Outdoor activities students should consider this summer

Lovin’ summer, having a blast

With summer quickly approaching, many students are looking for some summer fun around Ellensburg. Although Ellensburg doesn’t have a mall or water park yet, there are many outdoor activities offered to students and the community.

“We can go rafting, we can go paddle boarding, we’ve got places to camp, we’ve got places to mountain climb. Like, straight up, we have ice picks and all that jazz,” Jordan Yanev, Outdoor Pursuits and Rentals (OPR) employee, said.

Floating the river

One of the most popular summer pastimes in Ellensburg is floating the Yakima River. People can rent a large inner tube from OPR for $6 a day for students and $8 for the general public.

If many people floating together, OPR also rents out a super-sized raft for $35 a day.

People often park one vehicle farther down the river, where they want to end their float, and another at their launch site. However, experts advise to be careful, as there are some shallow areas in the river depending on how low the water levels are.

Camping galore

There are several campgrounds around Ellensburg that can be rented for between $25 to $40 a night, depending on the location.

Renting a two to three person tent from OPR costs students $8 for one day, $10 for two to three days or $15 for four to seven days.

Trips with Outdoor Pursuits and Rentals

OPR hosts trips for students throughout each quarter. Hiking events are common, past hikes have taken participants up to the top of Manastash or along trails for a sunset hike. According to OPR employee Tabitha Hardy, the Mt. St. Helens trip was popular this year.

“We got there Saturday, we hung out, we walked around the camp, we ended up doing some yoga there at the campsite. We ended up talking to a lot of other campers there, made a fire, hung out that night, bonded, then got up early and did the hike,” Hardy said.

Have fun hiking

Ellensburg is surrounded by hills with winding trails through plains and forests with Snoqualmie Pass not too far away.

A local starting trail is Umtanum Creek Falls and Umtanum Creek Canyon. There are two ways to tackle this hike; take a left at the fork and the trail goes along the ridge and up to the top of the hill, or take a right and the trail goes down to a waterfall.

During the summer months, make sure to watch out for rattlesnakes and to bring a water bottle to prevent dehydration.