East Rim Waterworks Canyon — Saturday, Sep. 26, 2020

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.