The mostly sunny skies and light drizzle at the beginning and end of the hike made up for a near perfect setting for a light afternoon hike or a stroll, depending upon who you ask  :).

The trail head has ample parking. +1 for the WTA tip about the 5$ parking charge that needs to be paid in cash. The instructions to get you started on the right trail from the parking lot are spot on. Without them, it is easy to head down on a different trail.

In the first mile, as you are taking in views of the canyon, admiring the wild flowers you cannot name and are just in general in awe of how beautiful, green and fresh the meadows are, it is easy to miss the creek crossing mentioned in the Hike info. "After about 0.75 mile the trail splits in a small open field with several boulders. Take the right fork, which will lead you to a crossing of the creek."

The overgrown grass perfectly hides the split in the trail. We had to walk past it a few times to spot in. Google maps comes in handy here the, the trail is marked on Google Maps! Coordinates of point where the trail crosses the stream are 46.858188, -120.498346. The stream was crossable, if you can balance on a narrow log of wood or do not mind getting wet. (Waterproof shoes recommended) 

Once you cross the stream, you can take right for a short walk to an old farmhouse or walk left and continue on the main trail. We tried to take the right trail but it seemed to disappear into dense vegetation. We ended up passing on the old farm-house and took the trail on the left. The trail goes through some more beautiful patches of trees and meadows. The last 100 feet of the trail are steep down-hill and bring you to another river crossing. The trail is supposed to continue from here but we decided to turn back. The river was no more difficult to cross than the first one. 

There seem to be smaller trails slitting off form the main trail if you choose to wander in the valley. We did not choose to, but on the way back, ended up taking on one of these smaller trails until it lead us into a bush. Finding the main trail back wasn't to bad. Just something to watch out for! The valley is pretty narrow and it is hard to get lost.

Nice hike over all. Especially recommend doing it this time of the year!!

Cheers!

After setting up camp at Big Pines CG in Yakima Canyon, we had time for a short hike so drove to the Umtanum Recreation Area to meander along Umtanum Creek. Two groups of 2 people in each were leaving when we arrived at the parking lot and we met no other hikers while we were in the area. There was an on and off again drizzle which made the colors in the canyon prettier and more saturated. Bugs were present in some areas, but they were not the biting kind!

Yellow bitter brush, fading lupine, sticky geranium, popcorn flowers, iris, chokecherry, buckwheat, larkspur and moss campion were some of the flowers seen. We did not hear or see many birds. A Bewick's wren and Steller's Jay were the only birds seen. 

Went on a Sunday and the trail and surroundings are all at that nice, bright green. Missed initially where you’re supposed to cross the creek and instead ambled ahead and started crawling over logs, and startled a rattler who startled me and gave me that telltale warning, before hastily doubling back and finding the right turn for the creek. You’ll know it if you see the orange flag in the tree branch above the creek, very helpful.

Kept pushing along into the aspen groves and beyond that before we encountered another rattler (it is their habitat afterall, and we are walking right through it) and decided it was a good time to turn around anyways. Beautiful day, lots of pretty flowers absolutely everywhere, apple trees are wonderfully fragrant, and there were some people but not so many that it felt crowded. Trail could use a bit of cleaning up, but nothing too bad at all. All in all, a great day. But fair warning... watch out for the rattlesnakes and keep your dogs close, just in case.

I was in need of some trail therapy, so I headed for Yakima Canyon.  The Umptanum canyon is now much greener than the previous report by PL.  The riparian thickets were alive with Yellow-rumped Warblers and Goldfinches. After the first 1/2 mile, the trail has been re-routed to the west. One branch climbs and follows some flagging low on a scree slope.  Not a problem for young bucks, but a hazard for old geezers like me with decreased balance. Another branch goes through thickets that could use a good brushing out, then briefly follows a better trail on the scree slope.  This entire trail "system" is sorely in need of some WTA-caliber trail work. Came to a funky log creek crossing and decided I didn't need a bath quite yet, so turned back.  Still, a therapeutic 5 hours and 31 species of birds. Many neotropical migrants have not arrived yet, a return trip in two weeks would be very birdy. Birds of the day: Lazuli Bunting and Nashville Warbler. Mammal of the day: dripping wet beaver on the trail. No rattlesnakes and no ticks (at least so far). It was a good day.

We did Umtanum on Sunday as a cooldown after summiting Baldy. It's a great, flat wander through the canyon if you're not in the mood for any elevation gain. At the trailhead, take the bridge across the Yakima river, then follow the "trail" signs which will lead you under the railroad, then along the railroad, then off to the right. At the information board, the trail splits--take the right fork for this trail. The trail is easy to follow for about a mile, then hits the creek. Wander along the creek until you find a good spot to cross--we chose to bring our creek shoes and wade across, and didn't see any dry crossings when we went. The trail picks back up again, and is easy to follow again for another mile, where you come to a dry creek crossing across a beaver dam. We stayed on the trail for another half mile after this and then turned back. It was super quiet and felt remote. The canyon walls are beautiful to watch in the late afternoon sun. You follow the creek the whole way, so there's plenty of chances to grab water for your dog (ours enjoyed it!). We didn't see any rattlesnakes but keep an eye out. The trail is overgrown in parts, so wear protective clothing or prepare to get a few thorns dug in.