Rocky Top and Cowiche Mountain, Snow Mountain Ranch and Cowiche Mountain — Sunday, Apr. 3, 2022

Bottom Line: Balsamroot and lupine are blooming; the flower crescendo in the Yakima high desert grows!

Stats:

• Duration: 5-1/4 hours
• Vertical: 2400 ft
• Distance: 12-3/4 miles; two loops joined by the Cowiche Mt connector
• Weather: Mainly sunny with cloudy periods; ~60F but cool, gusty west wind
• Takeaway: Great high-desert double loop with abundant flowers that will only get better in the coming weeks as the Balsamroot and Lupine continue to bloom; south slopes have more flowers than north

The rain over the Snoqualmie Pass quickly gave way to sunshine around Easton - spring in the Pacific Northwest. Yakima is stunningly beautiful this time of year: rolling green hills (many visibly tinged with purple flowers, especially heading south on Hwy 97), orchards and vineyards beginning to bloom, and flowering trees everywhere. Breathtaking - do we really need to hike? :)

We decided to try something different, starting at the Rocky Top Trailhead, traversing over to Cowiche Mountain, descending for a loop in Snow Mountain Ranch, and then returning for another loop on the descent back to Rocky Top trailhead. 

The trail ascends from the Rocky Top trailhead. We stayed left to start, following the joint-use hike/bike trail over to the William O Douglass "Yakima to Rainier" trail. The beautiful trail follows a ridgeline all the way up to the boundary of Rocky Top, and then along the connector trail to Cowiche Mountain. The ridge vantage point provides views in all directions (including Mt Adams to the southwest, but Rainier was clouded in all day), with ample sunshine and thus flowers. Balsamroot is now blooming pretty much everywhere (with lots more to come) while the lupine is confined to warmer sunny spots on the lower reaches of Snow Mountain and Rocky Top. The flowers are much further along than this close-by recent hike.

The William O Douglas trail ascends steadily without concern for biker rideability. On the return through Rocky Top, to form a loop, we took some mountain bike trails, starting with the TNT trail just after exiting the connector trail. We did not see any bikers but note that these trails are designed as flowy biking trails and meander through the beautiful terrain in a way that might cause some to become impatient at the ~12-mile mark! :)

There is no biking beyond the Rocky Top boundary, which includes the connector over to Cowiche Mountain, and Snow Mountain Ranch descending northward from the peak. The latter are part of the Cowiche Canyon Conservancy, although Cowiche Canyon itself is in the opposite direction from Rocky Top. The connector trail is very beautiful, and you are bounded to the south by a wildlife conservancy. The loop on Snow Mountain Ranch is a familiar favorite for us, with perhaps fewer flowers than you can find over on the south side of Rocky Top right now. Rocky Top is aptly named with a beautiful rocky area at the beginning of the connector trail. Last year, there were still snow remnants on Cowiche in late March, but this year there is no snow, and the trail are dry and in excellent shape throughout. Quirky remnants of bygone days litter the landscape on both Snow Mountain (including a bathtub in the middle of nowhere), and Rocky Top, where some colorful old farming equipment dot the grassy slopes. 

It is difficult to avoid long grass on sections of this trail - long pants and checking for tics is the order of the day. There is a nary a section of this trail without flowers (especially our ascent route), although the grassy south-facing slopes have fewer flowers (at least right now). A planned prescribed burn on the connector will change that landscape a bit. There is an excellent variety of species blooming right now. The most comment flowers were probably desert violets (like everywhere), phlox, balsamroot, suncups, grass widow (these are likely to put on a real show near Cowiche Mountain summit shortly) and desert parsley, although the variety varied by aspect and elevation. Lupine is just starting out, with some dense spots.

Afterwards, we checked out the Cowiche Creek Brewery - a mere nine minutes from the trailhead by car. The brewery is tucked away in an orchard area with grassy outdoor spaces, food (Including veggie patties on any of their burgers for those so inclined) and good craft beer. A great stop to reenergize before hearing back to the West side. Of course, Yakima has lots of great choices for breweries after a good hike.