Directions to the trailhead weren’t that helpful, just put “Yakima skyline trail” into Google maps. We went through the elk fence (this is the gate that is described as having a private driveway right next to it) and continued driving on the rough road and parked just up the hill from the trailhead on the open flat area. The trailhead is not marked and is the dirt trail going up on the left, the gravel road to the right with a yellow gate is not the trail. Long pants would’ve been nice as the brush was prickly.

Parked at the horse trailer parking lot 0.6 miles along Buffalo Road and hiked 1.7 miles along the dirt road until heading up the valley trail for 1.0 miles to reach the skyline trail. Dry, dusty and exposed, typical of a semi-arid shrub-steppe (desert-ish) hike.

The last mile up the valley has enough shrubs and pokey plants that pants are a nice have.

Hiked a portion of this hike starting at about 8:30 AM - about 1.5 miles out and back (3 roundtrip, according to our fitness watch). It was very warm, we were sweaty, and the teeny tiny bugs flying in the occasional cloud loved to stick to us and make us itch, but luckily it was not too much of a hindrance and was quickly overcome.

We had heard about possible rattlesnakes on this trail, as well as ticks, so we were hiking slowly and cautiously, and with someone with long pants at the front - luckily we came across not one of either! There were an abundance of little lizards which were fun. Lots of rocky hiding places for wildlife tightly hugging the trail though, so I would be cautious of rattlers no matter what.

We were a bit confused about the trailhead instructions, hopefully this helps: the first gate you encounter (on the corner, kitty corner from someone's yard, with no lock on it) is the one you can open and drive through. This gets you to the big open lot where you are supposed to park. The second gate that you approach on foot is not meant to be crossed for the sake of this trail. The trailhead starts immediately to the left of it and is unmarked. 

For those who care, birds seen on this hike: American White Pelican, Turkey Vulture, Horned Lark, Red-tailed Hawk, Western Meadowlark, California Quail, and Rock Wren!

Driving directions in the hike description were not helpful - not sure if that's me, or them but they seemed a little west-side-centric. It might help if driving directions included cardinal directions in addition to "left/right?"  Instead of decoding the driving directions, I let Googlina (aka The Voice) take me to a trailhead on the southeast corner of the Wenas Wildlife Area off of Buffalo Road.  When I arrived, I was the only car visible, and the gate was closed.  I wasn't sure what the "gate protocol" was (should I drive through, closing it behind me, or what?) so I opted to park along the fence outside the gate and walk for about a mile on the part of the entrance road that continued beyond the gate.  It soon became clear that yes, hikers open the gate, drive through, close the gate, drive that last mile, and park in a gravel parking area at the trailhead. However, the road inside the gate was rough and rutted, and there were flowers in bloom, so I didn't regret my decision to park and walk.  

That did mean, however, that I had less time to spend on the actual trail part of the hike.  The trail itself was in good condition, rocky in spots, and there was a lot of balsamroot and desert parsley in bloom, with views down into the Yakima River canyon - river, road, and railroad, and views back toward Yakima with Mt Adams and Mt Rainier in the distance. The trail I was on is an out-and-back according to the map posted at the entry gate, and other hikers I met were going further than I did. ("Oh, we're just going to the first summit, so we can see the dam," the first party I encountered said. That left me wondering how far that was, and what I was missing - further exploration for next time!)  The next person I encountered asked me how many rattlesnakes I had seen. (My answer was "none.") He said he had encountered two in the first half-mile of trail, so - although that's second hand information, I'd suggest if you go that you keep an eye out for rattlesnakes. 

Road is dry, last mile is rutted, but should make it to the TH in any vehicle with some care. A few flowers are starting to pop out. Light wind and a toasty 60F today. First car at 8am. A dozen cars by 1pm. Many runners