Chamna Natural Preserve

Chamna is a beautiful place. The trails tend to be tunnel-​like, with vegetation growing up on each side. There is an impressive variety of ecosystems, ranging from riparian zone to dry desert, within just a few yards of each other. There is a fair amount of trash, but worth taking a walk around!

Enjoyed walking the Chamna Natural Preserve today. The trail was well maintained and we saw a variety of birds. We entered from the Duportail Parking Lot as we couldn’t find the main entrance. Four stars because this way led us along the back of a residential area.
Great views of the river and we saw a hawk circling above. I really appreciated the variety of flora as the desert landscape of Tri Cities can often get monotonous. We only saw one other group of people and were there for about two hours. Great little spot in the middle of Richland!

I love riding my mountain bike here. There’s no single track, and you have to watch for flooding and mud bogs certain times of the year, but it’s a treat having this in my backyard. (We once had to yield right-​of-​way to a beaver who was swimming along the trail.)
You cannot get so lost that you can’t find your way out. Even so, there are maps posted at major trail junctions. You can pick a shorter trail and ride your own dirt crit, or do every trail in the system and see a little bit of everything.
Some trails are marked «hiker only» at one end but not the other. A lot of the trails are narrow, and abiding by the hiker-​only rule means two riders will not end up in a head-​on collision. Keep a heads-​up for hikers anytime you’re in the trees. (I’ve ridden waist-​deep in grass — fortunately, few pedestrians are crazy enough to walk through that.)
The trail system is usable year-​round. It can be a great place to escape the wind or go play in the snow. What you’re unlikely to escape is a crowd on most weekends. The east end and open, treeless areas seem less utilized, though.

Interesting to have a nature preserve at the intersection of two highways, but it actually is a nice escape from «city life» for your nature fix. I’ve always seen vehicles parked at the parking lot here while driving by, and wondered what it would be like.
So, to get here, you have to take Jadwin OVER the 240, and then drive around the rock quarry place. The trailhead/​parking lot is within view of I182. This is totally bikable from many places in Richland, next time I want to ride my bike here.
There is a grid of trails to choose from here. You can hike, mountain bike, or take your dog for a hike here most of the time. I also read that it is nice for snowshoeing and crosscountry skiing (but seems like we rarely get enough snow to make that possible). Oh, if you have a dog, be sure to bring a leash, and also pick up after them (with that said, you need to watch out for poop mines, too).
I’d say a large section of the trails here are through some dense vegetation. The closer you are to the Yakima River the more trees and large bushes you’ll get. That’s nice. This offers you your best chance to spot some wildlife (I didn’t get to see any on my recent dusk walk).
Virtually the entire area is flat, so the workout is fairly minimal, but there are tons of trails. You can easily spend an hour out here walking around. I’d say if you’re looking for a workout, Badger Mountain would be better, but if you’re hoping to spot a deer or other small wildlife, this is the place.