The weather didn’t look good in the Olympics. The upper Puget Sound also seemed wet. So we took to the east and found solitude on Rattlesnake Dance Ridge. We also went up to Manastash Ridge West Summit to extend the hiking distance.
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Rattlesnake Dance Ridge at a Glance
Access: WA-821
Round Trip: 7.1 miles
Elevation Range: 1400′-3219′
Gear: none
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
Rattlesnake Dance Ridge
Yakima River Canyon is a beautiful area. I remember driving past the pullout parking last month and seeing a dozen cars there. So I knew it was another popular hiking spot next to Baldy and Yakima Skyline Ridge.
This morning, I drove past the trailhead, and there were no cars yet. But knowing people would show up later, I didn’t want to defeat the goal of social distancing. So I drove another mile and a half down the road. Then I pulled off to the side of the highway.
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Rattlesnake Dance Ridge South Route
This route wasn’t as mild as the northwest ridge. But I knew we wouldn’t see anyone here. So first, we went into the small canyon south of the high point. Then we moved west a bit to be on the minor rib. From there, we made our way up north.
The day was cloudy. But the clouds were high, so the views weren’t terrible. Then the higher we went, the more open the landscape. The climb was relatively short. So before long, we were up by the large cairn marking the top of Rattlesnake Dance Ridge.
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Manastash Ridgetop
We were now just one mile from the car. So that was barely aerobically effective. Since I had also planned to go up to Manastash Ridge West Summit, we didn’t stay long here. The high point was just another 2.5 miles away. So we continued east on the ridgeline.
The rocky roadbed hugged along the south of the barbed wire fence. Then in half a mile, the main roadway went to the north of the barrier. But we stayed on the same side on a trail. Then at the road junction, we crossed over to the other side. Three grazing cows noticed us and quickly ran off.
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Manastash Ridge West Summit
From the crest, I saw the radio facility as well as the expansive terrain on both sides. To the left was the flat Kittitas Valley. In contrast, to the south were the velvety hills over the river canyon. But the scenery more or less stayed the same throughout. Before long, we were up by the towers.
It was also a windy day. So we spent the bulk of our time behind one of the several sheds by the fence. Distant views were a bit hazy. It also looked rainy toward the Cascades. The nearby high points in the canyons were Baldy, Selah Butte, and Skyline Ridge.
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Outro
The same three cows were back at the junction. Except for this time, the animals stood still and gazed as we made our way across the field. We didn’t go back through Rattlesnake Dance Ridge. Instead, we took a shortcut and went south. So we could avoid seeing anyone.
On the way home, we drove past the trailhead now with a line of cars.
See more trip photos here.
