Photos from this trip can be found here.
Taken straight from the Bureau of Land Management website. The fee is now required every day of the year. America the Beautiful Pass can be used in lieu of fees. However, Discover Pass is NOT accepted, which I think I might’ve mistakenly used during our visit last year.
Season Dates: 1/1 – 12/31
Fees: 1/01-12/31 $5 per vehicle daily use and $15 overnight for Umtanum, Lmuma Creek, Big Pines, and Roza sites.
Just a few cars at the Umtanum Creek Canon Trailhead when pups and I arrived. After crossing the bridge and going under train tracks, we proceeded to follow our previous route by taking the left trail at the trailhead. I personal prefer having views of Yakima River Canyon east of the Umtanum Ridge, and we aimed for the easternmost point three miles up from the trailhead.
Late morning’s low clouds began to lift just after we started, and by the time we got higher up on the slopes the views completely opened up. Terrain flattened out just before the geological survey marker amid a rock pile. From that point elevation gain became more gradual, and we started moved southeasterly getting around a couple of ribs before reaching our destination.
There was a dirt road running through top of Umtanum Ridge. So if you’re lucky you might not see or hear off-roaders in the area. Lucky for us, we heard nothing but sounds of target shooting coming from the south side and could barely enjoy the views. But other than that, views were great! Originally I had planned on walking the road westerly for a bit before dropping back down to the canyon. But as soon as we started walking I spotted a four-wheeler a mile away, so I changed my mind and summoned the pups to start heading down.