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Yakima Sportsman State Park is, literally, an oasis in the desert.
Located near the urban amenities of Yakima in arid eastern Washington, this park attracts local picnickers, out-of-town visitors and road-trippers passing through.
Birds flock to Yakima Sportsman, and so do birders, their binoculars and field guides in hand. The Yakima River flood plain sustains a natural wetland of marshes, grasses and ponds, welcoming habitat for 140 bird species. Wood ducks are the stars of the show, but dramatic red-winged blackbirds, herons and hawks make their home near the park's juvenile fishing pond, which is stocked with rainbow trout and open to young anglers.
The gentle trails come alive in season. The trees turn red, orange and yellow in fall, and spring brings a riot of lilies, chokecherry, dogwood and blossoming catalpa trees. Green lawns and tree shade make this a lovely camping or picnic spot in summer.
PARK FEATURES
Yakima Sportsman State Park is a 266-acre camping park originally created by the Yakima Sportsman's Association to promote game management and the preservation of natural resources. The park is an irrigated green zone in an otherwise desert area and has a variety of deciduous trees in the camping and picnic areas.
More than 130 species of bird make wildlife watching a delight. The campground is a stay-over place for events at the Yakima Sun-Dome and fairgrounds.
The park has 37 standard campsites, 37 full-hookup sites, one dump station, two restrooms (both ADA) and four showers (all ADA). Hookup sites 1 - 16 are 60 feet long, and sites 17 - 36 are back-in sites. Site HC is an ADA-hookup site, and site 52 is an ADA-standard site. Sites 37, 39, 41, 43, 45, 47 and 49 are near the creek.
FROM I-82, take Exit 34, go east (Highway 24 towards Moxee), turn left on the first road after crossing the Yakima River (University Parkway), go North 1 mile. The park entrance is approx. 8/10 of a mile on the left.
This park is located on the Yakima River near the city of Yakima. It is easy to find off I 82 and hwy 24. The campground is well managed with a staffed gatehouse and frequent patrols by park staff. The campground borders on a dike and wetlands. You will need bug spray at this park; particularly on the trails. There are both paved and dirt trials around ponds that provide habitat for birds and wildlife and trails along the dike. We saw lots of birds hiking the trails around the ponds. The Lily Pond in the picnic area is overgrown with brush. There is no beach and no swimming in this park. The playground is in good condition, close to the campground and there is lots of green grass. Lots of full-service spaces– both drive-through and back-in. Pull-thru spaces are very close together with barely room for an awning. The back-in spaces offer more room. None of the spaces offer much privacy. Lots of shade trees. Showers require tokens from machine near park office. The park map has a list of fines for violation of park rules ranging from $99 to $150 on the back.
Well maintained park with clean restrooms and friendly staff. Easy to get to and close to downtown Yakima. River was easy to access from park and very very beautiful. Best place to swim nearby is probably Roza rec area which Is definitely worth the drive!! Altogether this park is great for lowkey camping trips, definitely not a real getaway from civilisation by any means, but still fun!
It's a discover pass Park. okay to spend the day at. lots of trails. During Ranger hours. There's a constant worker presence. they run around here about every half an hour. Working hard.. Decent playground and lots of room to run. There's a large variety of birds and other wildlife. There are also quite a bit of questionable entities. It is Yakima. Not a safe city AT ALL. So be safe, have an alarm on and definitely stay aware and armed if ya can.
