PARKS
Nothing beats a lovely park on a beautiful day — The parks in Central Washington are heavy on the sunshine. From Japanese Gardens and Wind Farms to Memorial Parks and Disc Golf Courses the variety of parks in this area is amazing.
Pack a picnic and your favorite photography device and join us for an afternoon (or several afternoons) on your next visit.
Which Central Washington park is your favorite? What’s your favorite park activity?
Each year the Garden is visited by Masa Mizuno of Masa and Associates Inc., the Japanese landscape architect who designed it. During his visits he provides consultation and training to Central’s grounds crew in the ongoing maintenance of the Garden.
Dawson Park is named in honor of James Dawson, a land planner, architect and environmentalist. Amenities include, Disc Golf, a coal mine-themed play structure, a dog park, park activity and equipment cabin, tennis courts, basketball courts, horseshoe pits, soccer/baseball fields and equipment, restrooms, and parking.
Also on the site sits the City Pool. The building has a full sized Olympic pool with regular swim hours, a weight room, jacuzzi, sauna, and children’s wading pool.
Helen McCabe State Park is a relatively undeveloped park located at the entrance of the Yakima River Canyon, just a few miles south of Ellensburg. The park was named in memory of Helen McCabe, a Central Washington University recreation professor, who cherished the outdoors and Washington’s recreational opportunities.
The Washington State Parks department maintains the park year around with the help of local agencies. There is an eight acre stocked pond located in the park for fishing and there are also several hiking trails around the area.
An interpretive center is being built in the park to share information on the natural and cultural values of the 33 mile Yakima River Byway.
There is an easy trail that follows along the river that wraps around the other side of the lake.
The trail is used for fishing, a leisurely walk or for cross-country skiing in the winter. Another trail heads toward the Ellensburg Rotary Park ball fields and is the starting point of many road biking loops.
The park is located off of Umptantum Road about a mile from Main Street in Ellensburg. Umptantum turns off of Main Street at McDonalds Restaurant.
Hours: May 16 — September 14
Amenities include a picnic shelter, children’s play area, basketball court, junior baseball field, and restrooms. Follow Main Street north until you reach the park on the right near 14th Avenue.
The Olmstead State park is a working pioneer farm and hails as one of the first homesteads in the Kittitas Valley. Many of the original buildings still stand including a log cabin built in 1875 by the Olmstead family. In addition there is a dairy barn, a grainery, a wagon shed, a hay barn as well as the Olmstead family home.
The park consists of 217 acres of farmland and encompasses activities such as hiking, fishing, interpretive trails, wildlife viewing, and a living farm museum. During the winter there is also cross-country skiing and snowshoeing on the site.
Several picnic tables are available and can be reserved by contacting the park.
Hours:
Summer 6:30 AM — Dusk
Winter 8:00 AM — Dusk
Get a panoramic view of the valley from Ellensburg’s Reed Park! Directly above the Ellensburg Rodeo and Fairgrounds, the park provides a panoramic view of the city, Central Washington University, Kittitas Valley and the Stuart Range. The hill becomes a popular sledding run in the winter and in the summer there is a sagebrush trail that can be explored.
Also in the park is the American Legion ‘Vista House.’ The building has castle turrets topped by fortress-like parapets, looking like it is guarding the city from unwanted intruders.
Reed Park is a great spot during Rodeo and Fair time when the fair grounds are busy with activity.
This park is by reservations only; please call Kyle Nicholson at 509-674-9356 for reservations details. Reservations for this park will not show up on the park reservation calendar of this web site.
Two miles south of Vantage, the park’s grassy, tree-filled area features picnicking, swimming, boat ramp, trailer park and camping. This is a popular area for water skiing and soaking in the sun.
The Wild Horse Wind Farm, which sits atop the Whiskey Dick Mountain, is just a few miles from Ellensburg on high open range tops. Built by Puget Sound Energy, it consists of 149 wind turbines. Wild Horse takes advantage of the region’s strong, consistent winds and abundant sunshine to produce clean, renewable energy.
The visitor center and solar facility is open daily from April through November. On a clear day views of the entire valley are prevalent of the Kittitas Valley, from the Stuart Range to the Columbia Plateau to the east. The Renewable Energy Center is free and offers Wild Horse visitors a first-hand look at how energy can be made from the wind and the sun.
The Washington Department of Wildlife maintains the natural setting of the park along the Yakima River, providing public fishing and scenic nature trails that follow the river. The park is located 3 miles south of Ellensburg. Follow Canyon Road to Ringer Loop Road and turn right. Follow the road until you see the public fishing sign. A parking permit is required and can be obtained from any store location that sells hunting and fishing licenses.