Spring had finally sprung, and we headed east to the desert country. The Umtanum Canyon trail was full of hikers on Saturday -- and it's in great shape for the first 2.5 miles or so. At that point it contours up the south side of the canyon and makes a somewhat sketchy traverse of steep talus. It's no biggie, really, but some folks with big packs on were having a tough time. (It might be better to bushwhack along the canyon floor.) The trail is closed at 3.25 miles in for ""sensitive wildlife."" Anyone know what exactly? Hikers appeared to be respecting the closure. We decided to head cross-country from there and so we climbed up the north side of the canyon to the ridgeline. We made our way cross country across the open sage steppe with views for a million miles in every direction. We ran into a herd of 8 bighorn sheep, most of them juveniles. Caught a glimpse of pelicans soaring in the distance (over the Yakima River we think). Saw scores of yellow-rumped warblers and white-crowned sparrows, a pair of chuckars, some cowbirds, a kestrel, a red-tailed hawk, and a few other birds. We headed east on a rambling course along the ridgeline, occasionally dropping into a tributary canyon and scrambling back out the other side. About halfway back we descended back to the Umtanum Creek via a brush draw and hiked on the trail back to the car. It felt like it was in the 70s, with the wonderful dry heat of the east side. Terrific. And it'll be prettier in a few weeks when the flowers start blooming in earnest.

What an excellent hike! Very close to Seattle and Spokane. The trail is fairly well maintained, but there are several of them. Stick to the most heavily used trail and do not get sidetracked. Multiple trails lead to dead ends, and you must cross the river which is fairly easy. There are very nice places to camp throughout, so get there early to find the best one.

The break between the endless March storms that the weather forecasters promised was narrow indeed on Sunday, but we found some bright sun in Umtanum Canyon. Spring was just beginning to happen in the canyon. The grass was greening up and a few buttercups added bright splashes of color. The following weeks should bring an ever-increasing flower show. The first ford of the creek was difficult due to high water in the creek. If you come here, don't try to find a dry place to cross; there isn't any. Just grit your teeth and wade through the cold water. The ford can be avoided if you take the alternate, somewhat crude right bank trail, which you can find by crossing the creek on the railroad track. The second ford was easily crossed on logs. Beyond here, the trail became a bit muddy and icy, but there was no real difficulty until the end of of the maintained trail at the third ford, about 3 miles from the trailhead. A sunny gravel bar made a nice spot to rest and enjoy a snack. We did not try to go farther up the canyon. Beyond the third ford, the trail deteriorates into a brushy mess, and there is no point in continuing unless you want to take on the challenge of reaching the Durr Road.

I spent a very enjoyable day in Umtanum Canyon today. I walked about half way to the Durr Road. The fall color was about a week past its prime, but with the sunny, mild weather I found plenty to photograph. I saw a small group of big horn sheep on the other side of the canyon on my way back to the truck. Except for a group from the Everett area, I had the place to myself.

This is a nice hike to do in spring when most of the trails in higher elevations are still snowbound. The parking fee at the BLM site is $5 ($2.50 with a Golden Age passport). The first 2 1/2 miles of the trail to a point past the first talus slope (where a trail crew has placed stepping stones) are in good shape, but past that point the trail is overgrown and squeezes past two narrow places where it traverses an eroded slope above the creek with no trail profile left, not even a boot's width. We turned around after approx. 3.5 miles (GPS coordinates N46o 52.082' W120o 32.439') at a campsite where one trail continues upcreek and another crosses the creek on some improvised logs. Elev. gain 600 ft. in, 140 ft. out. At this time of the year, the most spectacular wildflowers are in the upper, more difficult part of the trail. In mid-May, we counted 48 different flowers and shrubs in bloom. We saw one great blue heron and two snakes. On the return trip, while crossing one of the several talus slopes, it is easy to miss the trail where it re-enters the bushes below.