Wanderlust Traveler: July 2013

The view from Windy Point Vineyards in Yakima Valley.

We visited the town of Yakima and its surrounding wineries and vineyards over Fourth of July weekend in July of 2013.

Yakima Valley is a two to three hour drive from Seattle and is located in south central Washington State. It's the largest and oldest wine growing region in the state and is located along the same latitude as some the famous wine regions in France. Yakima Valley was the first American Viticultural Area (AVA) to be recognized in Washington state back in 1983. There are several different AVAs located within Yakima Valley including Naches Heights, Yakima Valley, Rattlesnake Hills, Snipes Mountain, Red Mountain, and Horse Heaven Hills. Those not familiar with the wine industry of Yakima Valley might be surprised to learn that it's home to over 100 wineries!

The websites of the Wine Yakima Valley Association and the Yakima Valley Visitors and Convention Bureau offer visitors great advice, helpful brochures, and maps on the many wineries spread across the Yakima Valley. If you are planning on spending a few days touring wineries in Yakima Valley, I highly recommend that you coordinate your winery visits by area. For example, you could combine one day of touring wineries in Naches Heights, downtown Yakima, and Wapato, one day for the wineries in Zillah, and another for Prosser. The distances between these areas can be quite long so unless you plan on spending several hours in the car it's smart to group your visits by area.

Over the course of our long weekend we visited the following wineries, which will be discussed in detail further below:

Tasting Room at Wilridge Winery:

Located in the Naches Heights AVA, this lovely tasting room is placed within a quaint early 1900's farmhouse. The home features a beautiful wrap-around covered porch that provides amazing views of the surrounding valley. The tasting room was very quiet on the day we visited so we were able to enjoy the gorgeous setting nearly all to ourselves. Like many wineries, they had a pre-set tasting menu, however, unlike most other wineries they allowed you to mix and match this list with any of their other wines. Being that I am a fan of whites and Shyawn is a fan of reds, this worked out quite well for us. We were both very impressed with all of their wines which made for a difficult decision when deciding which ones to purchase. We ended up going with their 2012 Pinot Grigio and their 2012 Vintage Estate White Dessert Wine. This is definitely a winery that I would make a point to revisit on a future trip to the Yakima Valley.

The Tasting Room at Wilridge Winery.

The view from The Tasting Room at Wilridge Winery.

View from The Tasting Room at Wilridge Winery.

The Tasting Room at Wilridge Winery.

View from the porch at The Tasting Room at Wilridge Winery.

The Tasting Room at Wilridge Winery.

View from The Tasting Room at Wilridge Winery.

The Tasting Room at Wilridge Winery.

View from The Tasting Room at Wilridge Winery.

The Tasting Room at Wilridge Winery.

The following few photos of Wilridge Winery were taken using my iPhone:

The Tasting Room at Wilridge Winery.

Naches Heights Vineyard:
Also located in the Naches Heights AVA, just a few minutes drive from Wilridge Winery, this winery is housed inside a beautiful, modern, and spacious tasting room. The vineyard is known for being "green," which is evident on the exterior of the building as it is adorned with solar panels. My favorite part of the building was the misters that are used to cool down guests while they enjoy their wine out on the patio on a hot summer day. The grounds of the vineyard are gorgeous and feature four different waterfalls as well as a pond, several seating areas, and a covered gazebo. At certain times during the month visitors might be treated to live music and occasionally food for purchase. The wines were good and we purchased a bottle of the well-known Vuja De Rose. However, the one negative I do have to mention about Naches Heights is that it was one of only two wineries in the Yakima Valley that we visited that did not refund the tasting fee with a purchase of wine. Aside from that though, this was a wonderful winery and one of my favorites of the weekend.

Naches Heights Vineyard

Naches Heights Vineyard tasting room.

Enjoying our time at Naches Heights Vineyard while on the patio with the misters.

Naches Heights Vineyard tasting room.

Naches Heights Vineyard.

Naches Heights Vineyard tasting room.

Naches Heights Vineyard.

Hoh Rain Forest

Olympic National Park is located in the state of Washington on the Olympic Peninsula. It was declared a National Monument in 1909 and later a National Park in 1938. In comparison to other National Parks, Olympic is quite diverse in that it offers visitors three completely different areas to explore including glacier-capped mountains, temperate rainforests, and Pacific coastline. The park is a massive 1,406 square miles so if you are a first time visitor, who wants to see as many of the major sights as possible, then you'll need to dedicate at least three full days, if not longer. Fortunately, the park has remained nearly untouched by humans so visitors will be able to experience trees that are more than 1000 years old, enjoy clear glacial lakes, and partake in limitless hiking opportunities. Outside of the park but within the Olympic Peninsula there are even more impressive things to do and see, several of which will be detailed further below.

I have visited Olympic National Park and the Olympic Peninsula on countless occasions since my childhood. Even with all of those visits under my belt there are still a few areas of the park that I have yet to see including Ozette Lake, Kalaloch, Ruby Beach, and Staircase.

Below are descriptions of all of the areas that I have visited within and just outside the boundaries of Olympic National Park including:

Hurricane Ridge
Lake Crescent
Marymere Falls
Salt Creek County Park
Sol Duc Hot Springs
Makah Museum
Cape Flattery
Shi Shi Beach
Hoh Rain Forest
La Push
Rialto Beach
Lake Quinault
Sequim
Dungeness Spit
Olympic Game Farm
Lavender Festival
Port Townsend
Fort Worden State Park
Point Wilson Lighthouse

Hurricane Ridge:

Located within the Olympic National Park, Hurricane Ridge rises over 5,200 feet and provides amazing views of the park and, on a very clear day, a glimpse of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. There are many hiking trails that visitors can enjoy in this area of the park. Unfortunately, all of my visits to date have occurred on cloudy days which have prohibited the aforementioned views. If it's a cloudy day I would recommend skipping this viewpoint.

Hurricane Ridge

Lake Crescent:

Located within Olympic National Park, beautifully brilliantly blue Lake Crescent is one of the deepest lakes in the country. It is well known for its clear water which is the result of a lack of nitrogen and helps to prohibit algae growth. The lake is quite large and there are various areas to stay around the lake including campgrounds, cabins, and lodges. My father camped here all the time as a child and has fond memories of the peaceful lake, which I remember him discussing when I was a child. Unfortunately I didn't get the opportunity to visit myself until my mid-twenties, but I was very impressed by the beauty of Lake Crescent, especially during the early morning hours and late evenings when gleaming reflections would cover the gorgeous lake.