Union Gap West above Fullbright Park sits on the east end of Ahtanum Ridge by Yakima River. Likewise, Union Gap East marks Rattlesnake Hills‘ west edge by Ladybug Peak. Both hikes are short and close together to do in half a day.
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Union Gap West and Union Gap East at a Glance
Access: Fullbright Park & Thorp Road
Round Trip: 5 miles
Elevation Range: 940′-1848′
Gear: none
Route Info: B.J. Marraccini
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
The Preface
As the name implies, the two places across each other overlook the namesake town. Both sit among several local radio station towers dispersing through the ridges. But neither one is the tallest spot on their ridgelines.
Union Gap West is accessible from Fullbright Park, so I assumed it’d be busy later. But we started early in the morning to avoid foot traffic. The map indicated two beaten paths plus several side trails.
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En Route to Union Gap West
We took the main path behind the restroom, past the army tank with the American flag. Soon, we weaved our way up the hill with the Yakima River behind us. Meanwhile, we went through 200′ of a steep section lower down.
As we neared the ridgetop, Union Gap East slowly showed up. Then we headed west on the broad terrain and soon reached the high point with several sheds. But we kept going toward the next radio tower for more exercise.
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Summit Views Plus Exit
Before the west saddle, a car was on the way up to the radio tower from the south. Then I decided to turn around at the pass. I couldn’t tell if the south route went through private land since there were orchards.
We walked over to the east rim to see the river below. En route, we met two people and their dog coming up the longer trail. After identifying Lookout Point, we made a beeline north for the parking lot through the mobile homes.
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En Route to Union Gap East
After a short drive across the highway, we passed a few homes by the gravel pit. Columbia Asphalt & Ready-Mix has since moved its quarry work due to safety concerns. Soon, we reached the Thorp Road closure due to cracks on Rattlesnake Ridge.
Like Union Gap West, views formed right after we walked up the rocky hillside. We went straight up the slope from the gate while steering clear of the fissures. Before long, we had reached the top with a big stone pile nearby.
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Union Gap East Summit Views Plus Outro
Views up here were just as grand as on the other side. I even saw Elephant Mountain poking out from behind the ridge miles away as I looked east. Although Ladybug Peak shared the same ridge, I couldn’t tell its exact location with its flat top.
I took a few photos of the wetland to the north, and then we went down the hillside. Again, we stayed close to the south and caught sight of the old gravel pit. Soon, we were back in the car for the 1.5-hour drive home.
See more trip photos here.