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Trip Report

Umtanum Creek Canyon, Umtanum Ridge Crest — Tuesday, Apr. 24, 2018

Central Washington > Yakima

We did both of these in one day, starting with the ridge trail. Took us about 1.5 hours up and 1 hour down. It was dry and continuously uphill. Some of the steeper sections were slick, so poles could help. As noted by others, hats and sunscreen are a must. Things we saw: Mt. Adams, Mt. Rainier, Cascades, various birds (grouse, songbirds, distant raptors), sagebrush, lots of blooming serviceberry, buttercups, phlox, arrowleaf balsamroot, other small groundcover flowers. Lupines were not ready. 

Then we decided to head up the creek. The trails are braided and there are lots of options to cross back and forth across the creek. We went up the valley for over an hour before we turned around. Don't expect much of a destination or a single clear path, you have to experiment and retrace if they dead end. Things we saw: more blooming serviceberry, aspens, phlox, balsamroot, bunnies, squirrels, butterflies, birds, a female bighorn sheep, three snakes (1 rattler--careful they love the grass clumps by the side of the trails), budded gnarled old apple trees, and pink blooming shrub by the cement foundation.

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