Over in Yakima for a couple days and walked the Umtanum Creek Canyon trail Thursday morning. Parking is easy and plentiful in the Umtanum Creek Recreation Area just off hwy 821 in the Yakima River canyon. Parking/access is a $5 fee payable using an onsite envelope system - no issues. Once across the really neat pedestrian suspension bridge the trail splits and weaves back and forth with many different routes throughout the bottom of the canyon. The trails on the west side are awfully brushy, full of sticker bushes and grown over - lots of dead ends. The route on the east side skirts the edge of the scree fields a bit off the floor of the valley, but then puts you out on the railroad tracks on the south end with the only other visible option being wading across the creek.
A word about rattlesnakes - I have never seen more on any other trail I have ever done. I counted at least 20 separate individuals and I'm confident they are not "duplicates" as we generally did not retrace our steps. Got rattled at several times and lunged at once. They were generally hiding in the grass in the shady semi-forested areas - you just can't see them until you are already right on them. I understand they play a vital part in the ecosystem - I just would prefer them not being between my feet.
We did see eagle, raven and osprey hunting. There is active beaver activity and one of the trails runs right next to a current, small beaver dam/pond. A few wild flowers out, pink phlox(?), balsamroots, and little purple flower which I believe may be "Nuttall's Larkspur". All in all a lovely walk through a beautiful creek canyon filled with sticker bushes and dozens of rattlesnakes.
Comments
Yikes on the rattlesnakes. I had a pretty scary encounter with rattlers at Waterworks/Mt Cleman last year around this time. It was also a warm sunny day.
https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/trip-reports/trip_report.2017-05-04.8646525616
How warm was it at Umtanum on Thursday? One of the Naches locals suggested not visiting rattlesnake country when it is above 70 degrees. I think that 60 would be a better number.
Posted by:
Maddy on Apr 28, 2018 09:47 PM
It was high 70's/low 80's at the time. I just have never encountered so many in one place even in summer - usually run into one or two at most and out in the open so you can see them. After a dozen I was thinking, "what am I, the pied piper?" They were along the edges of the aspen and poplar groves taking cover in the heavy grass right along the trail.
Posted by:
wafflesnfalafel on Apr 28, 2018 09:59 PM