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The Saddle Mountains run perpendicular to the Columbia River. To the north is a sharp escarpment and Crab Creek and to the south is the agricultural town of Mattawa.
A view from the ridge line of Saddle Mountains towards Vantage.
The Saddle Mountains are an unimpressive set of high hills that separate the desert plains of Hanford and upper Kennewick with the lush agricultural area of Vantage towards Othello. These hills are accessed buy two roads, one from Mattawa and one further down Highway 24. The directions are at the BLM site https://www.blm.gov/visit/saddle-mountains. The roads are dirt/gravel and mostly passable by high centered vehicles. I don't believe you would have to have four wheel drive to get to most spots.
This is an interesting area as it is the resting place of lots of petrified wood. There are plenty of shards of logs that have been removed and evidences of digs all about. If you follow the ridge line road up from Mattawa and go east, there are several areas where folks have dug big pits in search of logs.
On the north side of this range is a sharp escarpment with no access to the ridge. Crab Creek runs parallel to this ridge and there is a road along the waterway. There are points where one can trek up the talus slopes in search of limbs that have washed down. Some old timers told us that as kids they once trekked down from the top and came across a log...but, they were interested in hunting so didn't pay too much attention. At a cafe in Othello one morning a couple of old duffers wanted to know what we were doing in the area. I explained our quest and they were both unaware that there was plentiful wood on this ridge.
Wood found here can be different colors. Some is heavily opalized and unsuitable for slabbing. Other stuff is hiding underground and requires digging. One fellow we met hits this spot once a month and digs in a particular area. If we had more time we would have explored more pits.
There is a great deal of surface stuff that tumbles very well. Lots of tree species are represented by the wood found at this site.
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