Cowiche Canyon Preserve
2 weeks ago
Fall colors are beautiful on the hillsides
2 this month · 41 reports
Snow Mountain Ranch and Cowiche Mountain
Central Washington
updated 3 weeks ago
Cowiche Mountain trails are dry and dusty as of October 15. The access trail has a porta potty, and the main parking lot is a good size. Trails are well-marked with maps, though most of the mountain is exposed with no shade, offering expansive views of Mount Rainier, Mount Adams, and the Yakima Valley. The lower trails can be busy, but higher elevations are quieter. Snow Mountain Ranch conditions are not available.
Generated from 18 trip reports. Trails change faster than reports do, so check anything you’d turn around for.
What hikers ask about Snow Mountain Ranch and Cowiche Mountain
Generated from the most recent trip reports, newest 3 weeks ago. Check anything you’d turn around for.
No trip reports on this trail in 3 weeks, so everything below is at least that old.
The trails at Cowiche Mountain are dry and dusty as of October 15. They are well-maintained with some rocky sections. Most of the mountain is exposed and lacks shade.
The road to Cowiche Mountain is suitable for all vehicles, and there is a good-sized parking lot available. An access trail also features a porta potty.
From the summit of Cowiche Mountain, you can enjoy great views of Mount Rainier, Mount Adams, and the Yakima Valley as of October 15. These views are considered worth the hike.
Nobody has reported on the current conditions at Snow Mountain Ranch.
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Trail notes generated from recent reports. Conditions change fast.
Sources
Recent3 weeks ago
Central Washington > Yakima
I spent some fall days in Yakima and decided to try a hike up Cowiche Mountain. It's easy to get there and there is a good-sized parking lot. The access trail to connect to a variety of trails has a p...
Older6 months ago
Central Washington > Yakima
What a beautiful alternative to crowded hikes such as Sage Hills, and fairly close to Seattle (2 hours and 15 mins). The balsamroot are just past peak but still plentiful on the Wildflower trail and h...
Older6 months ago
Central Washington > Yakima
A thousand thanks to the Cowiche Canyon Conservancy for obtaining, protecting, and enhancing this area!! We, a group of 6 Mountaineers, got there just after the rains stopped, there was only a bit of ...
Older6 months ago
Central Washington > Yakima
The trail was in good condition. slightly overgrown on some of the side trails that get less use. Many flowers mostly in the lower section. Balsom root, clover, phlox, lupine, Larkspur, shooting stars...
Older6 months ago
Central Washington > Yakima
Trail was dry and hardpacked. Wildflowers were blooming but the intensity changed with elevation. The higher the elevation the more wildflowers in full bloom. We hiked the Cowiche West Trail connectin...
Older7 months ago
Central Washington > Yakima
It was a gorgeous Tuesday. Pulled into the parking lot about 11 am with about 9 cars on the parking lot. Sanicans are in great condition- look like they have been recently dropped off. We went clo...
Older7 months ago
Central Washington > Yakima
We got to the parking lot at 10am, finding a half-dozen other vehicles parked there. It was a little chilly and partially overcast at first, although as the day wore on the clouds burned away giving u...
Older7 months ago
Central Washington > Yakima
On this mid-week hike we arrived at the trailhead around 10:00 after an early start from Olympia. About .2 mile from the parking lot, and where the official trailhead sign is, is a port-a-toilet that...
Older9 months ago
Central Washington > Yakima
Snow Mountain via Rocky Top trailhead is garbage. Literally garbage: you spend the first 2 miles of the hike circling around a landfill. The sites and smells are constantly in your face.Trail closures...
Older14 months ago
Central Washington > Yakima
It's late summer and has been very hot here in Central Washington. Early evening has been cooling off into the 80s, making the last hour or two of daylight tolerable for hiking. Trails are dusty, and ...