Bull Pasture Road, about nine miles north of Selah, will close to vehicles from Dec. 15, 2024 to May 1, 2025 to protect wintering wildlife and prevent road damage during the wet season. Bull Pasture Road will be closed starting at the junction of Durr Road/Sheep Company Road and ends where it intersects with Bell Tell Road. The closure is for motorized use only; the area will be open to walk in, biking, horseback riding and other non-motorized use. This will be an annual closure. The area is used as winter range for approximately 500 elk and provides cover for upland birds, mule deer, Townsend Ground squirrel, burrowing owls and many songbirds.
Permanent Rule WSR 23-02-069: It is unlawful for any person to cause or allow goats or sheep to be untethered or unattended on this wildlife area unit, unless otherwise permitted by the director to do so. Goats or sheep that have tested positive for Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae or that are displaying signs of pneumonia or other illness will not be permitted. Goats or sheep showing signs of pneumonia or other illness while on department lands must be removed within 48 hours. If a goat or sheep becomes lost, the owner must make every effort to locate and recover it. If the goat or sheep cannot be recovered, the owner shall contact the department by telephone as soon as possible.
The Wenas Wildlife Area has a variety of recreation opportunities. Big game hunting is popular, multiple trails offer hiking opportunities, and the upper Wenas Valley is considered an Important Bird Area by the Audubon Society. Much of the wildlife area is dominated by shrubsteppe vegetation; some forest vegetation types exist at higher elevations and in riparian areas. Wildlife use is diverse, including elk, deer, bighorn sheep, turkey, chukar, quail, and a myriad of small mammals, Neotropical/upland birds, raptors, and reptiles. Part of this unit is funded by the Bonneville Power Administration and managed for preservation of fish and wildlife resources to mitigate for habitat losses associated with Grand Coulee, McNary and John Day hydroelectric dams.
The Wenas Wildlife Area is located southwest of Ellensburg and northwest of Selah, in both Yakima and Kittitas counties. Access to the south portion of the unit is from North Wenas Road (via Selah or Naches), and access to the north portion of the unit is from Umtanum Road (via Ellensburg).
The Wenas Wildlife Area includes acres within the Upper Yakima and Naches river watersheds, in both the Columbia Plateau and east Cascades. It includes acres owned by WDFW as well as lands managed by WDFW for the Department of Natural Resources, and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. Surrounding properties include other state lands, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service lands, and private range, agriculture, timber, and residential lands.
Game Management Units: 342, 334, 340
Getting there
Maps and directions to WDFW-managed access points for this unit. Opens Google Maps in a new tab.
Recreation and public access
A Discover Pass is required on WDFW lands -- including water access areas, wildlife areas, and campgrounds -- unless you already have a Vehicle Access Pass issued with the purchase of an eligible hunting or fishing license. Recreate responsibly on public lands: please know the Public Conduct Rules.
This location participates in the Green Dot system which restricts motorized vehicle use to marked roads. See the Green Dot Page for more information and detailed maps.
Public facility information:
- 4 graveled parking areas: 2 at Sheep Company entrance (2nd area for horse trailer parking), 1 at Buffalo Road entrance, and 1 at Umtanum Falls trailhead
- No restroom
- Reader boards
- Trails
Recreation and access advisories
- Motorized vehicles must stay on designated Green Dot roads. Please follow Green Dot Road Management regulations and use a Green Dot map of the area for reference.
- Campfires are prohibited from April 15 through Oct. 15.
- The Cleman Mountain is 30,000 acres of land closed to all public access from early Dec. through April 30.
Hunting
Big game hunting, for elk, deer, and bighorn sheep, is popular on this wildlife area, as is upland game bird hunting. WDFW also releases pheasants on this unit for hunting.
Hunting advisories
- On all WDFW designated pheasant release sites it is unlawful to possess shot (either in shotshells or as loose shot for muzzleloading), other than nontoxic shot, when hunting for upland game birds (pheasant, quail, chukar, and gray partridge), mourning dove, and band-tailed pigeon sites (WAC 220-414-040).
Wildlife viewing
This unit is dominated by shrubsteppe, and has some forest at higher elevations and in riparian areas, offering opportunities to view a variety of wildlife, including beaver, deer, elk, bighorn sheep, a myriad of small mammals, chuckar, quail, wild turkey, Neotropical/upland birds, raptors, and reptiles.
Audubon considers the upper Wenas Valley to be an Important Bird Area.
Search for potential birding opportunities on or near a wildlife area unit by using eBird Northwest, a citizen science database portal that provides freely-shared bird lists at 'hotspots' and interactive maps plus other birding information updated daily.
Other recreational opportunities
This unit offers several designated trails for hiking, mountain biking, and/or horseback riding, which are listed below. In addition, there are many old roads, closed to motorized vehicles that are also used by non-motorized recreationists. See Wenas Green Dot Road Management map.
The YAKIMA SKYLINE TRAIL follows the Yakima Canyon rim overlooking the Yakima River. The UMTANUM TRAIL begins in the Yakima River Canyon at the U.S. Bureau of Land Management Umtanum Recreation Site, and follows Umtanum Creek up through several miles of the wildlife area unit, through shrubsteppe and riparian habitats. The UMTANUM FALLS TRAIL takes off from the Umtanum Road (Ellensburg Pass Road), and follows Umtanum Creek downstream to the falls (approximately 1.25 miles). MANASTASH RIDGE TRAILS are accessed from Cove Road in Ellensburg and provide multiple routes for hikers and mountain bikers to travel from the valley bottom to the top of Manastash ridge.
Reference the Manastash Ridge trail map (PDF), which reflects approved trails for the Manastash Ridge area with a suggested use for each trail. Reference the Manastash Ridge Trail Management Plan.
Other advisories
- Motor vehicles are prohibited on trails and are restricted to Green Dot roads.
Conservation
This wildlife area exhibits quality native shrubsteppe habitat. North Wenas Creek and Umtanum Creek drainages provide extensive riparian habitat. Wildlife use is diverse, including elk, deer, sage grouse, turkey, chukar, quail, and a myriad of small mammals, Neotropical/upland birds, raptors, and reptiles. Cliff and talus features provide key habitat requirements for bighorn sheep, golden eagle, and peregrine falcon.
Special habitats and species
Beginning in the mid-1990s, beaver moved into the Umtanum Creek and Roza Creek drainages, constructing multiple dams on the creek, resulting in raising the water table and reducing water velocity. Numerous creeks and their tributaries are fish bearing, and Wenas Creek and Umtanum Creek are known to support federally-listed steelhead.
Conservation goals
- As Bonneville Power Administration mitigation for losses associated with Grand Coulee, McNary and John Day hydroelectric dams, WDFW to manage unit to:
- o Maintain healthy populations of game and non-game fish and wildlife species
- o Protect and restore and manage native plant communities, including shrubsteppe and forest habitats
- o Maintain and/or restore riparian habitat and improve water quality on the unit
Beginning in the mid-1990s, beaver moved into the Umtanum Creek and Roza Creek drainages, constructing multiple dams on the creek, resulting in raising the water table and reducing water velocity. Numerous creeks and their tributaries are fish bearing, and Wenas Creek and Umtanum Creek are known to support federally-listed steelhead.
- As Bonneville Power Administration mitigation for losses associated with Grand Coulee, McNary and John Day hydroelectric dams, WDFW to manage unit to:
- o Maintain healthy populations of game and non-game fish and wildlife species
- o Protect and restore and manage native plant communities, including shrubsteppe and forest habitats
- o Maintain and/or restore riparian habitat and improve water quality on the unit
Land stewardship
The Wenas Wildlife Area was originally acquired to provide elk wintering habitat.
Acquisition history
The parcels making up this area were purchased between 1951 and 2023.
| Funder | Fund |
|---|---|
| Private Grantor | Private Donation |
| State of Washington | Legislative Appropriation |
| US Army Corps of Engineers | Aquatic Lands Enhancement Account |
| US Fish and Wildlife Service | Endangered Species Act Section 6 Program |
| US Fish and Wildlife Service | Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Program |
| US National Park Service | Land and Water Conservation Fund |
| WA Dept of Fish and Wildlife | Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program |
| WA Dept of Fish and Wildlife | WDFW Game Fund (now Wildlife Fund) |
| WA Recreation and Conservation Office | Firearms and Archery Range Recreation |
| WA Recreation and Conservation Office | Nonhighway and Off-Road Vehicle Activities Program |
| WA Recreation and Conservation Office | State Bond Account |
| WA Recreation and Conservation Office | Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program |
Management planning
2006 Wenas Wildlife Area Management Plan
Every eight to 10 years, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) revises management plans for each of its 33 wildlife areas to document current conditions, address new agency initiatives, and identify new management priorities and actions. In between those major revisions, WDFW updates plans every two years to outline short-term objectives and accomplishments. In 2014, WDFW began the process of updating existing plans, many of which were written in 2006. The new plans are being developed with significant public participation and input.
Planning Advisory Committee
Wenas Wildlife Area Advisory Committee