A gorgeous day in the shrub steppe! Parked at the east side trailhead from Cowiche Canyon Rd. Trail is in fine shape, though the gravel is deep in spots. I guess we set a brisk pace because we were at the west trailhead after 40 mins or so. Explored the Lone Pine Trail on the way back, which was an easier climb than I remembered. The Vineyard Trail still makes you earn a drink over the 3/4 miles up, but what a perfect spot for a respite! Leave room in the pack for a bottle or two. Saw one small rattlesnake along the main trail as well as one other harmless guy. Definitely worth sticking to the middle of the main trail. Water in the creek running pretty swiftly now, too. Also, appears some flowers are just about ready to bloom in the uplands. Plenty of flowers along main trail right now, too.

I took a walk on the Cowiche Canyon Uplands today with a couple of Conservancy staff members, a volunteer member of our Trails Committee, and Alan Carter Mortimer, WTA Field Programs Manager for our area, to get some technical advice on a section of our proposed South Rim Trail. The advice was very helpful. THANK YOU ALAN & WTA!!! When we were finished I went back to one of the overlooks for lunch & then dropped into the canyon for an hour or so. I hiked out via the East Uplands Trail. The day was sunny & warm with not much wind, a relief from the last few days. The uplands are in between blooms right now & and starting to brown up, but many of the shrubs are in bloom, especially in the canyon.

Really nice walk, I almost wished there had been more trails off to the side, there were a few very steep narrow ones we did not want to take the dogs up. Was more of a nature walk then a hike, but it still wore out the dogs. The only negative is that in places the gravel covering the trail is REALLY deep with very round stones, the dogs slipped a few times on them and so did we, but nothing too hard. We also saw quite a few snakes, but they all were gopher or ground snakes no rattlers but I am sure they were out there just not visible.

We were a little disappointed in this hike. The hike along the canyon is not very interesting, and though we went up the Uplands Trail the views were only average. We drove from Seattle and though we enjoyed the drive, the drive just for this hike would not be worth it. But the walking surface is in good condition and this guide's directions to the trail head are accurate. Trailhead map indicates a rockslide blockage along the way, but do not worry, it is small and easily crossed.

Hiked into the canyon starting at the Senic trailhead. The wildflowers were lovely and there were lots of blooms. Many bees were out but they didn't bother us too much. We crossed over 7 bridges and only a few have railings, be watchful with small children. The trail easy to follow and there were no obstacles. Trail is fully exposed so be prepared for the weather.