Fall Outing: Yakima Valley

Inspired by the wonderful article in the Wash. Trails Assoc magazine (April 2007 Hiking Wine Country) and motivated by the damp, dark fall weather in Western Washington, we headed east for a few days of drier conditions. We were not disappointed. The fall colors were at their peak, and locals claimed they were exceptional this year.

A wonderful variety of short outings were ours to enjoy including: hiking old favorites like Cowiche, Umtanum and Black Canyons; visiting new ones like Selah Butte, Horse Heaven Hills, Snow Mountain Ranch, Badger Mt; and exploring fascinating geologic features of volcanic flows and glacial floods. For variety we also managed some cultural explorations including Ahtanum Mission, the murals of Toppenish, the famous vineyard & hop industry of the Yakima Valley, and some delightful restaurants.

Some other highlights included a short visit to Roslyn. This picturesque little town was the outdoor film location for “Northern Exposure,” but is also the center of a short but fascinating Mine Rail trail.
The drive and hikes down Yakima Canyon were beautiful though the big-horned sheep had not yet moved to the canyon walls, part of their wintering range. On the way home we decided to drive through the eastern part of Mt. Rainier NP. Of course we returned to the rain but the views along the American River were beautiful and our passage over Chinook Pass was poignant as we realized that snow would soon be closing it.










This was a wonderful fall trip, one that gave us more ideas for the future; maybe a short notice outing next year? Thanks again to our friends at the WTA (http://www.wta.org/), we look forward to sharing the trail with you again.