Yakima Skyline Trail — Saturday, Apr. 19, 2025

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.