Ethan, Jonah, & I went to Umtanum Canyon on this cloudy, sometimes rainy day. We went about a quarter mile or so past the second creek crossing, but it was raining pretty hard so we turned around to look for a more sheltered place to stop for lunch. A little ways back down the canyon we spied what looked like a good sized cave a couple hundred feet above the trail so we climbed up to it. It turned out not to be as big as it looked, but it gave us the protection we wanted. By the time we were done with lunch the rain had slacked off and we had a mostly dry walk back to the car. We saw a couple of deer, but no big horn sheep. The first creek crossing has been altered by a couple of beaver dams, one of which is high enough that it is diverting water down a grove beside the main trail. We had no problem crossing the creek, however. There were a few other hardy souls out today, but no hunters. The fall color was beautiful in the nice even light of a cloudy day.

This was our third hike in Eastern Washington this year and one well worth the drive. The canyon is broad for all the way we took it (between 2.5 and 3.0 miles up the trail) and with multiple trails that all lead to the same destination. We were able to find the Homestead remains (stairs to a 'root cellar'?, a concrete foundation from 1933?) about a 1/2 mile from the bridge over the Yakima. This is a good spot to cross Umtanum Creek, as it is braided and the trails on the east side of the canyon extend about 1.5 miles before the next creek crossing. The details of the hike note a 700 foot elevation gain, but I did not note or feel like we gained much if any elevation. This is a great trail for new hikers and the creek did not require any special skills to cross if you looked for good spots. We did see lots of evidence of beaver dams and residence. Not many people out on Friday but we all enjoyed the sun and mild temperatures (in upper 60's). It was a nice break from the fog and low clouds in Seattle. Aspen were out in their full glory and we did see a doe about 1.5 miles up the trail. Did not see any beaver or other animals. Trail should continue to be good for another few weeks. Ended the day with another great Mexican meal in Ellensburg. There are some really good and authentic Mexican restaurants in town and very reasonable.

So, this trail isn't quite the Umtanum Creek Canyon trail, but it's the closest match I could find. We started off heading on the Umtanum Creek Canyon trail, but right after the bridge we crossed the stream and went up what appeared to be a game trail to the right. It's steep and rocky, but it eventually goes to the top and starts to flatten out. Then soon it merges with what appears to be an old road. After about a mile, we just cut over to the left to get a view of Umtanum Canyon from the top. Stunning! There isn't really a trail to speak of that we found, but you can just explore the area and get continuous views of Umtanum. Eventually, we found a passable slope and headed back down and returned to the starting point via the normal Umtanum Creek trail. It's not the fall peak yet, but there was still some color. The Canyon trail is always quite beautiful, but getting the view from above was even better. For lack of a better name, I'm calling this the Umtanum Creek Ridge trail (which is different from the Umtanum Ridge Crest trail). I'd like to find a lot more hikes like this one, but these aren't in the guidebooks, so am open to the suggestions of those who specialize in this area!

Trail is clear and easy to follow for the first mile. Trail is overgrown by mile two and game trails are at times better defined. Snake warnings were still up. Heard but did not see other hikers. Saw plenty of deer on the trail. Fall colors starting to turn. Tons of chokecherry berries ready to go.

We began our hike by crossing the suspension bridge across the Yakima River at the Umtanam Recreation Area. Shortly after the railroad tracks at an unsigned junction we went left from the main canyon trail to hopefully climb 2000 feet in 3 miles to Untanum Ridge. However, the many variety of birds, flowers, and butterflies slowed our pace so that we had to turn around 700 feet short of the ridge. We saw lazuli buntings, yellow-breasted chats, Cassin's finch, gold finch, phoebes, and towhees. Hyssop, yarrow, large-flowered collomia, linear leaf daisies, and a beautiful white flowering shrub we haven't identified yet were some of the flowers seen. The clouds helped to block the sun at times so with a light breeze, the heat was tolerable. It was a very enjoyable day! :)! We saw only 4 other people the entire 8 hours we were on the trail.