Manastash, Washington — Ranch Roads Below, Telescopes Above

Manastash is less a conventional town than an inhabited canyon and upland district west of Ellensburg.

Manastash Creek gives the area its spine. Farms and ranches use the lower country, while timber, grazing and recreation extend into the foothills.

Higher on Manastash Ridge, Central Washington University operates an observatory. Elevation and darker skies away from city lights make the ridge useful for astronomy.

The combination is wonderfully Kittitas County: irrigation ditches and ranch roads below, telescopes pointed into space above.

Hikers, mountain bikers, hunters and off-road users now share the wider landscape with working rural properties.

Manastash never needed a downtown. The creek organizes the valley, and the ridge handles the horizon.