Trail was coated with hard-packed ice, so having spikes was helpful. We looked at the creek crossing, but water was flowing fast and deep. The only "log" going across was a rather skinny branch which probably wouldn't have held my weight. Instead of crossing, we continued farther up along the left side of the creek. There's a small boulder field to cross, and then the trail becomes rather indeterminate. Shorter hike than planned, but still beautiful on a clear sunny day.

Ethan, Karen, & I took a walk up Umtanum Canyon on this cloudy, cool day.  We walked about 1.5 miles up the canyon until we were opposite the big buttress and found a nice spot for lunch.  After lunch, Karen & I walked about 1/4 mile farther up the canyon, then we all headed back the way we had come.  There was about a foot of snow on the ground and in some places the trail was pretty overgrown.  The trail was nice and packed up to the first crossing, but beyond there the only things that had walked on the trail were deer &/or big horn sheep and it would have been a little easier on snowshoes than just our boots with traction devices.  There was frost on most of the vegetation and the canyon was very beautiful despite the rather dreary day.  We didn't see any wildlife except for a couple eagles and a great blue heron in a tree, and the only other hikers we saw were a few near the trailhead.

Jonah & I took a walk up Umtanum Canyon on this mostly cloudy, cool day.  We walked about 1/4 mile past the 2nd crossing before turning around and backtracking to the crossing and finding some rocks to lean against for lunch below the buttress we often have lunch on top of.  It was cool, but pleasant, so we spent over an hour her before heading back.  There was a little fall color as most of the live trees left after the fire were still holding their leaves.  Though easy to follow, the trail was quite overgrown in places and there were quite a few blow-downs - expected with the wind & all the burned trees.  All were easy to step across or walk around, however.  There were also lots of elk trails that were almost as clear as the main trail, which could make it quite confusing if you didn't know the route.  Once across the creek at the 2nd crossing there is a trail going straight ahead and another going to the right.  Take the trail to the right or you will end up in a tangle of brush and aspen suckers.  The only wildlife we saw were a few juncos and 4 deer high on the hillside and the only other hikers were a couple near the mouth of the canyon as we were walking out.

Yakima Sportsman SP closes on 11-1 and campers had to leave today so we moved to Big Pines CG in Yakima Canyon. After setting up camp and eating lunch, we had a beautiful and peaceful walk in Umtanum Canyon enjoying the  color and beauty of the many grasses, willows, aspen, and seed pods of flowers. Yellow was the main color, but wild rose and the red of a few aspen suckers added red to some areas. Many aspen have lost their leaves, but most have beautiful shimmering golden leaves with a few still remaining green. Many of the aspen suckers are quite tall and they and the tall grasses narrow the trail in a few areas. It is amazing how much larger the aspen sucker leaves are compared to those on the trees. We met only one couple returning to the TH.

Our group of 4 chased the sun over to the Yakima area on Saturday. The whole area surrounding the trailhead is beautiful, so different from the normal west side views. As stated on the trail guide, it is $5 to park here for day use, only payable by credit card.

We intended to do the full 6.5 miles, but upon seeing the rattlesnake warning sign, one of our members was very nervous and we only made it about a mile in before she needed to turn around. We didn't see any, and I think it would be too cold, but it was a pleasant 2 mile RT walk.

The leaves are turning yellow, and the grasses are a beautiful gold color covering the hills. The trail is overgrown in some places, and we lost the trail around the 1 mile mark, as did another group, but we took it as our sign to turn around. I believe you may need to cross the water and waterproof shoes would be needed but I can't say for sure if there's a better way across. 

To make our drive from Seattle more worth it, we drove to the Wildridge winery for some tasting flights and were pleasantly surprised to find hiking trails on their property! All in all, it turned out to be a great day in central WA enjoying sunshine and great company.