The Long Way
Yakima County
People walking across a suspension bridge with inner tubes over a river.
Plate I. Suspension bridge, Yakima River Canyon Scenic Byway. From stateofwatourism.com
Aerial view of a river running through a canyon with a railroad track alongside.
Plate II. Rafters along the Yakima River Canyon Scenic Byway. From stateofwatourism.com
People swimming in a river with mountains in the background.
Plate III. Swimmers in the Yakima River Canyon Scenic Byway. From stateofwatourism.com
People float down a river surrounded by rocky cliffs and trees.
Plate IV. Tubers floating along Yakima River Canyon Scenic Byway. From stateofwatourism.com
A resort nestled between a river and rolling green hills.
Plate V. Yakima River Canyon Scenic Byway landscape. From stateofwatourism.com
A wide river flowing through a dry canyon with a railway track along its bank.
Plate VI. Yakima River, Yakima River Canyon Scenic Byway. From nsbfoundation.com

Yakima River Canyon Scenic Byway

Ellensburg, Yakima County, Washington. Scenic byway.

Details

Map. Ellensburg, Yakima County, Washington. Larger map
Where
Ellensburg, Yakima County, WA. No street address stated. Directions
Season
Typically open year-round; does not usually close in winter.
Getting there
State Route 821 between Ellensburg and the Yakima Valley.
Fees
$15 overnight, $5 day-use.
Access
Cellphone coverage is limited in many areas of the Yakima River Canyon, so it is recommended to download offline maps before heading out.
Walk-in or reserve
Campsite reservations May 1 to September 30; first come, first serve October 1 to April 30.
Phone
509-665-2100
Managed by
Spokane District Office.

The short and sublime Yakima River Canyon Scenic Byway, also known as Canyon Road, this byway is a dazzling alternative to driving I-82 between Ellensburg and Yakima. A trip that is scenic yeararound, Canyon Road follows the Yakima River on a lonely, curvy twolane road between high-desert sage-covered hills.

Notable Events

  1. 1885The Northern Pacific Railway ran its line through the canyon, which was then rejected as a highway route because it was believed there wasn't room for both a road and a rail line. yakimaherald.com
  2. 1920sState district highway engineer Max Mook surveyed and found a road could be built from Yakima's North First Street bridge to Ellensburg along the east side of the river. yakimaherald.com
  3. 1924The road opened as a caravan of 600 automobiles carrying 2,000 people drove north along the gravel road to the Ellensburg Rodeo. yakimaherald.com
  4. 1932The road was paved, marked with a banquet in Ellensburg, and Gov. Roland H. Hartley formally dedicated the project in Yakima by the twin bridges. yakimaherald.com
  5. 1951The Roza dam was completed, diverting Yakima River water to 72,000 acres of agricultural land. wa100.dnr.wa.gov
  6. 1967The state legislature authorized Senate Bill 424, providing for the development of scenic and recreational highways throughout the state. keen-ycic.org
  7. 1967The Yakima River Canyon was established as a Washington state scenic byway in 1967. seattletimes.com
  8. 1971The canyon road served as the main thoroughfare between Yakima and Kittitas counties until 1971, when the Ellensburg-Yakima portion of Interstate 82 was completed. yakimaherald.com
  9. 1993The preserve was established in 1993 to protect the largest known population of the basalt daisy, a state-listed threatened species known from a 10-mile stretch of the Yakima River Canyon. nsbfoundation.com

People

  • Daniel J. Evans, Governor when the byway was proposed as the state's first scenic corridor.
  • Fred G. Redmon, Yakima County contractor on the project, later first chairman of the state Highway Commission.
  • Max Mook, State district highway engineer who surveyed the canyon road route (1920s).
  • Roland H. Hartley, Governor who formally dedicated the paved road (June 1932).

Sources

  1. nsbfoundation.com/sb/yakima-river-canyon
  2. blm.gov/visit/yakima-river-canyon
  3. stateofwatourism.com/scenic-byways/yakima-river-canyon-scenic-byway
  4. seattletimes.com/life/travel/why-yakima-river-canyon-is-more-than-one-of-was-most-scenic-drives
  5. keen-ycic.org/yakima-river-canyon-scenic-byway
  6. yakimaherald.com/news/local/happened/it-happened-here-road-cut-through-yakima-river-canyon-improves-travel-to-points-north/article_f6d5749d-feee-4a7f-b756-2ba956ae551e.html
  7. wa100.dnr.wa.gov/columbia-basin/yakima-canyon