My friend and I did a thru-hike of the canyon for her first overnight trip. We started at Umtanum rec area at noon after dropping off a car at the Yakima Skyline trailhead. Vista Trail was fairly busy as we were climbing up but not annoyingly so. The top of the climb is brutally steep but over fairly quickly. It was as we were climbing this section that we started to encounter the 50k race runners on their way to the finish line. There was an aid station at the intersection of Vista Trail and Durr Road and from here until we got to Roza Creek we passed many runners at various levels of enthusiasm.
We camped north of Roza Creek just off the trail. The creek is dry so we trekked over to the Yakima to get our water. We had the chance to see several small herds of deer join together to create a larger herd while grazing the hill to the north of us. Around 9pm long after we had settled in for bed, someone started buzzing our tent with a drone. They spent several minutes trying to get our attention, left and came back to try again. Maybe it was someone just being silly but it creeped us out. They finally left us alone and we were able to relax and go to sleep. It lightly rained off and on throughout the night.
We woke early and continued our trek south. It was sunny and calm at first but then it clouded over and the wind picked up. We started encountering other hikers again as we neared the Skyline Trail. We arrived back at our car about 11:30am.
Road: rough but passable for anyone going to the Skyline trailhead. Road to Umtanum is suitable for any vehicle.
Trailhead: Discover pass required at the Skyline TH. The gate was open but we still parked at the gate since I wasn't sure if it was going to stay open. There was an outhouse available at the parking area inside the gate. $5 day pass required at Umtanum rec area. The pit toilets there are open and stocked with TP.
Trail: some muddy spots on the Vista trail but otherwise good, albeit rocky conditions.
Flora & fauna: lots of deer near Roza Creek, heard coyotes howling overnight, lots of birds throughout. No bighorn sheep sightings. Wildflowers starting to bloom throughout with the most in bloom on the Skyline side of the trail.
Bugs: there were some mosquitoes out already. I was not using repellent and got a few bites on my legs.
Specs from Gaia: 15.2mi, 7hr 51min total moving time, 4065ft
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