- Mileage: variable, from a quarter mile to 11 miles or more
- Difficulty: Easy
- Elevation: No noticeable elevation gain. Park is at about 375 feet above sea level.
- Warning: This hike and park are along the Yakima River which can have high, fast-moving water that can be dangerous. Watch young children closely.
View Chamna Natural Preserve in a larger map
Chamna is now part of the Great Washington State Birding Trail. The Audubon Society sponsors the Great Washington State Birding Trail network with 7 regions defined in publications. The Tri-Cities is in the Sun and Sage region.
Along the Great Washington State Birding Trail, you’ll find the best places for the best bird watching in the Evergreen State. With 40+ million Americans describing themselves as interested in bird watching, developers of the Great Washington State Birding Trail hope to entice both local residents and out-of-state visitors to the Sun and Sage Loop which features more than 200 of Washington’s 346 annually recorded bird species. (from the Audubon Society web site)
Adjacent to the Yakima River and at 276 acres and with over 11 miles of trails, it is a large area with plenty of enjoyable plant and animal life and river habitat and scenery.
Blog Posts:
-Green, Wet, Chamna Natural Preserve
To get to the trailhead, take the Richland, George Washington Way exit off either I-182 or Highway 240. Turn left at the first light onto Aaron Drive. Follow Aaron and turn left on Jadwin, just past Beaver Bark. This will take you on an overpass over I-182. Turn right after the railroad tracks. Take your next right at the Chamna stone sign and go a quarter mile to the parking area with an informative kiosk. There is a porta-potty at the trailhead.
Chamna Natural Preserve is a City of Richland park that is under the watchful eyes of the Tapteal Greenway Association.
Adjacent to the Yakima River and at 276 acres and with over 11 miles of trails, it is a large area with plenty of enjoyable plant and animal life and river habitat and scenery.
This is a beautiful, wooded area that is only a stone’s throw from Richland neighborhoods. It seems much more secluded than it’s proximity to town would indicate.
Greenery in Chamna
At the Chamna Natural Preserve, you’ll find old-growth sagebrush that is over 8 feet tall. At times of year, the habitat seems to change within a few feet from shrub-steppe desert to lush
More Chamna Greenery
greenery. There are several trails which wind through shadowy, lush canopy that is almost mystical.
Hiking Through Canopy at Chamna
It’s an excellent riparian habitat with plenty of birds calling.
Leaf suspended in mid-air
Watch closely for little treasures like this leaf that seemed to be suspended in mid-air, no doubt hanging from an invisible web strung through the underbrush.
Chamna is designed for hiking, bicycling, and horseback riding.