Elephant Mountain and Ladybug Peak sit on top of the vast Rattlesnake Hills, separated by Konnowac Pass. Both places offer a grand view of Yakima River Valley, plus the surrounding hills. Best of all, the peaks are doable in one trip when time allows.
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Elephant Mountain and Ladybug Peak at a Glance
Access: Nightingale Road/Konnowac Pass
Round Trip: 10 miles
Elevation Range: 1260′-2192′
Gear: none
Route Info: Scott Rice, Caleb Morris
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
The Preface
We finished chasing the big mountains last week. Then this weekend’s weather turned sour as we started our fall hikes. After looking around the Yakima area, we turned up at the foothills of Elephant Mountain.
Most vineyards sit to the north of the mountain, with a few on the south side. But the bulk of the area is still open to the public. Some people had gone in from Konnowac Pass, while others entered from the south.
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Elephant Mountain South Route
The pups and I started from Nightingale Road west of the vineyards. We made sure to stay inside Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land en route. Then we pretty much went straight up the hills to the radio towers.
Yakima Ridge across Moxee Valley was the main attraction on this trip. Views were hazy to the west but decent everywhere else. The hike was only 3.5 miles round trip, so we had more time to bum around at the top.
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En Route to Ladybug Peak
We later drove under a mile west back to Konnowac Pass. From the empty lot, we walked the road up to Konnowac Ridge. Then we went past the KHYT-FM towers at mile two and reached the grassy, flat summit soon after.
Other than being closer to Yakima River, views were more or less like Elephant Mountain. We went past the radio towers above the north slopes to see the valley. Then we left the top 20 minutes later and strolled three miles back to the car.
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Outro
Other than the couple pulling into the lot after us, there were no signs of other folks. I thought we’d at least see more than two people because we were right off the major road. But the more solitude, the merrier!
Earlier, after Elephant Mountain, I had thought about leaving before rainstorms hit the mountain passes. But glad that we visited Ladybug Peak to tag on more mileage for the exercise. Till next time, y’all!
See more trip photos here.