Lovely option for an early season hike. Snow free though some sections are muddy and wet with spring runoff running down the trail / road. Only a few wildflowers. Trees haven't leafed yet.
The Black Canyon hike is about a mile of real trail with the rest on WDFW 'green dot' primitive roads (4 wheeling, overlanding, dirt bikes, hunting camp access, etc.). We had the route entirely to ourselves on this mild April weekend (no other hiker or vehicle traffic)
Getting there: Umtanum road is nearly 20 miles of mostly dirt road. The dirt section was in great shape, but if you prefer pavement, it doesn't take much longer to drive the Canyon Rd south from exit 109 and pick up Wenas Rd in Selah. Driving Black Canyon Rd past the elk gate to the mouth of the canyon was fine for our truck, but I would park a passenger car in the parking area just off Wenas.
WARNING. Use the written directions to the trailhead at Wenas Rd and Black Canyon Rd. The WTA mapping link took us up Elk Ridge Rd and eventually into someone's driveway. If you find yourself turning off Wenas at an RV resort then you're in the wrong place. Black Canyon Rd is a couple miles north.
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