30 min
Overview
There are a number of pleasant strolls in the Catherine Creek area: this one visits the Catherine Creek Arch, an old corral, and ponderosa pine parklands offering views to the Columbia River and a display of wildflowers in the spring. A new (2019) footbridge and a section of trail built by the Washington Trails Association allows you to complete a loop without walking on Highway 14. 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). Now, Catherine Creek is a very popular destination, especially in the spring, so it's a good idea to get here early on weekends to have the place a little to yourself. From the Catherine Creek Trailhead, hike on a closed road (Atwood Road, signed FR 020), toward the northeast. About 80 yards from the gate, you'll keep left at the junction with the new Catherine Creek Loop Trail. The road soon drops down to Catherine Creek as it bubbles through a small oak forest. The graveled road continues upstream for a bit to a junction with another closed road, this one signed FR 021, a.k.a. the Catherine Creek Arch Trail. Follow the road as it crosses the creek on a small bouncy bridge made of small logs and plywood. This trail heads up the east side of the creek next to large wall of columnar basalt. You'll soon come to an abandoned corral filled with miner's lettuce that blooms in April. The rock arch looms over the corral high above a talus slope made of fallen rock. In times past, visitors could scramble up and through the arch to the b
Trail Stats
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152 m
187 m
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Photos
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