We escaped the dreary weather in Western Washington for some much needed sun and were not disappointed. We don't venture out on the Eastside much but given the weather and the lack of snow melt in the mountains at the time... we were getting desperate.
This was really a warm up hike for the season for me. Even though it wasn't terribly hot, maybe 70F, the exposure made it feel closer to 80F. We were OK on water but gave our dog extra water on the trail - there wasn't much shade for him to rest under, and being a black lab mix, was starting to overheat while his coat soaked up the sun. We dipped him into the creek on the way back and he was ecstatic.
At some points the trail was overgrown and we practically bushwhacked through tall grass (no velociraptors present). We walked right by the foundation for the old farmhouse - the only reason we knew is that the trail above the creek randomly ended. We turned around and noted it up on a plain north (I think) of the trail. Not much to see there.
The beauty of this part of eastern Washington was a pleasant surprise. I doubt we will head back out that way for a day hike again because of the incoming heat of the summer, but it will definitely be a go-to for Spring/Late Fall hikes when the mountains are snowed in.

I had to meet Karen Martinis at Umtanum this afternoon to pick up some plants she had procured for me and we took a walk in the canyon afterwards.  Karen turned around at the first crossing as she needed to get home, but I continued on to the big, spectacular buttress on the opposite side of the canyon from the trail.  The afternoon was overcast and mild, perfect for walking, and the diffuse light brought out all the saturation in the green.  There were a few other hikers in the canyon on this  beautiful afternoon.  There was lots of mustard and hoary cress and a scattering of other wildflowers.  I didn't see any wildlife on the hike, but I did see a bald eagle, some deer, and some big horn sheep on the way home.

Rolled up to the parking lot around 11 am - there was a biking event happening on Canyon Road, so getting there was a little slow. Plenty of parking - don't forget to pay the $5 BLM fee!

This trail is obviously very exposed, so bring plenty of sunscreen and water! It was also fairly dry; there were a couple of creek crossings but they were easy to navigate. I stopped around 3 miles, just after crossing the rocks, and headed back to make my RT 6 miles. I ran into a couple of guys who asked if I made it to the waterfall...and I had no idea there was one! So now I need to go back and stay on the path for a little bit longer to see if I can locate it...or drive to that trailhead and start from there!

The trail is pretty easy to follow, although on my way back, I did get a bit turned around as I started following a path that I thought was the one I came on, which it was not. I checked my GPS and saw I had wandered off course just a little bit, and was able to get back on track. If you are a little directionally challenged like me, it may not hurt to check your GPS every once in a while :) Overall, beautiful hike with lots of wildflowers blooming!

Rain, rain, rain west of the Cascades, but dry here. A great spot for a Spring hike when there is nothing but slushy snow in the Mountains.
The trail starts with a picturesque suspension bridge over the Yakima river. You have to do a little trail finding at the start as there are several trails that lead from this area and I didn’t see any trail signs. For the Umtanum Creek Canyon Trail, after the bridge, go under the train tracks, and in ~100 yards at the first split in the trail, go right. The trail has almost no rise in elevation and follows the creek with beautiful canyon hills rising to either side. (The left trail climbs up into the hills.) There are patches of color the entire way from wildflowers, and wildflowers dotted the otherwise sage-colored canyon hills. The flowers were not super showy, but quite nice. The trail is dry, not muddy, so any footwear would be fine. Though the past forest fire took out almost all of the trees, it now has a different kind of beauty, not less beauty. The day was overcast, so we did not suffer from the lack of shade. We traveled two miles before turning around, and in that time, we had two stream crossings.  The first required a tightrope walk 10 feet across the stream; definitely has the potential for an accident.  On the way back, we searched and there were other stream crossings near this one (before and after) and found an easier one.  

One of the most surprising and delightful things was the constant birdsong that accompanied us the entire hike. I have been on many forested trails in the Cascade mountains, and this trail had far more birdsong, by far!  We also heard and then saw a rattlesnake in the rocks near one of the water crossings.  It was just a small one, and was 10 feet off of the trail, and very exciting to see.  

A beautiful area.  I can't wait to come back at different times of  year. 

Started a bit late on a Friday, around 12 noon, and was surprised there were so many cars in the parking lot. This is a great place to fish, hike, camp, have lunch at the picnic tables, or even back pack into the canon for an evening under the stars.

We decided to stick to the lower elevation today and followed the creek route for a total of 6 miles. The full trail is 8 miles.

Start at the parking lot and cross the suspension bridge over the Yakima river. When you hit the wooden trailhead sign, making a left takes you up the ridge line for a higher elevation gain. We stayed to the right and followed the river for a leisurely day of birding.

At the second fork in the trail, we stayed right again.

This helped us to stay on the designated trail without having to scramble over brush and downed trees, as the path has been well maintained. This is the first water crossing and there is another one about 2 miles in ~ both are easy crossing over a shallow creek. The second one is damned with many logs that you need to hop over to get to the other side.

Beyond that point, the trail really opens up and the wildflowers are amazing! The regrowth of the area from the fire in Sept of 2020 is gorgeous and lush and green.

There are many off shoot trails and places to explore closer to the basalt columns, but I had my dog so wanted to stay in the main trail to avoid ticks and rattlers. We never saw a snake during our time kn the trail. But played it super cautious!

Will be back in the fall as my favorite Aspen grove survived the fire. Late September early October is when the canyon is at it’s peak in color. Some of the apples trees from the old orchard survived, so they are always good for the pickin’ !!!

Happy trails