Cowiche Canyon preserve blossoms near Yakima, with trails and wine tasting

YAKIMA — When the Cowiche Canyon Conservancy formed nearly 25 years ago, its main focus was to convert a 2.9-mile stretch of abandoned railroad line into a trail.

Today, the area encompasses more than 1,800 acres of arid sagelands that touch the summit of Cowiche Mountain on one end and drop into a basalt canyon cut by Cowiche Creek on the other.

As its size has increased over the past quarter-century, so, too, has the number of visitors. In the beginning, it was estimated that hundreds of people visited the area annually. Two years ago, a counter set up at one trail tallied more than 10,000.

Bird watchers, mountain-bike enthusiasts and people simply looking for exercise and pristine views flock to the area.

Growth is forcing the volunteer-run conservancy, which has 14 miles of trails, to become more organized so it can better coordinate school-field trips, restoration projects and maintenance of the area. Recently, the group created two part-time positions.

"It's huge, way bigger than when we first started," Cecilia Vogt, the conservancy's newly hired executive director, said of the organization.

The conservancy began in 1985, when a handful of people formed a project to convert an abandoned rail line through Cowiche Canyon near Yakima into a usable trail, recalls David Hagen, a longtime member.

Then, as now, the goal was twofold: Give the public a recreational area and preserve natural habitat, Hagen said.

What makes the preserve popular among locals visitors is its easy access.

Just a few yards into the trail and the roar of nearby traffic disappears. On one recent afternoon, people took in the views along the trail, enjoying the bloom of yellow balsamroot speckled across basalt on the north side of the canyon. Slopes on the south side were canvassed in swaths of purple showy phlox and white Hoods phlox wildflowers.

The sound of water flowing in Cowiche Creek mixed with the chirping of birds.

"It's truly in the canyon that you get that sense of isolation, solitude," Vogt said as she walked along the gravel trail. "And it's an easy walk, three miles on solid ground."

The trail is unpaved and motorized vehicles aren't allowed.

A side trail leads hikers out of the canyon on the north side, through vineyards to a wine-tasting room situated in a converted, century-old farmhouse that showcases wines from Naches Heights Vineyard, Harlequin Wine Cellars and Wilridge Vineyard and Winery.

Wilridge owner Paul Beveridge said it was the nearby canyon that drew him to the property more than a year ago and led to a collaborative effort with the conservancy to establish the trail to the wineries.

"Last weekend, I bet we had 40 people come up from the canyon, or go down," he said.

Over time, the conservancy has acquired more land above the canyon, where trails wind through rock-laden soil and up steep slopes.

In 2005, the conservancy was successful in buying Snow Mountain Ranches, roughly 1,600 acres to the west that reaches the summit of Cowiche Mountain. Two trails, one of 3.7 miles and a longer one that is 6.1 miles, loop through the area.

"It was sort of a dream to just have the trail through the canyon," Hagen said. "It's just been sort of a progression of what we set out for in the beginning. We've kind of built and grown gradually."

Far-reaching goals include connecting the conservancy to the Yakima Greenway about three miles to the east and eventually about 120 miles to the west to Mount Rainier National Park.