Yakima offers a variety of discoveries, including riverside trails, gardens, museums, and event venues. The Yakima Greenway connects several communities, providing access to river landscapes, wetlands, wildlife habitats, and open spaces. When planning your stay, you can explore nature trails, cultural history, and events as distinct points of interest.

Trails and scenery along the Yakima Greenway

The Yakima Greenway includes a 20-mile trail for cyclists and pedestrians that connects Union Gap, Yakima, Selah, and Naches. The Plath Pathway runs along the Naches River between Yakima and Naches. Along the Yakima River, the Noel Pathway connects the Greenway Visitor Center with the Yakima Area Arboretum. The trails therefore follow different routes and connections, even though they all fit within the Greenway theme.

Sarg Hubbard Park offers a scenic Reflection Pond, a playground, and easy access to the Yakima Greenway trail. The Greenway provides access to rivers, wetlands, wildlife habitats, and open landscapes via accessible paved trails. A natural area along the Yakima River and the ponds at Poppoff Park offer opportunities for wildlife and birdwatching.

Another option is the Cowiche Canyon Trail, six miles northwest of downtown Yakima. The trail is 2.9 miles long, has a firm gravel surface, and crosses streams nine times. Other features include access to riparian vegetation and wildlife.

Gardens and nature walks

The Yakima Area Arboretum covers 46 acres and includes display gardens, tree collections, and natural areas. It offers nature walks and gardening classes. This gives you different ways to explore plants and landscapes: you can take in the gardens or learn about gardening in a class. The Noel Pathway connects the arboretum with the Yakima Greenway Visitor Center, creating a direct link between the garden site and the trail network.

Museums and cultural history

The Yakima Valley Museum holds more than 48,000 artifacts about the people who have lived in the Yakima Valley over the years. Its collection also includes 2,640 geological specimens from around the world, including 464 Ellensburg Blue Agates. The museum’s Sundquist Research Library and Archives is a regional archive and collection focused on local history. The museum’s scope thus ranges from the history of the people of the valley to geological objects.

Children’s Underground at the Yakima Valley Museum offers hands-on activities, as well as space to explore and play freely. The Capitol Theatre offers another perspective on the city’s history: it opened in 1920 as the Mercy Theatre and was renamed the Capitol Theatre a year later. Today, it hosts local resident companies, community events, guest artists, and touring productions.

At Millennium Plaza, a ring of colored light is inspired by the rhythm and movement of the friendship dance at Yakama powwows. The plaza also highlights the importance of water to the people of Yakima. This includes the Yakima River, irrigation from the mountains, and the valley’s vegetation, wildlife, and orchards. These themes connect a tangible design with the landscape and life of the valley.

Events and historic heritage

State Fair Park serves as a year-round event center, not just during the annual fair. Between fairs, listed events include auto racing, craft fairs, home and garden shows, car shows, concerts, cultural festivals, and sporting events. The first Washington State Fair was held on the grounds in 1892. The annual Central Washington State Fair is one of the venue’s major events. If you want to plan your trip around a particular event, check its dates for your travel period.

The Yakima Valley Trolleys are also part of the region’s historic character. The system is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as an authentic, completely original interurban electric railway from the turn of the 20th century. The historic track network includes approximately five miles connecting Yakima and Selah.

If you’re planning a visit to State Fair Park, it’s worth checking the relevant event dates in advance and considering your other interests alongside them.

Discover more destinations: Zillah, Sunnyside, Wapato, Union Gap, Toppenish, Outlook, Selah

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