Happy New Year! Yakima Ridge parallels the south of Umtanum Ridge. Like Hog Ranch Buttes, it’s inside the vast Yakima Training Center. Manastash Ridge East Peak, on the other hand, is two ridges away to the north.
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Yakima Ridge and Manastash Ridge East Peak at a Glance
Access: Yakima Training Center (access info)
Round Trip: 4.3 miles and 3 miles
Elevation Range: 2200′-4184′
Gear: none
Route Info: Bob Bolton
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
Yakima Ridge High Point
Last month, I went through the lengthy application for a recreation card. So I wanted to come back again before it would soon expire. This time, I only had to sign in and specify the zones for both places before entering.
Soon, we drove 20 miles to the bottom of the hills. Yes, this area is enormous! But this time, we couldn’t go up to the ridge in the car as we did on Hog Ranch Buttes. So we started walking from the main road.
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The North Route
We walked south on an unmapped road straight up to the ridge. The fresh snow from the past few days was slick enough to have me start sliding. So I put on microspikes from the get-go.
Along the way, we would see signs by the fence that read “unexploded ordnance do not enter.” Nothing was more comforting than walking by the undischarged firearms and ammunition.
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Yakima Ridge Summit
The scenery behind us was constant. Then it expanded quickly the minute we stepped onto the windy ridge. But it was way too windy to enjoy the views, so we retreated to the north side of the crest.
The area looked more beautiful with a new white coat. I changed into dry clothes, and we explored the top for a bit. Despite low clouds, I could still make out Selah Butte and Yakima Skyline Ridge,
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En Route to Manastash Ridge
On a clear day, we would also see Mount Adams and perhaps Mount Rainier, but not today. Soon, we left the wind behind. The sun came out for a few, but it only cast rays on the other side of Selah Creek.
We had time to hike up to Manastash Ridge. So from the gate, we went straight up from the south that looked steeper than it was. Then from the crest, we hiked west a short way to the flat summit.
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Manastash Ridge East Peak Summit and Out
Despite low clouds, most places here were visible. We could also see Yakima Ridge, where we were earlier. Kittitas Valley and Interstate 82 were under our feet, and the west summit was only a few away.
We left the top at sunset, but the 1.5 miles to the bottom went by in the blink of an eye. Back at the car, I briefly talked to a man looking for a friend’s missing pup. I hope they found that poor dog!
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So beautiful! Wish I were there!