Yakima River Canyon | Washington
The gentle Yakima River winds through rolling desert hills and basalt cliffs, some rising more than 2,000 feet, for 27 miles between Ellensburg and Yakima, Washington. The canyon offers excellent wildlife watching, fishing for Blue Ribbon trout, family-friendly rafting, and camping. The canyon's crevices and cliffs make a perfect home for the densest concentration of nesting hawks, eagles, and falcons in the state. The BLM manages over 9,000 acres in the Yakima River Canyon area, and the Yakima River State Scenic Byway provides access to BLM's five developed river access sites including Bighorn, Umtanum, Lmuma Creek, Big Pines, and Roza.
Know Before You Go:
- Open Season Yakima River Canyon Recreation Sites are open year-round.
- Four Campground and Day-Use Sites available, including Roza, Big Pines, Lmuma Creek, and Umtanum.
- Fees - $15 overnight, $5 Day-Use.
- Campsite Reservations May 1 to September 30; first come, first serve October 1 to April 30.
- No Drinking Water or hookups available.
- Cellular Phone Coverage is limited in many areas of the Yakima River Canyon.
Point of Interest:
Located just south of Ellensburg, the non-motorized trails at Ringer Road Trailhead offer visitors glimpses of the wildlife and birds that inhabit the riparian areas next to the Yakima River.
Yakima River Canyon Brochure
Explore Washington Recreation: Yakima River Canyon video
Photos
Accessibility Description (ABA/ADA)
View images of accessibility features in a new window.
The 5 campgrounds in the Yakima River Canyon are all located along the Yakima River, roughly 5 miles apart.
All 5 sites have parking lots; iron ranger pay boxes near the entrance at an appropriate height for users of wheelchairs and other mobility devices (iron ranger to be installed at Bighorn Recreation Site in 2025); shaded bulletin boards or information kiosks; at least some cell-phone coverage; accessible toilets (except Bighorn); and accessible picnic tables. There is no potable water or other hookups at these sites.
Site-specific features are listed below.
Bighorn Recreation Site (New!)
- This new site was acquired by the BLM in spring 2024 and is currently under interim management with mainly temporary facilities.
- Parking: There is no designated accessible parking in the camping area. Campsites have spurs or pull-outs with natural surfacing (dirt/cobble). The day-use parking area has designated accessible parking, but parking spots are not striped.
- Toilets: Non-accessible portapotties are temporarily being rented for this site.
- Campsites: A loop connects 15 campsites with accessible tables and standard, single-walled fire rings. The loop and campsite surfaces are natural surface with packed gravel in some areas.
- A dumpster for garbage is located near the site entrance.
Umtanum Recreation Site
- Parking and pathways: There are 60 parking spots in a paved lot for the day-use area. Three of the spots are marked as accessible. Two of these share an access aisle for vehicles with a mobility device lift or ramp, while the 3rd space has its own aisle. Campsites have their own gravel parking spurs.
- Cell-phone coverage: Spotty.
- Pay boxes: The iron ranger is at an appropriate height for mobility device users; the ROK (remote off-grid kiosk) may be too high.
- Toilets: There is an accessible unisex double vault toilet near the entrance.
- Picnic tables: A gravel path leads from the parking lot to nearby picnic areas with accessible picnic tables that have an extended top to accommodate wheelchair users. Two of the picnic tables sit under shade structures.
- Campsites: Visitors take a gravel loop to reach the campground’s 6 campsites. All 6 sites have accessible picnic tables with extended tops and fire rings. There are 12 additional campsites with accessible picnic tables at the south end of the site. These campsites are walk-in only, along a rocky road.
- Other features:
- The gravel path connecting the campsites extends on to a historic bridge that crosses over the river, to trails on the other side. Next to the bridge is a scenic overlook, which includes a gravel path with two benches without arms and one angled interpretive sign.
- The site has a dumpster at ground level for garbage disposal.
Lmuma Creek Recreation Site
- Parking: A paved road leads into the gravel parking lot, which has about 20 spaces. The spaces near campsites #1 and #6 are paved for accessibility.
- Cell-phone coverage: Spotty.
- Toilets: There are 2 accessible unisex single vault toilets on a paved pathway through the campground. Campsite #6 is the closest site to the toilets.
- Picnic tables: Near campsite #1, there are 2 accessible picnic tables with tops extended on one end.
- Campsites: There are 7 campsites in all; campsites #1-4 are seasonally shaded by trees. All campsites have accessible picnic tables and standard, single-walled fire rings.
- Other features:
- The site has a dumpster at ground level.
- A pathway leads from the campground uphill to an overlook and a bench without arms.
Big Pines Recreation Site
- Parking and pathways: There are 5 paved parking areas, with 4 parking spaces designated as accessible. Paved and curbed sidewalks as well as roads run throughout the campground.
- Cell-phone coverage: Moderate.
- Toilets: The campground has 4 accessible unisex double vault toilets at various locations throughout the site. One of the toilets is near the campground entrance.
- Picnic tables: A paved path leads to the river, where there are acc
Contact Us
Activities
Addresses
Geographic Coordinates
Directions
From Ellensburg, Washington, take Hwy 821 (Canyon Road) south into the Yakima River Canyon. Umtanum is located at milepost 16, Lmuma Creek is located at milepost 12, Big Pines is located at milepost 10 and Roza is located at milepost 7, a half mile above Roza dam and about 25 miles south of Ellensburg.
Fees
Fees - $15 overnight, $5 Day-Use