Exploring Yakima Wine Country by Air
Unlocking Pacific Northwest splendor in the Kodiak
Yakima, Washington
Over the last few decades, Yakima, Washington has emerged as one of the premier wine growing regions in the world, and it is an aviator’s dream destination. Nestled in pristine valleys on the eastern side of Mount Rainier, the Yakima region is a short hop from Seattle with dozens of both public and private airports to drop into.
We flew our Kodiak out of Ace Aviation in Renton on a beautiful weekend morning and navigated out over Lake Washington and Puget Sound before heading east past Mount Rainer.
The first thing that strikes you is the dramatic change in landscape from the verdant green of Puget Sound to the semi-arid rolling hills of the Yakima Valley. The uplands show few signs of the hand of man, with grasslands descending into valleys cutby the many rivers and streamsin the area.
The landscape is constantly changing this part of the pacific northwest.we couldn’t decide if it was more beautiful from the air or on the ground.
Hopscotching Washington’s Wine Country by Kodiak
The Kodiak was the perfect platform for accessing city airports as well as private, unimproved strips.
One of our destinations was a very short and steeply pitched grassy strip adjacent to several vineyards where we met our hosts for the day. One can only appreciate the size of this wine growing area in a low-flying plane.There is one specialized region after another, with most of them adjacent to rivers with excellent fly fishing, biking and hiking opportunities.
If you are lucky-enough to have a Kodiak, this is a prime destination for a weekend getaway
