Selah: Nature, Trails, and Local History

Selah offers several ways to enjoy a stay: walking and hiking trails, Selah Cliffs Natural Area Preserve, and insights into local apple and transportation history. The trails vary in length and route; nature observation and events add their own seasonal highlights.

Hiking and Walking in Selah

You can hike the Umtanum Ridge Trail and the Tieton River Trail. Selah Parks and Recreation also offers 13 different walking trails through the city’s main corridor. Some routes have specified distances and routes: the Straight Away Walk is a five-mile round trip from Trolley Park to the Selah Loop Roundabout. Another round-trip hike leads from the river up to the summit and is 7.3 miles long. One walk passes the entrance gates of some of the city’s largest apple producers.

These routes differ in their stated distances and destinations. For planning, for example, you can distinguish a route to the roundabout in the city corridor from a longer hike from the river to the summit. Along the river, Playland Riverside Park has an observation deck.

Nature at Selah Cliffs Natural Area Preserve

Selah Cliffs Natural Area Preserve was established in 1993 to protect the largest known population of basalt daisy (Erigeron basalticus). The plant usually blooms there from May through October, with peak bloom in June. The preserve also provides nesting and roosting sites for prairie falcons (Falco mexicanus), red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis), and American kestrels (Falco sparverius).

The trail system includes an accessible, 0.5-mile loop made of compacted gravel. An access road and parking lot are located just off Highway 821, south of mile marker 3. Rules and conditions at the preserve may change; check them before your visit.

Activities in the vicinity of Yakima River Canyon include river trips, biking, fly fishing, hunting, backpacking, sightseeing, cross-country skiing, and camping. Selah is also connected to the Yakima Greenway. If you plan to use the Greenway, check current route conditions in advance.

Apple History, Cityscape, and Events

East of downtown Selah, Produce Row retains its character as a warehouse district. The historic Selah Line is also part of the city’s transportation history: until 1919, it was part of the Yakima Valley Transportation Company’s route network. At the Tree Top Store and Visitor Center in Selah, you can learn about the history of the apple industry. Tastings and shopping for products from the Pacific Northwest are also available there.

The Tree Top Store and Visitor Center is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Opening hours may change, so check them before planning a visit.

Selah Community Days takes place annually on the third weekend of May and includes activities and events involving Selah residents, businesses, and organizations. Dates may change; check them before planning your trip around the festival.

Discover more destinations: Union Gap, Outlook, Zillah, Yakima, Toppenish, Sunnyside, Wapato

Go to the main travel overview: Yakima.