Umtanum Creek Canyon

Umtanum Creek runs off Yakima Canyon, and is accessible from the highway via a pedestrian bridge across the river. After crossing an active BNSF rail line, traffic noise disappears and the canyon is spectacular.

This picture doesn't make the area look like desert, but it was caught in the height of spring, after a rainfall, and in the deepest most overgrown part I could find. Much of the rest of the canyon is drier - with cacti, sage, and grasses.