Union Gap, United States: Self-Guided Walking Tour

Looking for things to do in Union Gap? This small community south of Yakima offers a quiet introduction to Yakima County, with local parks, foothill landscapes, agricultural surroundings, and the Yakima Valley’s main enclosed shopping center. Neywo has a free audio guide for Union Gap with six narrated places, helping you discover the area as you walk.

What to See in Union Gap

Ahtanum Youth County Park

Ahtanum Youth County Park lies about five kilometres south of Yakima, in Yakima County. The landscape changes around it: the ground is relatively flat to the northwest, while the terrain becomes more mountainous toward the southeast. A nearby peak rises to nearly 600 metres, giving the area a stronger foothill character than the valley floor.

The park is a useful stop for experiencing the transition between Yakima’s urban surroundings and the more varied terrain south of the city.

Cahalan Park

Cahalan Park is a quiet green space in the eastern foothills of the Yakima Valley. Its surroundings combine residential areas with irrigation canals and shallow valleys, reflecting the meeting point between the region’s agricultural roots and its rising foothills.

To the west, the land opens towards the valley floor and Yakima, about four kilometres away. To the east, ridges rise to around 870 metres. This contrast makes Cahalan Park a peaceful place to notice how quickly the landscape changes around Union Gap and Yakima.

Fullbright Park

Fullbright Park is another quiet green space in Yakima County. Situated at about 298 metres above sea level, it offers a simple stop within the eastern Washington landscape.

Rather than a major attraction, Fullbright Park is best understood as part of the network of local parks that gives the Union Gap area its low-key, open character.

Bachelor Creek

Bachelor Creek is a natural watercourse running through Yakima County. The modest stream contributes to the area’s landscape as it passes through the wider surroundings of Union Gap.

Together with the irrigation canals and shallow valleys found near Cahalan Park, Bachelor Creek reflects the importance of water in a region shaped by agriculture and foothill terrain.

La Salle High School

La Salle High School is a private Roman Catholic high school serving the Union Gap community. It is the only Catholic high school in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Yakima, giving it a distinctive place in the area’s educational and religious landscape.

Its motto, Signum Fidei—Latin for “Sign of Faith”—is shared by Lasallian schools around the world.

Valley Mall

Valley Mall is the only enclosed shopping centre serving the entire Yakima Valley. Located off Interstate 82 in Union Gap, it has been a regional retail centre since opening in 1972.

The mall contains 55 stores, anchored by Kohl’s and Macy’s. Longtime locals may still remember Macy’s predecessor as The Bon Marché. Three outdoor centres—Valley Mall Plaza, Washington Plaza, and Frontage—extend around the main building, bringing the wider complex to 80 retailers.

Valley Mall also played a role in the development of Yakima’s retail landscape. A major expansion added 260,000 square feet in 2002, drawing retailers and shoppers away from the former Yakima Mall downtown, which closed the following year. The centre’s history includes the closure of Sears in December 2022 and its reopening the next year, followed by another closure.

Union Gap and the Yakima Valley

Union Gap’s surroundings are defined by the contrast between the valley floor and the foothills. Parks such as Ahtanum Youth County Park and Cahalan Park offer different views of that transition, while Bachelor Creek and the area’s irrigation features show how water shapes the local environment.

The community is also closely connected to Yakima, which sits nearby to the north. For travellers exploring more of the state, Union Gap is part of Washington, in the United States.

Explore Union Gap with Neywo

Neywo’s free Union Gap audio guide includes six narrated places. Each story plays as you reach the place, at your own pace: no group and no schedule. Narration is available in 11 languages, so you can explore independently while the app explains the places around you.

Download Neywo and discover Union Gap with an audio guide that follows your route rather than a fixed timetable.