Yakima, WA

[mr_steve]

My wife has a medical school interview in Yakima, WA this Saturday. I basically have the morning and early afternoon to explore. Not knowing much about the area I figured I would post here to see if anyone had suggestions on stuff to check out? I found some info about an area called Oak Creek I believe where they feed elk and sheep.

There's a decent chance we could move there too with the way things look so I would be interested in your opinions on the area as well (jobs, hunting, community quality, etc).

Thanks in advance!

Steve

 

[LopeHunter]

Valley Museum

 

[TheJason]

I grew up there, will send you a PM later today.

 

[SFC B]

I can tell you more than you want to know about YTC

 

[BlakeA]

Drove through last summer and really enjoyed the area. Not sure about things to do just for the afternoon but Mt. Rainier isn't too far away and that place is epic. Seems like there would be a lot to do around there and would be a pretty sweet place to live.

 

[ShootsManyBullets]

The Palm Springs of Washington!

 

[dewclaw]

Hey Steve, I lived in the tri-cities which is east of Yakima, from '97 to '13. oak creek is a nice lil feeding station for the elk. it opens up to the public for entry on May 1st @ 8am. you should be able to find some elk sheds there, but there will be plenty of competition. there is some good elk hunting around there, but you're gonna want to put in for the SE part of the state for the golden elk tags in the Blue Mtns. When you become a resident. if you want to see some sheep, go east across hwy 12 instead of towards the elk feeding station which is about 2 miles west.

 

[LopeHunter]

I have lived in NW 25 years. Fishing is king. Hunting, especially trophy hunting units, are few and far between. I think a CO elk hunt that takes 5 years of non-resident preference points could be more interesting than a hunt in the Blues which is on bonus points but assume is going to take over a decade to draw as a resident. I have done both though your mileage may vary.

Excellent turkey hunting in WA and have Merriam, Eastern and Rio.

Lots of excellent hiking and some very good fishing. Daylight hours during the winter are about 7 hours effectively on cloudy days due to mountain range towards sunrise and another toward sunset and the clouds. That can be a bummer. Sounds like Yakima avoids some of the clouds. Not much fun to arrive at work in the dark then drive home from work in the dark and rain...for 80 days in a row.

 

[jryoung]

The Palm Springs of Washington!

That's funny right there.

 

[fishing4sanity]

Steve, I sent you a PM, but I don't think the map image went with it. I'll attach the map here and you can look at my PM if it helps you out. Good luck.

 

[Pinecricker]

To each is own, but if I had to pick one city in Washington to live in, Yakima would be the very last one on the list. It has a terrible crime rate, and not many redeeming qualities. Its not the kind of place I'd want to raise a family.

Big game hunting in Washington is fairly limited. Most of the folks I know there that hunt, all hunt out of state, or are either just waterfowl or upland bird hunters.

 

[mr_steve]

Steve, I sent you a PM, but I don't think the map image went with it. I'll attach the map here and you can look at my PM if it helps you out. Good luck.

Wow, thanks for taking the time on the map. I am definitely going for a drive and checking these areas out. I will bring my camera and will see what I can capture.

Again thanks for taking the time to make the map. Very much appreciated!

 

[mr_steve]

To each is own, but if I had to pick one city in Washington to live in, Yakima would be the very last one on the list. It has a terrible crime rate, and not many redeeming qualities. Its not the kind of place I'd want to raise a family.

Big game hunting in Washington is fairly limited. Most of the folks I know there that hunt, all hunt out of state, or are either just waterfowl or upland bird hunters.

I have heard this from others as well. That being said I may not have a choice so I might have to roll with cards I am dealt and make the most! You bring up good points though.

 

[Washington Hunter]

If the crime in Yakima is a concern, and if your wife ends up working in Yakima, you could always live in Ellensburg. It's only a half hour drive, and a much smaller town.

While you're there visiting you might want to take a drive on the "Canyon Road" from Yakima to Ellensburg. It follows the Yakima River and you'll most likely see some deer and bighorn sheep.

If you have any specific questions, send me a PM if you like. I'm pretty familiar with the area.

 

[TheJason]

I have heard this from others as well. That being said I may not have a choice so I might have to roll with cards I am dealt and make the most! You bring up good points though.

While Yakima isn't exactly "America's town", I could easily make a list of places in Washington that would be less desireable to live in than Yakima.

 

[Washington Hunter]

While Yakima isn't exactly "America's town", I could easily make a list of places in Washington that would be less desireable to live in than Yakima.

I agree. I know people who live there and none of them have ever had any issues. It's actually a very nice and scenic part of the state. It's well known for the elk hunting. Deer hunting used to be good but hasn't been for many years now, but in 1 to 2 hours you can get into some decent mule deer hunting.

 

[ShootsManyBullets]

Chukar and quail hunting is good up there. Unlimited tags make most of their big game hunting a joke but you can go hunt something every year with a little effort.

 

[RuggedHunter]

I am very familiar with Yakima and live in the area. The crime rate is bad in the city itself but there are neighboring places which are not bad at all. I'll second the Canyon road drive if your looking to see some animals. I drive it all the time and there is plenty of sheep and deer to be seen. If you have any specific questions let me know. Also hunt washington forum has a ton of knowledge about washingotn if you want another place to ask.

 

[ShootsManyBullets]

If you're cruising the canyon go ahead and stop in at the Pamona Tavern for a pickled quail egg and a beer. I'd recommend cracking the windows in your car about an hour later or investing in some kind of Glade product for cover scent.

 

[mr_steve]

Well we survived our trip out to Yakima. I want to thank everyone for the helpful tips and suggestions! We flew into Seattle Friday at noon. Met my brother for lunch and drove to Yakima that afternoon. Stayed at the Red Lion (past it's prime but nice people and quiet). Had supper at the bar portion of Gasperetti's (highly recommend). The owners greeted us and it was a fun atmosphere with great food. The next morning I dropped my wife off at the interview and then began to explore. I wanted to go to Oak Creek where they feed the elk. When I arrived there was no one there and no elk either. Probably because it was 55 degrees and sunny! I continued up the road towards White Pass just to take in the mountain scenery. Very cool that you can go from dry valley to forested mountains within a short amount of time. I had a late breakfast but noticed this motel/gift shop/cafe and thought I would stop and get a snack. Spent an hour talking with a local couple and the cook! It was a great time. Bale Breaker Beer is great too! (Field 41 was my favorite).

And finishing up there I continued up the mountain and took a loop around Rimrock Lake like the cook recommended. It was a beautiful drive especially for January!

By the time I was headed down the mountain it was about 2pm and I needed to be back at 4pm to pick up my wife. I decided to make one last stop at the Bighorn Sheep feeding station just outside of town. So many sheep! There were a couple groups with the large Rams being just over the hill at a distance.

We drove back to Seattle that night and had a delightful supper in Tacoma with my brother and his girlfriend. As we flew out of Seattle we were able to get quite the show on that clear morning. Mount Rainier is the closest one and I am not sure what the farthest peak is.

Conclusion: Yakima is a fair city with nice parts and not so nice parts. It is a town with lots of small businesses and agriculture surrounding. I would not move there because of the town but because of the area surrounding. Within an hour you can get to good hunting/fishing and from dry climate to wet climate. The people were very kind and friendly. This is what I gathered on our very short time there.

The BIG Decision: So today were were informed that we got into the school in Yakima (Pacific Northwest University). That being said we also got accepted into the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, ND the day before! So exciting and so proud of my wife. We have two weeks to decide and it will be difficult.

PNU
Pros: Lots of Outdoor Recreation, Community School, Good Hunting, Can do clinical rotations in Alaska years 3 and 4, more adventurous
Cons: Don't know anyone, not many great job opportunities for me, Long ways from home (ND), Higher tuition ($48k)

UND
Pros: An hour from my family farm and lake cabin, already would have a place to live, great hunting at the farm, lower tuition ($28k per year), more job opportunities due to network
Cons: Not adventurous, rotations only in ND, wife doesn't like school as much as PNU, easy route


In the end I realize this is a decision between my wife and I but I am always interested to hear others wisdom and perspectives. So what say you?

Thanks everyone.

Steve