Yakima River Canyon

Welcome to the Yakima River Canyon! This is the spot where Highway 821 parallels the gentle Yakima River for 27 miles, through massive basalt cliffs and rolling desert hills. Follow this scenic pathway for glimpses of rich wildlife and plant communities, echoes of a historical past and many opportunities for recreational enjoyment. You won’t regret it.

This canyon has been designated as a state scenic route and offers excellent wildlife viewing, fishing in a Blue Ribbon trout stream, family river rafting and camping. BLM manages over 9000 acres in the Yakima River Canyon area, including four developed river access sites. Follow the meandering river, as it slices between basalt cliffs formed by centuries-old upheavals. It's thought that Yakima River predates those stony ramparts, once flowing across a relatively flat landscape. As rock ridges rose, river erosion equaled the walls which once formed part of one of the largest lava fields in the world, said to have covered 200,000 square miles in Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

To learn more about the sites along the river (Big Pines, Roza, Umtanum, and Lmuma Creek) and to download your very own Yakima Canyon map, head on over to:

www.blm.gov/or/resources/recreation/site_info.php?siteid=251