Kidz wont hike and I decided to ditch the west side snow and avalanche mess and do some snow free, sunny hikes out by Ellensburg. In order to get the elevation gain necessary for sufficient leg pain, we decided to do the Canyon Road Trifecta. I just came up with that name, it's not a real thing. We stitched together 3 hikes in this order: Baldy Mountain, Umtanum Ridge, and Rattlesnake Dance Trail. It was a great day and we both felt a great choice for a change of scenery. It was a 3-4 mile drive in between each TH. Weather was great, not too cold or hot, a slight breeze at higher elevations. Amazing views of the surrounding valleys and out to Adams, Rainier, and the Stuart and Enchantment ranges. We only saw a handful of people on each trail.
No special gear needed. Trails are dry and snow free. Poles useful as there are some steep slippery sections. Trails are rocky so sturdier hiking shoes better than plain runners to minimize the slips.
My Gaia stats were:
Total: 5340' gain, 11.8 miles, 6:00 not including drive between THs
Baldy: 3212' elevation, 1940' gain, 4 miles, 2:00
Umtanum: 3600' elevation, 2300' gain, 6 miles, 2:45
Rattlesnake: 2640' elevation, 1100' gain, 1.8 miles, 1:15
Baldy
The Baldy trail has two branches down low and we picked the steep straight up one and hit the more mellow branch for the descent. Consistently steep and somewhat rocky. We saw two groups of deer bounding by early in the hike. That was cool. There's a large radio tower assembly at the summit which you may or may not enjoy.
Umtanum
This trail is longer and a bit more gradual and less rocky than Baldy. We branched off on a road to the right near the top to tag at 3600' higher point. Gotta get your peaks bagged!
Rattlesnake
This one is the shortest with the steepest angle and lots of rocky trail to scramble over. It's a nice ridge line overlooking a local valley community.
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