Mountaineering

On April 5, 2022, the Yakima Valley Museum opened a new exhibit, Let's Take the Sporting Route: Mountaineering in the Central Cascades 1949-1970. Mountaineering provides a sense of adventure and daring, risk-taking, camaraderie, and exploration. It shows that those who dare can overcome almost any obstacle while pursuing a common goal.

This exhibit shares stories of mountaineering in the Central Cascades, whose history, geography, and amazing beauty are a constant source of inspiration, solace, and discovery.

The climbers and skiers featured in this exhibit are from Yakima, Ellensburg, and the vicinity. They made their marks between 1949 and 1970. Many achieved first ascents of the major routes up the Cascades during the period when equipment was still very basic and there were no reliable weather forecasts. Those who climbed the same routes after that period owe a huge debt to those early mountaineers.

Visit our exhibit to see how climbing equipment has changed over time, discover local climbing routes, and learn about the ways in which scientists study the Cascades. Try your hand at tying knots, navigating topographic maps, and building your own landscape in our 3-D modeling sand table!