The four of us looked forward to a weekend of getting away from Seattle on busy Memorial Day weekend... We found Umtanum Canyon to be an easy hike through a wonderfully wildlife-filled and relatively dry trail system nestled between towering cliffs and rolling ridgetop scrub meadows. Our senses were enlightened with the multitudes of songbirds, raptors and ravens, as well as the pungent perfumes of various sages and Rugosa roses. Dozens of other wildflower and tree species held our wonder as we hiked and photographed along the way towards our choice of several campsites. Many folks we met there reported Rattlesnakes, but we only saw three or four non-poisonous smaller snakes during our three-day camp. Those hikers who went beyond the first trail washout were treated to a less-disturbed and more densely-foliaged campsite and reported sightings of Bighorn Sheep. Highlights included: Ravens feeding their young in a cliffside nest, Spring Blue butterflies 'puddling' by the dozens along the muddy stream banks, the conversational calls of the Yellow-bellied Chat bird, a locally rare Lewis's Woodpecker and quiet star-filled night skies. Alerts: Ticks are commonly encountered. Several unsupervised children from a neighboring campsite were repeatedly allowed to go crashing loudly through the fragile streams and scrub with disturbing consequences. We also saw foolishly discarded toilet paper and evidence of unmanaged ""dog impact"" on trail surfaces. This is a very fragile ecosystem that is also home to Rattlesnakes, so it would be doubly wise to leave Fido at home! ... Hunting also adds to the impact on this area, so please be extra considerate in its use. Our weather was partly cloudy with cool evenings and brief showers on 5/28. An altogether wonderful experience.

Because of the wet side’s low elevation snowpack, we chose the dry side’s Umtanum Creek Trail (#20 in 55 Hikes in Central Washington) over the 4th of July weekend and we were pleased with our choice. The trail follows Umtanum Creek, which drains into the Yakima River, up a canyon with steep walls of reddish brown basalt that contrast beautifully with the lush green of the cottonwoods and aspens. Air temperature at the trailhead was about 70 degrees and as we progressed up-canyon, cooled noticeably and quickly, aided by the overcast and occasional showers. A few short minutes up the trail, my daughter stopped when she heard rattlers on both sides of us. I suffer from the common middle age affliction of minor high frequency hearing loss and didn’t hear them at all. The rattlers’ warning apparently falls within that particular frequency range, so boomers listen up: when in rattler country, hike with someone that doesn’t suffer from the same malady. It would be interesting to hear of others who’ve had a similar experience and what measures they took to compensate for the disability. As we moved further up the trail, we made diligent use of our trekking poles but saw or heard no further evidence of snakes, probably due to the temperature drop, and much to our relief because the vegetation was dense and knee high in places, often obscuring our view of the ground. Soon, the unexpected beauty around us took our minds off the danger lurking in the grass and we began to appreciate our surroundings. The canyon bottom is not unlike a long oasis, framed by the complex structure and colorings of the canyon’s steep sides. Numerous, colorful birds and their music accentuated the spring like atmosphere. At several points along the trail we were faced with a choice of which fork in the trail to take and we opted for the fork that showed evidence of more traffic which, in several instances, proved how many hikers had taken the wrong fork also. When we later reviewed Spring and Manning’s guide, we realized that if we would have kept it handy we could have avoided most of the wrong forks. Prior to the trip we had attempted to purchase a large-scale topo of the area but couldn’t find one at REI or Metsker’s. At about three miles up the trail, we found a delightful campsite accessed by an easy ford across the creek and the following morning we were rewarded with a stunning view of the canyon walls in the early morning light; absolutely beautiful and a confirmation that we had, with the help of Mr. Spring and Mr. Manning, chosen a very enjoyable hike and one I highly recommend to those lacking familiarity with the beauty to be found in the dry side of our state.

The trail is in good shape for the first couple of miles, after which erosion, overgrowth and beaver civil engineering began to hinder our progress. Soon we were bushwhacking through the thick brush of the canyon floor or scrambling over rock slides more than we were following any sort of trail, and decided to climb up out of the canyon about 3/4 of a mile before reaching Durr road, intending to gain the Yakima Ridge trail. The canyon side, though steep and covered with sagebrush and other dry, thorny vegetation, made for easier progress than the jungle-like growth that exists along Umtanum creek, and we were soon rewarded with views of Manastash Ridge, Kittitas Valley, and the Stuart Range. High clouds prevented vistas from being as spectacular as they could have been, though. We passed what's left of Barnes' cabin on the way -- little more than a few sun-bleached planks and rusty nails remain. Following a network of animal paths and old roads, we reached the ridge soon thereafter, near the radio towers. The Yakima Ridge trail is a 4WD road that follows the top of the ridge and offers great views in all directions. After a couple of miles from the point where we connected with it, the ridge and trail turn to the south-east, away from the Umtanum trailhead, so we headed down one of the ravines leading back to the canyon. Steeper than the ascent, this part inflicted the most pain on our knees and feet, and route finding was a bit trickier. We hooked up with the side trail that leads out from the Umtanum trailhead, and were soon gratefully stretching our legs at the car. Remarkable wildlife viewing: bighorn sheep (along the canyon cliffs), deer, rattlesnake (hiding in the rocks on the canyon shoulder), coyote, horned lizards (along the ridge top), a swarm of dragonflies, many butterflies, and all sorts of birds including hawks, grouse, magpie and heron (!). Beavers were not to be seen but their handiwork certainly was; we passed dozens of dams in various stages of construction or decay. Mosquitoes and red ants were in ample supply as well. The wildflowers appeared to be past their peak but there were still many blooming. Good campsites occur every 1/2 mile to mile or so along the trail. We hiked about a mile in on Saturday evening to the first good campsite, left camp around 7:30am Sunday morning, and were back at the trailhead by 4:00pm that afternoon. We saw two other backpackers pass our campsite Sunday morning, and didn't meet another soul until reaching the popular side trail up the canyon side near the trailhead. All in all, a very worthwhile trip.

It had been two years and one week since our last visit to this wonderful little canyon. The trail is still in fairly good shape with overgrowth in some areas, a few erosion spots next to the creek and some small boulder slides to scramble across - be careful when carrying a heavy pack, one member of our party bloodied a shin. Surprised a rattler about two miles in and a big constrictor about 100 yards beyond that. At 6am the next morning we spotted (and were spotted by) three bighorn sheep on the ridgetop. Picked up about a pound of scattered tissues on the hike out Sunday - how do people live with themselves'

Took my better half on our annual springwildflower trip to Umtanum Creek in the Yakima River canyon last weekend, and we timed it perfectly. The bloom was in full swing, with ample supplies of blue, yellow, white, and pink flowers. Jill knows most of their names, but the book was handy for curing what she calls ""sieve brain"". There were snakes, too. Ones with rattles on their tails. And some gun-toting miscreants were shooting things back in there. Lots of beaver handiwork back in there...Being a dentist, Jill was especially impressed with dentician that could cut a two foot big leaf maple. This trail goes quite a ways back in there and is a bit hard to follow at times, but hey, if you can get lost in here, you should go to the mall instead. ;-)