Trip Report
Day Hike - Umtanum Ridge
Fun day with an awesome group of hikers! Lots of sunshine and beautiful views. Wildflowers are just starting to bloom.
Erin Vagley
- Sun, Apr 24, 2022
- Day Hike - Umtanum Ridge
- Umtanum Ridge
- Day Hiking
- Successful
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- Road suitable for all vehicles
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Trail was in great condition - no snow and very little mud. There was a trail running race event that day, so we had lots of company on the trail.
We arrived at the trailhead about 8:30am on a sunny Sunday. The trail was in great condition - the warm dry weather the week leading up to the hike had melted the snow and dried out the mud. There was a trail running event taking place, so we had to step aside with some frequency to give the runners room to pass. That worked out fine as it gave our group time to snap a photo, search for birds or identify a flower species. Phlox, balsamroot, lupine, and violets were just beginning to bloom.
(Photo credit Jeryl Kolb)
(Photo credit Robin Long)
We had beautiful views of the Stuart range from the hike up to the ridge. Once on the ridge, we stopped for a few moments to soak up the view of Mt. Rainier, then continued for another half mile or so on a dirt road to the highpoint in the area - Wenas Benchmark - admiring the mountain views along the way.
(Photo credit Jeryl Kolb)
(Photo credit Travis Vermeer)
After a brief lunch at Wenas Benchmark, we headed back down the trail the same way we came up.
We ended up hiking about 6.3 miles with 2400 feet of elevation gain in 4 hours. Thanks to this awesome group of hikers and my wonderful hike mentor John Bell for a great day!