[carlb328]

I have been wanting to try this area for a while (but last year the road was washed out) and finally made it today. My camera batteries died so the only picture I have is of some cliffy canyons from the drive up. It is a nice drive, but there are lots of washboards and many areas with lots of rock in the road. I moved at least 50 rocks and boulders from the road on my way up and back, but you still need to keep your eyes open. This is not a hike that ranks very highly for scenic beauty, especially the first half which is basically a dry, scrub forest of short firs. There aren't many views on this hike, though on the higher parts you can see across a valley or two and see some interesting clearings/escarpments on the other side. The last third is a little more typical low alpine forest and there are a few decent sized trees for this part of the state, about 4-5 feet across. There are also some small flowers of different colors in the upper sections, though it doesn't compare to more well-known flower hikes. I got to the first lake in about an hour or so and it is fairly scenic compared to the scrub desert around Ellensburg and Yakima. It reminds me a lot of cottonwood lake below Mirror lake at Snoqualmie pass. Manastash is supposed to be better looking, but it was quite windy with moisture-laden clouds past the lake and it was my first hike of the year so I didn't go further. There are some large campsites at this lake. I fished for a bit without luck, but some dirt bike riders I talked to said they have caught fish there in the past. This is a good time to do this hike, it looks like it soon will be hot, dusty and buggy. Wildlife was meager- a chipmunk, some horseflies and I heard several birds. I will probably come back in the fall when conditions may be better.

[RichP]

It's definitely worth a return visit to make it to Manastash Lake. For big views, take the short trail up from the lake to the ridge top and walk a bit up there.