Yakima Sportsman State Park, Part II

Children's fishing pond

We've visited a number of Washington State Parks on this trip, and Yakima Sportsman ranks high right along with Dosewallips. We haven't seen anything as dramatic as that elk herd yet, but the park has plenty of other offerings.

This 246 acre park has something for everyone: 19,000 feel of river frontage for fishing, a small fishing lake in the park for children 14 and under, birdwatching, hiking trails (well marked and maps at every intersection!) and more.

There are also number of informational kiosks describing the natural and geologic history, each with a mural on the back side - a nice touch!

There are over 60 campsites here, and this time of year the park is only about 1/3 occupied, so we have a lovely view of the old trees and beautifully maintained grassy spaces.

Especially nice with the autumn tones, the park has a variety of deciduous trees, as opposed to the other parks we have stayed in that were primarily evergreen. Here there are blazing yellows and reds, and the beautiful blue-green of huge weeping willows planted around the fishing and lily ponds.

As usual with northwest parks this time of year some of the services are being reduced - no evening programs, gift shop closed, and the water in many areas is being shut down and "winterized". It's gotten down to 34 every night so far, so it's a necessity if they want to avoid frozen pipes. We don't really missed any of the "reduced" services as we've been busy exploring the neighboring towns.

We haven't had time on this strip to explore Yakima itself, and there's plenty here to see and do so we will no doubt visit this area again. The history of the town of Yakima is fascinating, and the local paper puts out a special edition every year to highlight historic events.

For more photos of the park check out the album.