First time to the park since I moved to Yakima - decided it was time to check it out. 

I saw one other car but didn't see any people. There was also a park truck driving around a bit. We wandered around Cool Lake and saw a Great Blue Heron and some other water birds. Then we walked down the Dike Trail for a bit before circling back through the park. 

Not much of a hiking area but it's a nice green space. The campground is closed and I assume all the bathrooms are as well. The playground equipment is roped off.

 After setting up camp at Yakima Sportsman SP, we walked around the juvenile fishing pond, the trail to the wetlands and a trail which was signed "Wildlife Area".  This trail travels through cottonwoods, elms and willow trees so would be pretty in the fall. The trails  are mostly level with a few ups and downs. We began by hiking the short trail to the wetlands area which had very little water. Here we saw a wood duck pair and several red-winged blacbirds. We returned to the main trail to walk along the juvenile fishing pond whose water level was very low! Bob commented that it looked like someone  had drained the pond! Here we saw several wood ducks, a few mallards, a heron, Canada geese, and a kingfisher. We then crossed the dike to walk the trails in the wildlife area as described by the sign! There were a few brushy areas and some of the maps at the trail junctions were missing. We came to a view of the Yakima RIver and then retraced our steps. Yakima Sportsman SP is a 247 acre park which is on the flood plain of the Yakima River. Their website states there are 2 miles of hiking trails. There is evidence of beaver activity near the juvenile fishing pond. This is not a destination hike from Seattle, but it is a nice place to visit in the spring and fall if you are camping in the area, need a leg-stretcher when traveling or as an add-on hike if you are hiking in the Yakima area.

After setting up camp at Big Pines CG in Yakima Canyon, we drove to Yakima Sportsman SP to hopefully see some baby wood ducks. Although we did not see any baby wood ducks we were treated to seeing a heron catch a small fish, several wood duck pairs, mallards, red-winged blackbirds, yellow-headed blackbirds, a kingfisher and a California quail in a tree! 

We walked around the juvenile fishing pond where yellow iris were blooming along the edge of the pond and the many lily pads had yellow, pink and white blooming flowers! We had a light drizzle and a brief period of thunder and lightning, but the air was warm and the bird sightings and flowers made for a pleasant outing!

This is not a destination hike from Seattle, but is a nice place to visit in the spring and fall if you are camped in the area, need a leg stretcher when traveling or as an add-on hike when hiking near Yakima.

After hiking Snow Mountain Ranch, we went to Yakima Sportsman SP to hopefully see some baby wood ducks. We saw wood ducks but no babies, but we were treated to seeing 2 yellow-headed blackbirds "up close and personal" something we had not experienced before. Watching their head and neck contortions when calling was fun to watch! Red-winged blackbirds, mallards, a kingfisher and hummingbird were also seen.

When we returned to our campsite at Big Pines CG in Yakima Canyon, we saw a Say's Phoebe pair building a nest on top of the slide out on our trailer. The couple camped beside us had been watching them as they sat by their campfire and told us the birds had been working on the nest all afternoon. Friends from Yakima had brought us an orchard ladder which was tied to the back of our trailer so Bob took it down and was able to remove the nest. It was sad to have to do this, but we were thankful we could do it in the building process and not after eggs were laid. 

After setting up camp at Yakima Sportsman SP, we had time to hike the trail around the juvenile fishing pond which is open year round for fishing to children 14 years and younger and the Wetlands Trail. Yakima Sportsman SP is a 266 acre park on the flood plain of the Yakima River. There are 2 miles of trails which are well signed at the junctions. Highlights today were the many wood ducks, a heron in a tree and a great-horned owl. This is not a destination hike, but is a nice place in the spring and fall to stretch your legs if you are in the area or camped in the park.  The camping area is open March 1-November 1. The day use area closes November 30.