Umtanum Creek Canyon, Umtanum Ridge Crest — Thursday, Apr. 9, 2009

Central Washington > Yakima

April 9, 2009: Umtanum Ridge and Umtanum Canyon Last year I had wandered the rolling hills of Umtanum Ridge after accessing it from the North Trailhead; that approach had involved a hellish (though scenic) drive on Durr Road and I had vowed never to try that again. This time I decided to approach Umtanum Ridge from the Umtanum Creek Canyon access. A 2hr drive had me on the trail at 8:30am. After crossing the suspension bridge over the Yakima River and then the railroad tracks just adjacent, I quickly took a left to enter the first side canyon on the left. Lovely, scented desert plant life surrounded me and crisp conditions heralded the start of a beautiful day. The way up the narrow canyon was on the stiffish side, but rugged cliffs kept my attention on the scenery rather than the exertion. A pretty creek was my companion, with tiny, lush basins providing more interest. Eventually, things began to open up and the rolling, tumbling hills of Umtanum Ridge began to appear. Puff-ball clouds dotted a blue sky, keeping things cool, by periodically shielding me from the warming sun. There wasn't much of a flower-show, except for one splash of yellow about two-thirds of the way up. The remaining third was steep, steep, steep. The reward was the gorgeous, scalloped Umtanum Ridge crest. I decided to head right to the nearby 3,630ft high point of Umtanum Ridge, where I decompressed, had lunch and enjoyed the sights and music from birdsong. The descent was relatively quick, since I also wanted to explore the Umtanum Creek Canyon. As I entered the canyon, my progress ground to a standstill as a lovely cottonwood grove enticed me with its charms. This place must be fantastic in autumn, but the gleaming white trunks still took my breath away. I finally managed to tear myself away and resumed onward progress. About a mile in, I crossed Umtanum Creek on partially submerged logs. The creek was a rushing, chattering companion and provided constant entertainment: a beaver dam here, a limpid pool there. Towering basalt cliffs rose impressively on either side. Around 2.5mi into the canyon I reached my turn-around point. As I sped back to my car I finally began to encounter other hikers...perfectly timed. Additional photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/shahiddurrani/sets/72157616568680168 Cumulative stats: - Distance: 12mi - Elevation gain: 2,580ft - Hiking time: 6.5hrs