I am a few days late getting this out.  I did check the box for the wildflowers but dont get that excited as they are in the very early stages, but with the rain and the warmer weather they could pop up quickly.

This was a hike to get away from the rain in Seattle.  The trail head was ample and had vault toilets.  There is a $5 day use fee unless you have the America Pass.  We started by crossing the bridge and went to the left up the ridge.  Its pretty straight forward and you just hike up upwards.  The trail is toward the end does get a little steep but just go slow and you will be at the top of the ridge before you know it. We had some awesome views despite the overcast day.  There is a trail along the top of the ridge where you can walk along it.  The distances can be deceptive as you can see for so far and everything is so open.  The colors were wonderful.

We chose to go back down and crossed the railroad bridge and followed the trail that traversed another hillside.  It was steep but after about ten or 15 minutes we were on top of another ridge with more views.  This is another place you could have just walked for miles.  Back down we went then up again to the rock formation where there is a small cave.  Basically the cave is in the bottom half of one of the first rock walls you come to a little to the left when climbing up.  You have to have some comfort scrambling and its a little tricky to find.  I went the easy way and followed the trail to the left and then you have to drop down to the little cave.  

Overall a great hike for the cusp of winter to spring as well as when the wild flowers start to bloom.  Some blue skies would have been nice but I am not one for the hot exposed sun so our timing was pretty good. The drive isnt that bad your about 10 miles south of Ellensburg basically.  We did seven miles RT with an elevation gain of about 3,100', thanks to the ups and downs!  We didnt do the creek canyon despite me adding it to the trip report but there is plenty of hiking here for a leisure hike or for pushing yourself up some hills.  Keep an eye out for the wildflowers though.

Great trail conditions, hiked up to the first camp site, about 2-3 miles up the parking lot at Umtanum Recreation Area, and camped overnight. Temps were mid to upper 30s at the coldest. We were visited by a few rodents at night, one chewed up my hiking shoe lace I had left outside the tent... but cute otherwise!

Great hiking trip!

First off there were no more envelopes for trail fee when i arrived, also you don't need to pay the fee if you have an America The Beautiful Pass. It was an easy trail, not difficult to navigate, lots of social trails along main trail. Saw some wildlife, hawk, rabbit, and a heron. Some flowers starting to blossom also. Overall a bit of a boring trail.

We went on this hike with our 12 and 7 year old sons and two dogs.  It was a beautiful day but a little windy.  To find the old farmhouse look for the fork when you come to a clearing and see a lot of rocks and boulders.  You will come down to the creek shortly after you go right at the fork.  The only thing that remains of the farmhouse is it's foundation and a couple of pipes.  It was a very pretty hike and the creek was very beautiful.  If you head back to the fork and go left you will see evidence of a beaver and see the dam it created.  

We decided to take the trail at the fork up the canyon and not along the creek.  The trail is dry in most places, and where it is muddy it was a little slippery.  No tics yet and few people heading up.