Tuesday April 1st: 2025 Opening Day

Open 9am-5pm. Tours at 10am and 2pm. Recreation Access Permits available online and in person.

Saturday April 26th: Wildflower and Wind Power Walk

Join us while we explore the beauty of the shrub steppe in bloom

RSVP Required: Email or call with party size and which session you would like to attend (morning/afternoon, tour, presentation, or walk).

Morning Session

10:00 am	Wind Turbine Tour
11:00 am	Wildflower and Wind Power Presentation
11:30 am	Wildflower and Wind Power Walk

Afternoon Session

2:00 pm	Wind Turbine Tour
3:00 pm	Wildflower and Wind Power Presentation
3:30 pm	Wildflower and Wind Power Walk

Walks are around a half mile in length, but will be cross country in nature over rocky terrain. Participants will drive from the visitor center in their own vehicle to the hiking location (based on where flowers are blooming). Please wear long pants, hiking boots, and dress in layers for the sun, wind, and cool temperatures. Pack water, snacks, sunscreen, a camera, and anything else you will need to have an enjoyable and safe hike. Wildflower walks by appointment are also available on weekdays.

Sunday April 27th: Run Like the Wind

Run for Good Racing Company puts on a great event, with 5K and 10K options, winding along the trails and dirt roads at Wild Horse. The race benefits the hard working volunteers of Kittitas County Search and Rescue, and helps fund the supplies for their program.

The courses are challenging, with a lot of elevation gain and tough trails, but feature gorgeous views of Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams, and the Columbia Basin. Our race motto and promise is “Uphill, Into the Wind, Both Ways”, and we deliver! Music, refreshments, and great food awaits you at the finish line. While at Wild Horse, you can also go on a wind turbine tour or wildflower walk, to further experience the awesome power of the wind and the beauty of the shrub steppe.

Space is limited to 200 participants, so sign up now at run-like-the-wind.com.

We also love volunteers and sponsors! Aid stations, kid’s race, registration, and kitchen volunteers needed.

Saturday May 10th: Get Intimate with the Shrub Steppe

Wild Horse staff will be at a booth answering wildflower and wind power questions at this great Kittitas Environmental Education Network event just south of Ellensburg at Helen McCabe State Park. You can also register for field trips at https://www.ycic.org/giss. You will not find a better collection of field trips to learn about the Shrub Steppe!

Saturday May 10th: Basalt (Hedgehog) Cactus Field Trips

As a part of Kittitas Environmental Education Network's, Get Intimate with the Shrub Steppe weekend, botanist Ron Bockelman will be guiding a special wildflower walk, all about Basalt (Hedgehog) Cactus! Featuring stops at Wild Horse and surrounding public land, Ron will cover everything you need to know about this vibrant hardy barrel cactus, including blooms, seeds, spines, pollinators, and regrowth after fire! Registration is required for this event, and the donation goes to support KEEN's mission of protecting and educating about the shrub steppe and the environment: https://www.keen-ycic.org/giss

Basalt Cactus Explorations (attend 1 or all): Tentative Schedule (subject to change)

9:30 - 11:00 am	Basalt Cactus Studies at Wild Horse (meet in large parking area near the entrance)
11:30am - 12:15 pm	Cactus Pollinator and Seed Eater Videos (Wild Horse REC conference room)
12:30 - 1:15 pm	Wildfire Impacts and Recovery (30821 Vantage Hwy-Vantage Wind Energy entrance)
1:30 - 3:00 pm	Basalt Cactus Studies at Wild Horse (meet in large parking area near the entrance)

Sunday May 11th: Mother’s Day Wildflower and Wind Power Walk

Join us while we explore the beauty of the shrub steppe in bloom! RSVP Required: Email or call with party size, and which session you would like to attend (morning/afternoon, tour, presentation, or walk).

Morning Session

10:00 am	Wind Turbine Tour
11:00 am	Wildflower and Wind Power Presentation
11:30 am	Wildflower and Wind Power Walk

Afternoon Session

2:00 pm	Wind Turbine Tour
3:00 pm	Wildflower and Wind Power Presentation
3:30 pm	Wildflower and Wind Power Walk

 

Walks are around a half mile in length, but will be cross country in nature over rocky terrain. Participants will drive from the visitor center in their own vehicle to the hiking location (based on where flowers are blooming). Please wear long pants, hiking boots, and dress in layers for the sun, wind, and cool temperatures. Pack water, snacks, sunscreen, a camera, and anything else you will need to have an enjoyable and safe hike.

Wildflower walks by appointment are also available on weekdays.

June 15th: Behind the Scenes Tour with Wildflower Walk

Looking for a little more? Is our 1 hour wind turbine tour just not enough? Well you are in luck, because we’ve got a Behind the Scenes Tour for you! It rolls all of our most popular tours into one. Attend one session, or all! RSVP Required: Email or call with party size, and which sessions you would like to attend.

9:00 am	Wind 101 Presentation: Wild Horse Construction and Operation- Visitor Center
10:00 am	Wind Turbine Tour- Visitor Center
11:00 am	Wildflower Walk at The Pines
12:15 pm	Lunch Break- Visitor Center
12:45 pm	Solar and History Tour- Whiskey Dick Mountain
1:30 pm	Maintenance Shop Walk Through - O&M Building at entrance.
2:00 pm	Wind Turbine Tour (later option if you didn’t attend the 10 am) - Visitor Center

June 28th: Wild & Whiskey History Tour

This ticketed event will be put in collaboration with the Kittitas County Historical Museum and Elk Heights Distillery. Begin your day with the Wild & Whiskey History Tour at Wild Horse, followed by a presentation at the museum on Prohibition and local moonshiners. End your tour at the Elk Heights Distillery, learning about the distilling process while enjoying a few samples. Tickets will be released this spring: https://kchm.org/programs/

Summer Sundays- Family Friendly Tours: June 14 - August 31 at 1pm

Enjoy a kid centered version of our wind turbine tour, with a few hands on activities along the way!

Wild Horse Summer Kid’s Corral 1-3pm: Specific dates TBD

Learn and create with science and art activities for kids, followed by a tour of a wind turbine! Every other weekend.

Tues. August 12th: Perseid Meteor Shower

RSVP REQUIRED. Limited space (200 people)

Looking for a laid back location to watch the Perseid Meteor Shower? Come out to the Renewable Energy Center for an evening of twilight turbine tours, snacks, kid's activities, and star gazing. It's another one of those almost full moon years, so meteor visibility will be more limited, so keep those expectations realistic. Call or email to RSVP.

Tentative Schedule (Final schedule will be sent out to RSVP list)

7:00 pm	Doors open
7:15 pm	Twilight Turbine Tour (45 minutes)
7:45 pm	Twilight Turbine Tour (45 minutes)
8:00 pm	Kid’s Activities - Nebula Jars
8:25 pm	Sunset
9:15 pm	Lights Out- Stargazing
9:44 pm	Moonrise
12:00 am	Building closes

Please arrive no later than 9pm and park with your headlights facing away from the building (south). Bring a chair and blankets and stake out a spot on the east patio.

If you plan on staying after midnight, or star gazing from Beacon Ridge Road, please fill out an Access Permit to ensure that you understand our site rules.

Our parking lots along Beacon Ridge Road are great spots to watch the meteor shower if you want a quieter location. See the map on the Access Permit page of our website for the parking areas: Wild Horse Recreation Access Request. There is a port-o-pottie at our substation, and a restroom at the O&M building, if you are star gazing along Beacon Ridge Rd. The parking lot near the O&M and substation aren't as dark though due to reas further north on Beacon Ridge are quite dark.

*Wildfire smoke can severely limit visibility at times, along with the potential for cloudy weather. Please monitor weather conditions before attending. If cloud cover or smoke is forecasted to be over 50%, the event will be cancelled.

This year will also have a nearly full moon (Aug 9) which will hinder visibility.

Behind the Scenes Tour- September 7th or 20th

Looking for a little more? Is our 1 hour wind turbine tour just not enough? Well you are in luck, because we’ve got a Behind the Scenes Tour for you! It rolls all of our most popular tours into one. Attend one session, or all! RSVP Required: Email or call with party size, and which sessions and dates you are interested in.

9:00 am	Wind 101 Presentation: Wild Horse Construction and Operation- Visitor Center
10:00 am	Wind Turbine Tour - Visitor Center
11:00 am	Lunch Break - Visitor Center
11:45 pm	Solar and History Tour - Whiskey Dick Mountain
1:00 pm	Maintenance Shop Walk Through- O&M Building at entrance.
2:00 pm	Wind Turbine Tour (later option if you didn’t attend the 10am) - Visitor Center

3rd Friday in January: Renewable Energy Education Facilitator application window opens

Paid part time position from late March through early November. Please send us an email for information on how to apply.

Job Description:

The position is a mix of public relations, tourism, education, and science/technology. Employees at the Renewable Energy Center will guide the public on walking tours covering wind turbine and solar technology, facility development and operations, and local natural history.

This part time position is 7.5 months in duration, from late March to early November, and a range of 7-32 hours a week. Hours worked are dependent on the center’s tour schedule and staff availability, and are higher during the spring. The visitor center is open 9am-5pm, 7 days a week, from April-Oct 31st. Staff are hired and employed through the Kittitas County Chamber of Commerce.

• Open and close the visitor center, greet visitors, process sales via a Point of Sales system, book tours and meetings, answer questions regarding the facility and renewable energy.
• Conduct walking tours and presentations up to 2 hours in length, for groups of up to 50 people.
• Design and implement educational activities for school groups.
• Greet visitors to the facility and answer questions regarding wind and solar technology.
• Maintain building and grounds. This includes daily light cleaning, conference room set up, wildlife surveys, and occasional trail work.
• Responds to emails, phone calls, and other inquiries in a timely and effective manner.

Requirements:

• College degree or student in pursuit of a degree; or experience in a related field.
• Must be available to work most weekends, and various weekdays. We can be somewhat flexible with scheduling for students, but full day shifts preferred.
• Must have a genuine interest in renewable energy and education.
• Must be a quick learner, able to memorize and effectively communicate information pertaining to energy production and the environment.
• Must have strong public speaking skills, and be able to speak loudly and clearly.
• Must be approachable, kind, enjoy interacting with people, and be committed to providing exceptional customer service.
• Must be a self-starter with a strong work ethic, whether working solo or on a team, who can recognize tasks and opportunities to improve the visitor center.
• Must have reliable transportation to the facility, 20 miles east of Ellensburg.

The Wild Horse Wind Facility is located in Game Management Unit (GMU) 329 in eastern Kittitas County. PSE allows public hunting at Wild Horse during all legal hunting seasons that fall between September 1 and November 30.

HUNTING RESERVATION PERMITS ARE REQUIRED for hunting within the wind facility boundary. Hunting reservation permits are issued online only through WDFW's Hunt by Reservation Program. Permits, maps and rules are all available online.

Reserve a hunting reservation permit

For more information about hunting at Wild Horse please call 509-778-2630 or 509-899-1107.

Disabled Hunters

PSE offers special access opportunities to hunters with lower extremity mobility disabilities through a limited permit drawing administered by WDFW's Road Access Entry Program. If drawn for a permit, hunters will be issued a special use permit by PSE allowing access to drive into a designated closed or gated area where other hunters must walk in. Application submissions for the drawing begin the first week of June and must be submitted to WDFW by July 31 in order to be eligible for the drawing.

Apply for the drawing

If not drawn for special access, disabled hunters must apply for a hunting reservation permit though WDFW's Hunt by Reservation Program if they wish to still hunt at Wild Horse and MUST follow the same rules as non-disabled hunters.

For more information about disabled hunting opportunities at Wild Horse please call 360-902-2349 or 509-899-1107.

FREE Hunter Breakfast

Please join PSE and the Kittitas County Field & Stream Club at the Wild Horse Renewable Energy Center from 7 a.m. - 10 a.m. the Friday before the Modern Firearm General Elk Season for a free hunter breakfast!

Lands within the Wild Horse Wind Facility are also open to non-hunting recreational activities such as hiking, birdwatching and horseback riding from April 1 – November 30 by written permission only.

RECREATION ACCESS PERMITS ARE REQUIRED for public recreation within the wind facility boundary. Recreation access permits are available online and at the Wild Horse Renewable Energy Center April-October 31st, 9:00-5:00pm.

Print out a recreation access permit online

For more information about non-hunting recreation at Wild Horse please call 509-964-7815 or 509-899-1107.

Want to know more? Read up with the resources listed below.

• American Clean Power State wind industry fact sheets, U.S. Annual Market Reports, webinars, wildlife, permitting, and more.
• Vestas: Information on current Vestas wind turbine models and technology.
• Vestas E-Learning: Short cartoons about the wind-energy industry, construction of components, and the science behind the technology.
• Department of Energy Solar and wind information, renewables for your home, and industry updates.
• Wind Energy Education and Training Programs Wind energy education and training programs in the United States at community colleges, universities, and other institutions.
• U.S. Wind Speed Maps Color coded wind speed maps for each state.
• Wind Energy Curricula and Teaching Materials Curriculum resource list including KidWind, 4H, PBS, universities, and more.
• Solar Washington Information on solar in Washington for homeowners and businesses.
• Department of Energy Education Resources Student educational resources.