Driving north on Washington State Route 821 (also called Canyon Road) on Monday the 29th of June…read more2020 I noticed a hawk soaring above the trees in front of the basalt cliffs at Umtanum Recreation Site. I had been debating about whether to stop or not and the hawk sealed the deal and I decided to stop and do some exploring. A sign marks the site's entrance along the highway and a gravel road leads to a few parking lots. I followed the road all the way to its end at the parking lot by the bridge across the Yakima River. Umtanum Recreation Site is a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) managed land. Day use and overnight use fees are payable at the site. Discovery Passes so not work here. Day use permits are good all day at BLM managed lands. I had paid the day use fee and got my permit earlier in the day at the BLM managed Roza Recreation Site, and used that permit here as well. After putting the permit on my dashboard I did some exploring around the site. Restroom buildings are located at the far parking lot by the bridge and do not have running water. The campsites are spread out by the parking lot and near the main gravel road. Just past the far parking lot I walked a trail to a viewing area with benches looking out over the Yakima River. The area had a sign with some of the area's wildlife described. A nice elevated place to watch the river flow and look for wildlife. Making my way to the bridge across the river I noticed a ramp into the water. Along this ramp there are tips for floating the river and some fishing rules. No vehicles are allowed on the bridge crossing the river. The water moves fast here and the bridge creaked as I walked across it, making a harmonious collection of sounds as I crossed to the other side of the river. On the other side of the bridge is the Umtanum Creek Trail that some call the Umtanum Creek Recreation Area. There are rattlesnakes in this area so I kept my exploring closer to the water. The grass is tall immediately after the bridge, so I made my way to the river bank. Too freaked out by the thought of snakes falling out of the trees on my head or darting out at me from the grass I decided to make my way back across the bridge and towards the entrance. I walked the gravel road back to the entrance to take in the beautiful basalt cliffs on display at this area. On my walk I encountered a deer grazing in the grass and shrubbery. It startled as a car came along the road, maybe it had seen a rattlesnake, and crossed the road and left the recreation site. After looking around and exploring this stretch a little I made my way back to my car and noticed the moon out over the basalt cliffs. Time for my evening drive home.

My wife and I drove down canyon road, exploring the terrain that runs along the Yakima River in…read moresearch of potential bank fishing spots. We never found any promising fishing spots, but it was a beautiful and worthwhile drive for the river and canyon views. Driving into the canyon, the tree line stops before transitioning to prairie grasses. This was impressive to see since we had been living in dense mountain trees. While we didn't find any good bank fishing, there were quite a few river fishing boats floating in the water. I imagine that most of them had a guide manning the oars while the client tossed a fly in the water. There were too many of these boats in the water for this section of the stream not to be good for fishing. In fact, on the drive back, we did see someone reeling in a trout from one of these boats. In addition to fishing boats, there are a lot of tubers coasting downriver. This was clearly a very popular section of the Yakima River for water enthusiasts. It was as popular for fishing and tubing as the Wenatchee River was for rafting. During the drive down Canyon Road, we were just as likely to see vehicles pulling fishing boats and tubs as we were to see normal cars. Umtanum Creek was only one of multiple river access points. In addition to the drop in point, busy with multiple people attempting to drop in or take out their river craft, Umtanum also has a large bridge leading to trails on the other side. It did not seem tempting on the hot, sunny day that we were there, but it would certainly be unique to hike in the canyon prairie grasses since most other trails in the area are in the forest.

We LOVE this park! Plenty of shady trees, (playground is not in the shade though FYI) picnic tables…read moreby the river and a nice gazebo with grills, and it's clean :)

Once upon a time these cliffs and the surrounding rocks were barren of life. Volcanoes spewed lava…read moreforth over the landscape. As the lava cooled to match the temperature of the atmosphere structures developed within the lava flows. These structures are on full display in the Selah Cliffs. Millions of years later life is thriving here, and one species known as the Basalt Daisy is in high abundance here. Conservation efforts to protect and preserve both the natural landscape and native wildlife has resulted in the Selah Cliffs Natural Area Preserve. Just North of Selah driving North on Washington State Route 821 the adventure begins just past the 'Entering Yakima River Canyon' sign on the right hand side of the road. A short gravel road branching off at the truck turnaround leads to a looped gravel road with a parking lot on the side of the loop nearest the Preserve. A Discover Pass is needed to park here or incur a $99 fine. Interpretive signs along the trail throughout the Preserve aid in thinking about the natural significance and history of this area and how that connects to later human activity in the area. Millions of years from now these cliffs and the plains of the valley may be part of a lush jungle boasting life such as Saber-toothed Tigers, Jaguars, and Ocelots. Go Jaguars, nature's powerhouses of South and Central America! The creek may become a river and this once barren landscape may evolve into a green oasis similar to, though not the same as, the barren volcanic islands of Hawai'i later fostering diverse plant life once the volcanoes that form each island stop erupting. Nature can change in drastic ways. Embrace the passing of time and the changes in life it brings.

Fantastic recreation area. Well kept up by the staff and Rangers. Loved watching the occasional…read morefisherman's boat drift by. And as a very partime trainspotter, the few trains across the river added to the experience. Only (slight) drawn back were the noisy (and most definitely speeding) motorcycles and folks with more $ than brains racing down the road by Big Pines.

Even though it's not a five star campground...I have taken my husband and son here every year for…read morethe past five years. Why would we endure the heat, wind, no water, and sometimes site with no tree or shade? Because the canyon is gorgeous and the float is unbeatable in WA. Only go if you can get sites 1-5. The sun sets behind the hills earlier so you get some shade there. But God forbid you go on a 107F day like we did last August...after one dày of floating and sitting in our camp chairs in the river (our site had no trees and only our canopy) we gave up and drove home because the heat in the tent was unbearable. A couple years we only took one vehicle and managed to hitch hike from Big Pines back north to the vehicle to get it after floating (since the only road out goes along the river). Some years we take two vehicles, which is best. If you are up for an adventure or maybe you have an RV, you might try coming here to camp!

Beautiful hike up the trail that Yakima Supreme Court justice - William O Douglas - used to hike…read moreduring his childhood. He had a polio like illness as a boy that left his legs weak and he found the outdoors to be both his playground and his gym! There's some really nice signage around the trail that explains how profound of an influence this area had on him personally and professionally! The hike starts out via the greenway or at Harlan Landing - off the ramp into Selah. There's a recent additional start to the hike that was recently added on the path from Harlan's landing and it makes the whole thing much shorter. The hike starts over a small flat area after which you go under some train tracks. The hike up the hill is a good steep climb but our 3, 5 and 7 year olds were able to trek it with minimal help. It was a tougher climb for the 3 year old and he spent a good portion on my shoulders but it didn't make the climb terrible on me. Up top the views of the valley, both Yakima and Selah were very pretty! There are some power lines and a cell station up top with a small abandoned shed next to it. It was a good spot for the little guys to explore and made for some solid pictures. The hike took us about 1.5 hours and was about 3 miles round trip from the parking lot. Not to long and with great views - (Adams is huge on a sunny day!) it's a wonderful way to spend your day!

This is my favorite lake but I went down and I saw a lot of garbage and one looks like somebody was…read moreliving there and somebody's writing graffiti on the trees then you go all the way down and the smell is so bad that you have to turn around I have pictures for you I just don't know how to get them to you but other than that we need to clean this up I mean their beer cans in the lake and people come all the time it should be a little cleaner but the good news is that I love your new boat ramp

Small town perk - PNW renowned fishing! Easy access - in…read moretown, open sunrise to sunset everyday. Seasonally stocked with jumbo triploids. Here's the catch - BAITLESS & BARBLESS :( Rules in place to give the fish a chance and for the avid fisherman the triumph of snagging that 25"+ trout. *Do not make like the poachers - 2 is the limit and the officials are always scoping in the bushes waiting fishing for violators...

Beautiful park. 8…read moreBRAND NEW PICKLEBALL COURTS built 2019! Playground, swimming pool during the summer, favorite picnic spot for groups, the annual venue for the folk life music festival. Local middle school shares the rubber track or run around the circumference of the park for a great elevation changing .89 mile. Terraced grass hillside for intense training. Old growth trees makes the open fields picturesque.

Lovely park in the neighborhood, perfect for walking your dog, or enjoying the day with your…read morefamily. Great area to meet people to during COVID-19 for safe enough distance and fresh air purposes.

Two year old visitors center. Clean, informative staff…read more Interesting exhibit and movie. You can't walk in or out the dam. Worth the stop to take a look and stretch your legs.