Hi, I'm Eric.

I’m an avid world traveler, photographer, software developer, and digital storyteller.

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39
Yakima Sportsman State Park
39

Yakima Sportsman State Park

Yakima, Washington
visited 22 May 2021
Back to parks list

Who would know this was once a gravel pit? Today, this park is an examplar of wetland restoration, teeming with all manner of birds, beavers, and other wildlife in the midst of the city. A large network of hiking trails winds its way through forest, marsh, ponds, and the Yakima River itself.

A wide panoramic view of a calm pond ringed by green trees and brush under a dramatic blue sky filled with wispy white clouds, with a dirt trail winding along the left shore and reflections mirrored on the still water.
A large dome-shaped beaver lodge made of sticks and mud sits on the bank of a calm pond, with clumps of yellow flag iris blooming along the water’s edge and a lush green treeline in the background under overcast light.
A narrow dirt footpath winds into dense green brush and overhanging trees at Yakima Sportsman State Park, with a weathered gray log resting in the tall grass to the right and a small pink wild rose blooming among the shrubs on the left.
A narrow weathered wooden boardwalk winds through a lush green wetland at Yakima Sportsman State Park, flanked by tall grasses and clusters of yellow flag iris, with leafy trees arching overhead in dappled afternoon light.
A still pond edged with lush green grasses and a cluster of yellow flag irises in bloom, with the sun and tree branches reflected on the calm dark water. Fallen branches and reeds poke out from the surface along the grassy bank.
A gravel path lined with a dark strip of crushed stone leads through green trees and brush toward the horizon, with a small waterway visible on the right and a dramatic sky of wispy cirrus clouds overhead at Yakima Sportsman State Park.
A calm river winds through lush green riverbank vegetation at Yakima Sportsman State Park, lined with cottonwood trees and dense shrubs, with tall golden reeds in the foreground and a dramatic blue sky streaked with wispy cirrus clouds overhead.
Golden, feathery plumes of dried reed grass catch the afternoon sunlight along the edge of a pond, with rippling blue and green water filling the blurred background at Yakima Sportsman State Park.
A male wood duck with its distinctive iridescent green head and red eye swims across a calm pond, leaving concentric ripples behind it, amid patches of floating algae and duckweed with a bare branch extending into the foreground.
A still, algae-dappled pond or slough winds through dense green brush and shrubs, bordered by tall cottonwood trees under a dramatic blue sky streaked with wispy clouds at Yakima Sportsman State Park.
A dirt trail winds through a wooded area of leafy green cottonwood trees and grassy underbrush, with a vivid blue sky and wispy clouds overhead at Yakima Sportsman State Park.

So … those signs that keep telling you “this way back to the park?” Yeah, you’re gonna want to observe those …

A weathered wooden trail post stands in a leafy green forest, topped with a brown directional sign reading “TO PARK” with a white arrow pointing right and a second sign below showing trail arrows. Tall cottonwood trees, dense green undergrowth, and fallen branches fill the sunlit background under a blue sky.

… because pretty soon the trail starts getting really sketchy:

A sunny clearing in a cottonwood woodland at Yakima Sportsman State Park, with tall trees framing a patch of blue sky and dense green undergrowth filling the forest floor. A fallen branch lies across the grassy ground in the foreground, dappled with afternoon light.

And then you’re staring down a deer because there aren’t any more humans on the trail.

A deer stands in a lush green clearing at the end of a narrow grassy trail, framed by tall cottonwood trees reaching toward a bright blue sky with wispy clouds at Yakima Sportsman State Park.

But if you do continue past the deer, you do get a nice view of the Yakima River. What you don’t get is a way back to the main park, except by backtracking.

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