A wonderful canyon country hike through a place that feels vast, austere, and remote. I drove here from Yakima via the river canyon, which seems especially verdant this year. The new bridge across the river to the trail is fun!
Much of the Umtanum canyon was scorched in the Evans creek fire in 2020, and the landscape bears the scars from this blaze, but also signs of renewal. The white skeletons of poplar and aspen groves along the trail are a contrast to the abundant new green growth. I enjoyed how this trail meandered among the trees but also traversed the drier hillsides of the canyon.
Mixed report as to the wildflowers. There are a few sparse blooms of balsamroot, some appear to have already blossomed, others not yet. Many lupines are popping up and have yet to flower. I observed some death camas and desert parsley in bloom along the trail. The wild cherries scattered among the nooks and crannies of the basalt walls of the canyon are blooming, their white flowers make a nice contrast to the dark rocks. There are little patches of color from various white and purple flowers on the slopes of the canyon - nothing dramatic, but nonetheless beautiful.
I really enjoyed this hike through a vast landscape undergoing renewal after a fire, a great place to be on a cooler, cloudy day. Didn't see any wildlife on the trail but saw some bighorn sheep trying to cross the road just north of the trailhead.
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