Selah Butte is a great,close by winter work out that will give your lungs and legs great exercise. From Yakima toward Ellensburg, park in a small siding about 2 tenths of a mile past mile marker 4. Follow a "hikers trail" to the top of the ridge where there is plenty of opportunity for more exploring.

Yakima gets 300 days of sunshine a year. I'm embarrassed to admit, that on the 2nd day of the New Year (which was the 1st dark and gloomy day of the New Year), the weather snob in me took over like a monster and drove me to the nearest destination promising the sunshine that was lost on this morning. We entered dense fog in the cold & frosty Yakima River Canyon. From the south end of the canyon we set out to climb the steep Selah Butte. With heads down and poles stabbing the frozen ground each step of the way, we found ourselves above the fog at about the only flat stretch of the trail. We stopped and watched the settled fog in the river canyon and watched it roll over the Skyline ridge across the way, like a giant waterfall. It was really cool to see! The fog began to move quickly, rising towards the top of Selah Butte - we would be enveloped in it again. But soon the sunshine broke through the clouds, the skies were blue above us and streaked with neat clouds, and the surrounding ridgelines and hills poked out from the white fog. The grasses were glowing yellow in the morning light and our spirits were lifted; we began counting hedgehog cactus as we reached the top, headed north to the edge of the butte. We found our sun! Mt. Baldy was lit up, and we could see snowy peaks in the distance. All it took to achieve this was 1.5 miles up and 1700 ft in elevation. Not too shabby on Selah Butte.

An escape to great views of sun, clouds, fog, and the wonderful sage lands around Yakima. The Yakima River Canyon offers many such opportunities. Selah Butte is a "hikers trail", steep, with open views of the Yakima River Canyon and plenty of room to roam once on top. Today was special with moving clouds, fog, and the desert landscape playing off the sun when it broke through.

We hiked about 2 miles north on Selah Butte exploring in many directions. We had lunch on some rocks just before you begin losing elevation if you continue on. The day was cloudy so there were no mountain views. The early flowers are way past their prime. The best flowers are after you pass the fence. The stars of the show were the hundreds of bitterroot blooming and those "yet to bloom"! A few thyme-leaved buckwheat, phacelia, Hooker's onion, Oregon sunshine, small flowered penstemon, death camas and many bitterroot were blooming. Bob saw a small rattlesnake under a rock with only a small portion of its tail showing. As we neared the TH on our return, we talked to a couple returning to their car. They had hiked only to the fence. They had driven the road in a small passenger car so this is possible, but one would have to be very observant and careful as the road has ruts and rocks along the way.