Bottom Line:
A little bit of a surprise - views of Yakima Canyon, Mt Rainier and Adams, Mt Stuart and The Enchantments, the high desert plateau east of the volcanos, and a good assortment of flowers that are likely at peak before the area dries out for the summer. The trail is mostly treeless and exposed - now is a good time to hike this trail before it becomes too hot. The terrain is much more interesting than say, Cowiche Canyon or Rocky Top (ok, apart from being able to hike to a winery at Cowiche and indulge mid-hike!), but similarly close to downtown Yakima. CAUTION: Ticks and rattlesnakes.
Stats:
- Distance: 5-3/4 miles
- Vertical: 2060 ft
- Duration: ~ 4 hours
- Road/Parking: Park at the Big Pines Recreation Site at the south end of Yakima Canyon. BLM fee or America the Beautiful (like) pass required. Toilets. There is a campsite here on the Yakima river - beautiful spot, although there would be some road noise at night.
- Weather: Mostly cloudy with sunny periods and filtered sun; 70Fs; light wind. What sounded like thunder was actually activity on the military range east of Baldy... a good hint being the huge views and no apparent storm clouds!
- Water: There is no water for filtering available on this trail; carry water
- Flowers: A really good variety of flowers, with the balsamroot (multiple species) being the most prolific. Among the flowers seen: balsamroot, lupine, sunflower, larkspur, sagebrush violet, biscuitroot, phlox, false dandelion, desert parsley, gold star, buckwheat, fiddleneck and Oregon sunshine (particularly bright and beautiful). The sagebrush has also started to bloom in spots.
- Trail: Wide-open views on this one!! The trail starts across the street from the Big Pines site and is unmarked. We hiked as a "lollipop loop", taking the steep way up (head straight at the gate), and the gentle switchbacks down (left just before the gate). The trail is quite steep up to the false summit at ~1 mile where the two lower trail options meet - poles are useful as it a good hiking boot tread. For the rest of the trail, you can see the ultimate destination - the top of Baldy with its radio tower, with a thin trail wiggling far up the slope. All in all, with a flatter section mid-hike, the ascent amounts to 2 sections of 1000 ft per mile. Do you think being able to see the destination makes a trail easier or harder? :) Flowers dot the dry landscape, with green grass emerging from last season's golden leftovers. This is desert, so the flowers are not as dense as some other spring hiking destinations (e.g. Sevenmile Hill down in The Gorge), but the setting among grass-covered brown/orange slopes and cliffs is a stunning one. At the top, there are views east to I-82 linking Ellensburg and Yakima. Yakima Canyon is frequented by bighorn sheep but did not see any on this trip.
- Takeaway: This one should be really interesting with a dusting of desert snow in the winter; going to save a repeat for a winter hike!
Higher resolution pics available at the Instagram link.
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