Black Canyon — Sunday, Apr. 22, 2012

Central Washington > Yakima

After a long, cold winter, we were looking for some heat and sun. This was the perfect choice. The weather was very warm in the 70s. The road to the trail head was definitely rough the last 1.3 miles but we made it in a regular passenger car without any problems. The first half of the hike in the canyon was very open and the sides of the canyon were beautiful with the black basalt rock. There were many birds and the stream to listen to. It was very peaceful. Once out of the canyon, there wore more stands of trees as we climbed up to the ridge. The view from the ridge was amazing. We were able to see Mt. Rainier, the Cascades, and Ellensburg. The wildflowers and trees are just beginning to bloom. My guess is they will be at their peak in a week or two. We saw many birds, grouse, and chipmunks. We looked really hard for elk or deer but didn't get to see any. Maybe next time:) We only saw a handful of people in the 4 hours we were there and only a few ATVs near the end of the hike. I would definitely recommend this hike if you are looking for the High Desert experience.