By:
Submission
The gentle Yakima River winds for 27 miles through massive basalt cliffs and rolling desert hills between Ellensburg and Yakima, Washington. This area is popular for wildlife viewing, fishing, and floating the river.
Recreation
The Yakima River Canyon is a popular destination for plant and wildlife viewing, including bighorn sheep, various birds of prey, and mule deer. This section of the river is classified as a Blue Ribbon trout stream, but is catch and release only. One of the most popular summer activities is floating the river, which is a family friendly Class 1 river with no rapids. Rafters often put in at Umtanum and take out at Roza.
Facilities
All four BLM-managed recreation sites offer picnic tables, fire rings, nearby dumpsters and vault toilets. Hookups and potable water are not provided. Big Pines campground is where the majority of the campsites are located, and contains two group campsites. Umtanum, Lmuma Creek, and Roza also offer campsites. Umtanum and Roza receive high day-use visitation during the summer months. Roza offers a concrete boat launch. Motorboats are prohibited upstream from Roza.
From Ellensburg, Washington, take Hwy 821 (Canyon Road) south through the Yakima River Canyon. Lmuma Creek is located at milepost 12, four miles south of Umtanum recreation site.
https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/250985?tab=seasons
Cool campground in Cottonwood Canyon...Lovely and windy place.
The Yakima River Canyon is improbably beautiful, the wide flowing river and the lush lowlands a distinct contrast to the sun-blasted soaring canyons above. But to camp here in the heat of August you have to be a hearty soul (and should probably bring your own shade). The campsites here are arrayed around a gravel parking lot, and you’ll be in everyone else’s business. They’re too close, there’s very little shade, and if you’re not going to get into the water, there’s not a lot to do. Perhaps in the spring or fall, if you had this place to yourself, it could be magic. But in the summer heat … maybe not so much.
Only -ve point, train tracks are across the river, it will startle you around 2am in the mng. We checked 2 other campsites on the yakima canyon road further but returned to this one, view is really gorgeous.
Nice relaxing spot by the river. If you don't love trains, go somewhere else because they go by every couple hours all day and all night. There are 2 paved "accessible" sites, you would have trouble rolling a wheelchair across the loose gravel that has worked its way onto the pads, but it's not impossible.
This area requires a BLM day or annual pass. They also accept America the Beautiful and Golden Age pass. There is a camping fee. Gravel road. Gravel parking. Small gravel boat launch. Few paved spots for camping and parking for handicap use; other sites are dirt/partially grassy. Overall, there are just a few camp sites. Vault toilets. Fire rings with grates. Picnic tables.
