Rattler Benchmark by Wenas Benchmark is the highest on Umtanum Ridge. The ridge spans from Ellensburg Pass to Hanford Reach in the Tri-Cities. Then it goes through Baldy to Hog Ranch Buttes by the Columbia River.
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Rattler Benchmark at a Glance
Access: Umtanum Road
Round Trip: 7.4 miles
Elevation Range: 2500′-4224′
Gear: none
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
Umtanum Ridge
We’ve alternated our trips between Teanaway and Eastern Washington as of late. So after a viewless outing, we returned to dodging the rain in the desert the next day. Only after many trips did I learn this ridge’s vastness.
We’ve been to this part of the ridge in the past, but farther west. I vaguely remembered that the views weren’t that much different than Rattler Benchmark. But we entered from the south via Black Canyon through Wenas Valley then.
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Getting up to the Ridgeline
The approach was direct since we only needed to go south to reach the ridgeline. But I opted to take the rib through the thickets by the parking lot. During this, we crossed Umtanum Creek’s tiny stream.
In hindsight, we could’ve started from the trail in the next canyon. But walking on the rib allowed us to enjoy the open terrain. I love the smell of sagebrush since you don’t get that in the Cascades. Soon, Ellensburg showed up behind us.
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Ridge Walk to the Top
Like other ridges in Eastern Washington, this one has its fair share of dirt roads. Some are rougher, and not all can access the top. Once on the crest, we saw Lady Bug Canyon on the south side. Then Rattler Benchmark was another mile west.
We dillydallied through the long ridgeline to the high point, but the road continued west. It was breezy lower down but soon became gusty up high. A small sagebrush bush on top was a perfect stop to doge the wind.
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Outro
The only sounds we heard were the howling wind and the remote target shooting. We also spent time behind the lone tree to enjoy the views. Then we soaked in the sunshine and hazy views before heading down.
We intersected a faint dirt road at 2800′ on the way up. So on the return, we took it and headed west into the small canyon. Back on Umtanum Road, we walked back to the car a quarter of a mile east.
There are many route options. One can go east past Wenas Benchmark to the Umtanum Ridge (Vista) Trail from Rattler Benchmark. Then follow it down to the Umtanum Creek Recreation Site to finish–total mileage: 14.5 miles.
See more trip photos here.