). It was much busier on a Sunday, of course - the trailhead car park was pretty full, but most people seemed to stay by the Yakima River or the lower sections of Umantum, so relatively few people more than a mile in. It was surprising for only five days later just how many more flowers seemed to be out this time - a week of great weather works wonders, it seems. I spotted multiple species that I didn't see around Tuesday. The weather had obviously worked wonders for the rattlesnakes too, because after Tuesday's failure, they were certainly out today. We saw two, and most of the other people we passed had seen one or two as well. I was a little worried that there were several people walking dogs on a trail of which the Desert Hikes book says 'rattlesnakes are frequently seen in the summer', and is one of four places specifically name-checked on a Google search to go looking for rattlesnakes in Washington. One man on his way up had his dog on a lead, and specifically asked us if we'd seen snakes, but three just had their dogs running around loose, and one went off barking at a snake. I wouldn't let a dog of mine do that :-( So the quick summary - if you like snakes, it's a great place to go, and if you don't, stay clear until autumn!

	Umtanum Canyon — May 12, 2006 — Bob and Barb Eastern Washington -- Yakima Expand report text Hide report text April 21st we hiked 4 miles into the canyon and hoped this time to get to the Durr Road, but again t... April 21st we hiked 4 miles into the canyon and hoped this time to get to the Durr Road, but again time kept us from going the last 1/2 mile! We stopped too many times along the trail to take pictures of the beautiful flowers which were much more prevalent than in April! We did see what we think was a beautiful Lewis woodpecker! This is a beautiful spring hike with not much elevation gain.

	Umtanum Canyon — May 09, 2006 — eelpi Eastern Washington -- Yakima Expand report text Hide report text I headed east of the Cascades yesterday, hunting some of the dry side spring flower show. I didn't f... I headed east of the Cascades yesterday, hunting some of the dry side spring flower show. I didn't find quite the variety I anticipated on this hike - lots of six or seven main species, rather than a diversity, but beautiful enough as they were, with the sagebrush flowering dramatically too near the canyon entrance. The wildlife was out in force, though, and made this a fascinating trip, particularly for birds. Every sagebrush held a number of small species, several varieties of sparrow and warbler I recognised and probably a lot more I didn't spot. Plenty of Lewis's woodpeckers looking spectacular in flight, with American kestrels and Prairie falcons out and obvious. The butterflies were putting on quite a show too, one of the widest variety of species I've yet seen on a single hike. The usual garter snakes and small lizards fled the path at my approach, but sadly no rattlers. I'd like to see one! The canyon's an easy hike, at least until the point where the trail disappears into undergrowth and doesn't obviously emerge the other side. How far you want to persevere is up to you. The elevation gain is mild, and the trail's almost all in great shape - a couple of bushy sections to scrabble through, nothing more. The creek crossings are all straightforward, with thoughtfully arranged and very stable logs, though it gets a little trickier after the first 2.5 miles, when the trail becomes more of an adventure. Not a lot of distance or elevation work-out, but a great one for just ambling along seeing everything there is to see, and pausing to eat and watch the wildlife. One other car at the trailhead when I got there at 11.30am, four when I left at 3pm, but I only met one other person as I was leaving. Pay parking for this site starts on May 15th, so just a few days left! More pics at http://eelpi.livejournal.com/

	Umtanum Canyon — Apr 21, 2006 — Bob and Barb Eastern Washington -- Yakima Beware of: Bugs Expand report text Hide report text We hiked a little over 4 miles up Umtanum Creek Canyon toward the Durr Road. The last time we did th... We hiked a little over 4 miles up Umtanum Creek Canyon toward the Durr Road. The last time we did this hike was the first week-end of WTA'S Vacation Work Week last year. THANK YOU so very much for the beautiful new trail! It was like a freeway! We saw several yellow rumped warblers, many Kestrel, and a pair of wood ducks. There were many flowers on the North side of the creek. Because of our late start we were unable to continue to the Durr Road as we had done last year. We did discover that the ticks are out!

No image submitted	Umtanum Canyon,Book Mountain/Westberg Trail — Apr 16, 2006 — Whitebark Eastern Washington -- Yakima Expand report text Hide report text Did the sun run east on I-90 looking for some blue skies and flowers. Umtanum Canyon seemed like the... Did the sun run east on I-90 looking for some blue skies and flowers. Umtanum Canyon seemed like the right choice after all the rain we've had in recent days. We parked at the BLM's fancy trailhead in Yakima Canyon and walked across a suspension bridge spanning the river to reach the canyon trail. Spring was springing at last in Umtanum Canyon, with wildflowers appearing in the greened-up meadows. We followed the trail up the canyon a short distance, then turned left onto an old jeep road (now pretty much a hiker trail) that ascended a side canyon toward the crest of Umtanum Ridge. The road climbed steeply at first, passing two charming waterfalls where a small creek tumbled over ledges of lava. The grade soon eased off, and near a grove of aspen the road branched at an obscure junction. The right branch, the most popular choice for most hikers, headed up a ridge toward the summit of Umtanum Ridge. We chose to hike the left branch, which made a gentle traverse of slopes high above the Yakima River. After lunch we roamed cross country on flowery meadows, eventually working our way back to the aspen grove and on down to the trailhead. From now on, the flower show in the ""desert"" hills around Ellensberg should just get better and better I didn't actually hike Book Mountain a.k.a Westberg Trail but did a drive-by survey from I-90. The snow is all gone from the mountain, and conditions there should be much better now than those I encountered there two weeks ago, when the trail was covered with mud and snow.

No image submitted	Umtanum Canyon — May 28, 2005 — bazirbes Eastern Washington -- Yakima Beware of: Overgrown Expand report text Hide report text The Energizer Bunny (my 72 year old mom) and I (not that energetic) decided to try a desert hike fo... The Energizer Bunny (my 72 year old mom) and I (not that energetic) decided to try a desert hike for our girls only day hiking trip. I always have wanted to visit Umtaneum Canyon, and this was the perfect day. Hot, sunny, but with a dry breeze to keep things comfortable, no biting bugs, few people before Memorial Day weekend. The trail is in good shape, dry but somewhat overgrown with shrubs and tall grass encroaching the sides in places. The beavers are many, and there are new dams, but they don't interfere with the trail. I was concerned about rattlesnakes, but we met a guy measuring a garter snake near the beginning of the trail at 10:00AM, and he said that with the sun and the heat that the snakes would all behiding in shady nooks and near the water. We heard two snakes, but saw none. If we had come earlier in the day we probably would have seen rattlers in the trail. The flowers are in full bloom, several kinds of buckwheat, some brilliant yellow desert daisies, and a large, bright purple geranium, very profuse, and the most wonderful smelling wild rose bushes, these latter perfumed many sections of the trail. A huge old domestic rose is also blooming in the old homestead site. For fauna, this is the perfect place for birders, the whole hike was accompanied by birdsong. The trail is closed at the 3 mile mark, reportedly because of nesting eagles. We met 3 dedicated birders who had their spotting scopes trained on a Prarie falcon nest on the canyon wall, we thank them for letting us watch the falcons feed 4 hlf-grown young. We also spotted a large herd of bighorn sheep complete with young high on the canyon walls. All in all a good day!

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