On Saturday, I headed out for a solo hike to try to see some wildflowers east of the mountains. It was a perfect day for hiking, with mostly sunny skies and temperatures in the low 60s. I arrived at the trailhead shortly after 11 AM and found a parking spot – although the parking lot was mostly full. The trailhead is located right at the edge of farmland, where Manastash Ridge begins to rise out of the Yakima River Valley.
I started up the trail, which begins as crushed gravel for a short stretch before reaching a large Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife sign. The trail climbs through a ravine with occasional wildflowers lining the trail. The right side of the ravine was speckled with bright yellow balsamroot flowers, while the left side of the ravine was brushy and barren. There were a few large clusters of balsamroot right along the trail, so I made sure to stop and take some photos of the flowers in full bloom. The best flowers were during the first part of the hike at lower elevations, but there were still some blooming at higher elevations.
As I climbed out of the ravine, I started to get better views of the valley below. Farmland stretched across the valley, with wind turbines lining the foothills on the other side. The snow-capped peaks of the Stuart Range towered above the valley to the north. These incredible views continued for most of the remainder of the hike, as the trail is exposed almost the whole way to the top. I made sure to apply sunscreen before starting the hike, and was glad to have cool temperatures while hiking in the sun.
When I got closer to the top, I encountered a few stretches of trail that were steeper. This portion of trail was dry and dusty - so I didn't have the best footing - but it was more difficult to navigate on the way back down. After this steep section, the trail flattens out more as it meanders along the ridge westward toward the summit.
At the top of the ridge, there was a large log and some rocks that provided places to sit and admire the views. I stopped to have a snack and drink some water while I enjoyed the full panorama that stretched out in front of me. I could see more of the Stuart Range than before and could see way down the valley to the east. The wind wasn't blowing strongly, but it provided enough of a breeze to cool me down while I took pictures of the view. After I was done resting and taking pictures, I headed back down the trail.
The descent was very enjoyable, especially because the view of the Stuart Range was often in my field of vision as I hiked. When I hiked back down into the ravine, I made sure to stop and take more pictures of the blooming balsamroot flowers before returning to the trailhead. It took me about an hour to hike to the top and around 45 minutes to hike back down. I wore pants and a long-sleeved shirt in case I encountered any ticks, but I didn't see any the whole hike. It was a fun outing, and I was glad to get some sunshine and hike through spring wildflowers.
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