Wenas Wildlife Area

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.

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Landscape view of Yakima River at the Wenas Wildlife Area.
Photo by WDFW

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.

Contact

Melinda Gray
Wildlife Area Manager

509-697-2082

Selah, WA 98942

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

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.

FunderFund
Private GrantorPrivate Donation
State of WashingtonLegislative Appropriation
US Army Corps of EngineersAquatic Lands Enhancement Account
US Fish and Wildlife ServiceEndangered Species Act Section 6 Program
US Fish and Wildlife ServicePittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Program
US National Park ServiceLand and Water Conservation Fund
WA Dept of Fish and WildlifeWashington Wildlife and Recreation Program
WA Dept of Fish and WildlifeWDFW Game Fund (now Wildlife Fund)
WA Recreation and Conservation OfficeFirearms and Archery Range Recreation
WA Recreation and Conservation OfficeNonhighway and Off-Road Vehicle Activities Program
WA Recreation and Conservation OfficeState Bond Account
WA Recreation and Conservation OfficeWashington 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

Plan Updates