Yakima Travel Guide
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150 miles SE of Seattle, 92 miles NW of Richland, 195 miles SW of Spokane
Considering the fact that Washington is notorious for its rainfall, it may seem hard to believe that eastern Washington's Yakima Valley receives only about 8 inches of rain per year. Located only 3 hours from Seattle, Yakima is in another world -- the sunny side of the Cascades. Despite the lack of rainfall, the area has become one of Washington's main apple-growing regions. Hops, used in making beer, are another important crop in the Yakima Valley, but it is grapes and the wines produced from those grapes that have been bringing the valley international attention in recent years. On a visit to Yakima, you can sample the area's bounties at fruit stands, wineries, and microbreweries.
The city of Yakima lies at the western end of the Yakima Valley winery region, while at the eastern end is the Tri-Cities area, which is comprised of the cities of Richland, Kennewick, and Pasco. Although the Tri-Cities area has its share of wineries, it is best known as the site of the Hanford Site, the huge military reservation where the first nuclear bomb was developed. Today Hanford is notorious for its many nuclear contamination sites, which luckily are well removed from any towns or vineyards, so there's no need to worry about glow-in-the-dark wine.
All the land around Yakima was once the homeland of the Yakama people. The first white settlers, Catholic missionaries, arrived in 1847 and set up their mission south of present-day Yakima, and by the 1850s growing hostilities between settlers and Native Americans had led to the establishment of Fort Simcoe, 38 miles west of Yakima. In 1880, when residents of Yakima City refused to sell land to the Northern Pacific Railroad, the railroad built North Yakima 4 miles away and proceeded to move 50 buildings from Yakima City to the new town site, which grew into the Yakima of today.
Despite the many wineries up and down the Yakima Valley, the region has never really caught on as a wine-touring destination and there are very few B&Bs or memorable restaurants in the region. This is due to several factors. First, the wineries begin more than 20 miles away from Yakima, and so the city of Yakima isn't exactly an ideal base for exploring this wine country. Also, the small towns scattered along the length of the Yakima Valley are basically farm towns and are certainly not what you would call quaint. In fact Sunnyside has stockyards, the stench of which permeates the town. Vineyards are just part of the picture here, and you'll have to drive through a lot of unattractive scenery to reach the wineries. However, despite these caveats, a visit to the Yakima Valley can be worthwhile if you are looking to familiarize yourself with Washington wine.
