Tracy Hill Loop Hike

Overview

Catherine Creek is another one of those immensely popular east Gorge destinations that was slowly discovered by the hiking masses after it became public land. Originally the Lauterbach Ranch, the property, which extends from Tracy Hill west to the Labyrinth, was purchased by the Trust for Public Land in 1985. In 1986, the Scenic Area was established and the next year, the Forest Service purchased the land from TPL in keeping with its goal to expand public holdings within the CRGNSA. At first, only a few botanizers explored these slopes: the area has greater floral diversity than places like Dog Mountain because of the unusual scabland nature of the slopes below 1,200 feet, which were scoured repeatedly by the Bretz (Missoula) Floods (15,300 – 12,700 years ago). Higher level grasslands were heavily grazed in the past and are still recovering their botanical richness. This hike begins at the easternmost trailhead in the area: Forest Service plans call for a realignment of some of the tread, but any new trail will lead up the slope of Tracy Hill in a similar direction. An optional extension (described below) takes you close to the summit of Tracy Hill. For the return, some easy route finding is necessary, so keep yourself well-oriented. Hike past the gate on an old jeep track, FR 1230-030, on a grassy slope with scattered ponderosa pines. Tracy Creek runs to your left. Spring into summer, there will be many blooms down here, with bitterroot on rocky benches, shooting stars and bog saxifrage in wet areas, and grass widow, prairie star, yellow bells, and blue-eyed Mary in the meadows. Look also for several species of desert parsley. Pass under a powerline and hike along a fence line. The track briefly becomes a footpath and then swings left under a second powerline. Then, turn uphill and walk along a fenceline for a brief stretch. Where the track forks, keep right to stay above Tracy Creek. Dip into a small gully near the rim of the Major Creek valley, and then wind up an open slope. You’ll get a magnificent view o

Trail Stats

Photos

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400px-TracyHillMap

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