Box Spring Canyon

Box Spring Canyon follows an old jeep road through the dry hills west of Yakima, climbing gradually through sagebrush and bunchgrass toward a scenic overlook above the canyon's basalt cliffs. The destination sits in a Garry Oak grove at Box Spring, where the terrain drops away and views open up to Mount Cleman, Cowiche Mountain, and the eastern front of the Cascades. Part of the still-developing William O. Douglas Trail, this route feels like eastern Washington at its most open and unhurried.

Spring wildflowers drive most of the traffic here. Balsamroot and lupine paint the south-facing slopes gold and purple from mid-March through May, with sagebrush buttercups leading the show in early season. The trail passes through multiple gates along a wildlife fence on state land, so expect to open and close gates as the route winds through grazing country.

Access starts from the Snow Mountain Ranch parking area off Cowiche Mill Road. The trail shares its trailhead with the Snow Mountain Ranch and Cowiche Mountain network, making it easy to combine routes or adjust distance on the fly. A port-a-john is usually available at the parking lot. Note the adjacent shooting range runs live-fire training from March through June on irregular dates.