---
template: byway.jade
id: "54773"
name: Yakima River Canyon Scenic Byway
distance: "18"
duration: 30 minutes
description: "Canyon Road is a fairly efficient alternate to Interstate 82 between Yakima and Ellensburg. But it also happens to be one of the most scenic roads you will ever drive, regardless of the time of year. "
contact: "**Yakima Valley Visitor's & Convention Bureau**  \r\n 1-800-221-0751  \r\n [Send E-mail](mailto:yvvcb@visityakima.com )  \r\n\r\n"
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websites: 
  - url: "http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/LocalPrograms/ScenicByways/YakimaRiver.htm"
    name: "Yakima River Canyon (WS-DOT)"
designations: 
  - Washington State Scenic Byway
states: 
  - WA
ll: 
  - -120.54862199999997
  - 46.99938999999995
bounds: 
  - - -120.54862199999997
    - 46.60224800000003
  - - -120.44024699999994
    - 46.99938999999995

---

Canyon Road is a fairly efficient alternate to Interstate 82 between Yakima and Ellensburg. But it also happens to be one of the most scenic roads you will ever drive, regardless of the time of year. This route follows the Yakima River, dividing the hills of sage covered desert between Yakima and Ellensburg. The basalt cliffs, some rising more than 2,000 feet, reveal a story of cataclysmic geologic events. The canyon is known for its year-round sport fishing and as a blue ribbon catch-and-release trout stream. The crevices and cliffs make a perfect home for the densest concentration of nesting hawks, eagles, and falcons in the state.