Special Insert: Destination Yakima Valley

Your Yakima Valley Summer Getaway

Enjoy sun-drenched outdoor adventure, farm-to-table eats & unique cultural experiences on this three-day itinerary

The Yakima River is an angler’s paradise—and a great spot for a scenic drive.

Courtesy of Yakima Valley Tourism

The Yakima Valley is a string of agrarian communities nourished by the 214-mile-long Yakima River, a tributary of the Columbia River. Those who know Yakima Valley, know it produces the world’s best hops and is also Washington’s first AVA, producing the state’s finest sauvignon, cabernet sauvignon and syrah, among other varietals.

Where there is sunshine, flowing water and wide-open hills, there is also outdoor adventure to last a lifetime. This long weekend agenda captures some of the best experiences in the Yakima Valley, as it opens its arms to sun-filled summer bounty and recreation.

Day 1

Heading west on I-90, take the I-82 exit toward Yakima and then take exit 109 to Canyon Road for the winding, scenic drive through the Yakima River Canyon. Begin your trip with a scenic tour of the Yakima River Canyon, where bighorn sheep, elk, birds of prey and other wildlife make their habitat along Washington’s only blue ribbon trout stream.

The Yakima River is a popular fishing destination.

Courtesy of Yakima Valley Tourism

The Yakima River sits in a vibrant shrub-steppe ecosystem, surrounded by towering basalt cliffs, some as much as 2,000 feet high. The drive takes you 30 winding miles along the river banks with greens and browns as a calming visual palette before emerging in Yakima. You’ll notice the density of hawks, eagles, golden eagles and falcons soaring above, as the Yakima Canyon walls are habitat for the state’s highest concentration of these birds of prey.

Just 9 miles after you begin the scenic drive, make a stop at Umtanum Creek Recreation Area. Walk across the Yakima River on a picture-perfect suspension bridge to the Umtanum Creek Canyon trailhead. This moderate trail winds through canyon walls and the unique shrub-steppe landscape, home to native plants and wildlife unique to the habitat. This area is one of the state’s best viewing areas for bighorn sheep.

Meander through the unique Yakima Valley landscape on the Umtanum Creek Canyon trail.

Courtesy of Yakima Valley Tourism

Check out Red’s Fly Shop for your gear and their expertise. People come from all over the world to experience the bounty of this blue ribbon trout stream. If you’re new to fishing, try one of Red’s classes to get hooked. Outdoor adventure guide Shannon Mahre of Girls with Grit and Mahre MADE offers fly-fishing classes specifically for women wanting to experience the sport. If you want to stay on top of the water for a different experience, hook up with Mahre for standup paddle trips. Leave time for a two-hour River Canyon Cruise with Canyon River Ranch to identify local wildlife and learn about the geology and formation of this spectacular river canyon.

No matter how your day goes, it should end on the Hop Country Craft Beer Trail, a consortium of nearly twenty breweries in the heart of America’s top hop-growing region. On the outskirts of Yakima in Selah is a newbie to the trail, Outskirts Brewing Co. The vaulted ceilings lit by enormous chandeliers inside the renovated turn-of-the-century barn is a stunning masterpiece with an outdoor stage for live music this summer.

After working up an appetite, visit Selah’s Outskirts Brewing Co., located inside a renovated turn-of-the-century barn.

Outskirts Brewing Co.

Finish the night at the handsome Hotel Maison in downtown Yakima. A modern renovation of a 1911 Classical building that was built as a Mason temple, Hotel Maison has a stately exterior with a warm and stylish interior. Wine tasting rooms and good restaurants are all in walking distance.

Day 2

Farm-fresh produce awaits at local farm stands and markets, such as Johnson Orchards.

Courtesy of Yakima Valley Tourism

Some mornings are made better with the smell of coffee. Or the fine waft of flowers. At Simply Crafted Marketplace in Yakima, you can have both. Simply Crafted Marketplace is a floral-first shop with kitchen and home decor items, gifts for the body, and gifts for the mind such as coffee, pastries, allday mimosas and gourmet charcuterie boards.

Continue by exploring the renowned farm stands and farm markets in the heart of Yakima. Think handcrafted pies, bakery treats and artisan foods. Shop for gifts with a local relevance and stock up on freshly picked apples, cherries, peaches and pears at the Downtown Yakima Farmers Market (Sunday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.), Johnson Orchards (9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday) or Washington Fruit Place (10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday).

Continue by exploring the renowned farm stands and farm markets in the heart of Yakima. Think handcrafted pies, bakery treats and artisan foods.

When you’ve acquired a carful of Washington fruit to take home, it’s time to get serious about lunch. Known for their house-ground brisket and chuck burgers and weekly specialties including house-smoked prime rib sandwiches, boneless short rib birria tacos, oysters and handmade pasta, Cowiche Creek Brewing is also home to some of the finest craft beers in the valley. Third-generation farmers and husband-and-wife team Derrick and Maria Nordberg found a green space with gorgeous canyon views and began making great beer nine years ago. Today, it is a kickback place for good food, great beer and stunning sunsets.

Stop by Cowiche Creek Brewing for good food, great beer and company.

Courtesy of Yakima Valley Tourism

End the day with a small side-trip to Tieton, a small arts and creative community 15 miles northwest of Cowiche Creek Brewing. Sign up for a behind the scenes Saturday tour of the artisan spaces. The emerging brand, Tieton Made, invokes such goods as locally made furniture, cheeses, wines and ciders. Tieton Arts & Humanities hosts art exhibits and vibrant cultural events throughout the year. Nomad Kitchen and Mercantile is at once a shop featuring goods for the adventurer and foodie and an outstanding restaurant with a constantly changing seasonal dinner menu Thursday through Sunday as well as Wednesday Socials. Tour the town to see intricate tile mosaics recreating vintage fruit labels heralding the community’s history.

Tieton is host to a vibrant arts scene.

Courtesy of Yakima Valley Tourism

Day 3

Start your morning at Essencia Artisan Bakery with a coffee and a strawberry streusel cake or, better, an almond kouign amann—kouign being Breton for “brioche” and pronounced “queen.”

Grab a sweet treat or coffee at Essencia Artisan Bakery.

Courtesy of Yakima Valley Tourism

Another dose of culture before you go. Ground your experience in local knowledge at the Yakama Nation Museum & Cultural Center in Toppenish. As one of the nation’s oldest Native American museums, now 43 years old, it has 12,000 square feet to tell the story of the fourteen tribes within the Yakama Nation.

The region is known for its bounty and the famed wines from the Yakima Valley terroir. Just fifteen minutes away, head to Whitman Hill Winery to taste the region through its soil and its cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay. In the heart and heat of summer, opt for the rosé and take to the outdoor space with fire features, expansive green space and cozy cabana seating. The tasting room is a world apart with worldly wines.

One of the newest additions to Yakima Valley Wine Country, Whitman Hill Winery has an expansive outdoor space.

Whitman Hill Winery

Another cultural cornerstone of the region comes together under the roof of the American Hop Museum, also in Toppenish. What began in 1868 with one hop farm east of the Cascades became the overwhelming top grower of all American hops.

Learn more about the local hop industry at the American Hop Museum.

Courtesy of Yakima Valley Tourism

It’s only fitting that a trip that began with a meandering scenic drive down the Yakima Canyon to a historic refurbished barn that burnished the region’s hop tradition, also ends where it all began.