I did the canyon/east rim loop counterclockwise, as it should be done. After passing thru the gate (be sure to lock it behind you!) I stepped across the creek and got down to business immediately, climbing the very steep trail up the open hillside. The first two hills are actually the steepest sections, but there is still plenty more steepness the whole way up. At around 2600 feet I came to a flat area with a lot of basalt rock outcroppings. This is where patchy snow began. The trail passes through a notch in the rocks and drops down a rocky scrambly but brief bit that was icy, so be careful here. There then appear to be multiple trails ahead but stay to the left to get back up onto the ridge and avoid the other two elk trails that veer to the right.

The trail eventually hits a false summit at 3200 feet which is here the trail leveled off again and where the snow became constant and deeper. As I approached the top of Peak 3582 I passed another hiker with his two dogs. Peak 3582 is just a high point knoll on the ridge, as there is plenty of higher mountain up ahead. I continued on, dropping down to a long saddle on the ridge between Peak 3582 and the rest of Cleman Mountain. At this point I looked out to the right side (east) to a hillside across the way from me where I spotted a massive elk herd AND a large bighorn herd sharing the same slope right next to each other! I have seen elk and bighorn herds but never together like that before! I took several minutes snapping lots of photos with my high zoom camera.

From the saddle I did see the outline of the connector trail that makes a descending traverse down into Waterworks Canyon. But from the saddle I saw lots of tracks including from the hike from earlier that ignored the connector trail and instead were going straight up and down the very steep snowy slope. So I carefully headed straight down the steep snow which was actually pretty straightforward and led me straight to the creek and stepped over that to connect with the main canyon trail. The canyon was completely snowy but the trail but well packed down from previous hikers. I made my way down the canyon enjoying the sights of some pretty cool basalt rock formations along the way. I came to a place where there was a fork in the canyon, with a side-canyon that branched off to the west. Here there was a pretty cool rocky basalt slope that was tempting to scramble up for a bit of an extra bonus before I resumed my hike down the trail that led me back to the gate and the trailhead to finish the loop!

Stunning- first half is steady uphill.

Hiking poles would be nice for way back.

Watch out for rattlesnakes- we saw 3

Rock spindles and spring canyon blooms made this an exceptionally pretty hike

Looking for wide open east side sun, and definitely found it here. The trail was in full sun all the way up the canyon. At the upper portion of the canyon there was a treed area, with the trail in shade and completely iced over. We stopped there to avoid any more ankle injuries. 

This is a good trail for spring or fall but probably not one I would tackle in the summer. The upper 40s and sun was the perfect temperature for me. Kids enjoyed exploring the rocks. 

Note: I didn't actually know the DNR areas were closed when I found this place. I had quite randomly selected a couple rails in the Yakima area to hike and this one looked to meet my expectations. There weren't any signs posted here when I arrived.

The trail was absolutely stellar. Even being easily accessible, you quickly lose the highway and the traffic sounds as you round bend after bend within this vast canyon.

Eventually there is what looks like a split in the trail, where one leg goes to the right and the gain is immediate; the other goes straight and feels like a real trail. After about about a quarter mile on this trail, it quickly devolves into game trails, but you can keep going on them along scree as far as you feel comfortable (it's not too precarious, though if you have challenges with your footing, you might want to tread lightly). It's in this section that I heard the fantastic splashing sounds of the rams butting heads. Bighorn sheep reside in the area and I even got a glimpse of two. One of the hikers on the trail (one of only 6 I saw the whole day) claimed he saw a couple dozen sheep when he had arrived--most likely scaring them off, since he didn't describe going much further than the initial scree.

I'd love to go back here when the water is flowing, or during winter time. The silence. The sheer beauty. All worth it.

This morning my goal was Baldy Peak, on the Ellensburg Canyon road. However, just past Sundown Ranch, the highway is closed (for how long, I don't know). Darn! So I headed west instead, and hiked the east rim of Waterworks.

The WTA site has an official notice that this trailhead is permanently closed - anyone know why? It looks open to me, the gate is unlocked, and there is no signage saying it is closed. Whatever the case, I parked a the TH (a little ways past the 410/12 intersection west of Naches. Went through the gate, immediately headed east and up and up and up.

It's probably a little over 2 miles and 2000 feet elevation to the "top" - at least to the cairn where I usually stop. You can continue on and loop down into the canyon and back to your car that way, but I decided just to return the way I came.

Honestly, this might be my last time doing this hike. It's definitely great for conditioning ... but there are plenty of steep sections of loose gravel and dirt. I slipped several times on the way up and on the way down - and I had good poles and solid boots. It may not be worth the risk of a twisted knee or ankle. If you do this hike, I definitely recommend looping down into the canyon - at least you will avoid the loose rock on the downhill. Better yet, stick with Cot's Peak, or any of the hills in Ellensburg Canyon.

It was great weather - sunny with a cool breeze. I started hiking at 6:30am, reached the cairn at 8:00am, back to the car at 9:00am. Not much as far as flowers, but no snakes either. A perfect morning to be out in the fresh air.