We left for Northrup Canyon early this morning. But not before it snowed over Snoqualmie Pass. So I exited the freeway when I saw the warning on the variable-message sign. Then I did a crash course to put on chains.
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Northrup Canyon at a Glance
Access: Northrup Canyon Trailhead
Round Trip: 7 miles
Elevation Range: 1640′-2360′
Gear: none
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
Driving to Northrup Canyon
Road conditions improved before I started driving again. So I stopped to take off the chains before the pass. Later we made two more stops—one in Vantage and the other in Ephrata.
Then came the longest drive through Soap Lake, Lenore Lake, and Banks Lake. Soon, we were at the trailhead. Then we started walking at a quarter to one. There was one other car before the gated Northrup Road.
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Through Northrup Canyon
From the old road, we began walking along Northrup Creek through pines and aspens. Later at mile 1.3, we crossed the water on a wooden bridge over to the north side. Then we went through the talus under the basalt columns.
We walked another half a mile and roamed through the expansive grassland. Soon, we came up to the end of the road. There was an abandoned farmhouse by the roadway.
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The Farmhouse
It was our first hike in Eastern Washington coming across an abandoned home of any kind. So out of curiosity, I went inside and checked out the interior. Then I walked from one empty room to the next.
As I looked around, I wondered how the settlers ended up here. “Where did they go up after the state acquired the land?” I thought. The best feature of this house was the magnificent view of the canyon outside the front porch.
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Northrup Lake
The place also came fully equipped with a shed and a coop. Then I noticed an arrow strategically placed on the cage. It signaled the starting of the trail that led farther north into the canyon.
So we continued on the defined trail for a little over one mile. At the same time, we went through pine forest and small ponds. Soon, we came up to the peaceful Northrup Lake. We were three miles in from the trailhead.
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Going up to the Plateau
From the south, we made a counterclockwise loop around the lake. After getting to the west shore, we then followed a trail while moving northwest. We aimed for the basalt cliffs directly up ahead.
The path ended right before a marsh. Then from the south of the wetland, we found moderate terrain among cliffs. So from there, we scrambled up to the west rim of the canyon onto the plateau.
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Outro
We enjoyed views into the canyon from higher going. At the same time, we went south along the edge of the plateau for two miles. So we could have a decent look at Steamboat Rock.
Later, we stopped on top of a narrow ridge for better views. Then we exited the plateau through a notch on the southern edge. From there, we finished the last mile of hiking back to the car.
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