Catherine Creek Universal Access Hike
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
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- Start point: Catherine Creek Trailhead
- End point: Catherine Creek West Viewpoint
- Trail log: Trail Log
- Hike type: Loop
- Distance: 1.2 miles
- Elevation gain: 90 feet
- High point: 265 feet
- Difficulty: Easy
- Seasons: All year
- Family Friendly: Yes
- Backpackable: No
- Crowded: Yes
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Hike Description
The Catherine Creek area is widely known for its wildflowers, and this short loop allows easy access to meadows and viewpoints on a paved loop. The U.S. Forest Service purchased this former ranch in the 1980s, and in 1998 a universal access trail was completed in the area between Old Highway 8 and Highway 14. The most difficult part of the entire hike for those in wheelchairs is going to be the parking area. The parking lot is unimproved and has a hard surface of somewhat uneven stone.
Cross the road to the trailhead proper, and you'll come to an accessible port-a-potty and a gate. From here the trail surface is all paved and in good condition. Cross a grassy meadow, and come to the trail junction at the beginning of the loop. Go left to pass an old corral in a grove of oaks. The trail weaves past several informational signs about the flora and history of the area. Pass a ten-foot high clump of poison oak and little clusters of bitterroot, which flowers at the end of April, on rocky humps. After a quarter of a mile, the trail reaches an overlook with a bench and a view to Catherine Creek Falls, which run at a much reduced flow in the summer. From the falls, the trail drops down somewhat steeply and switchbacks. Cross a footbridge at a vernal pond, and then traverse a small boardwalk. At a junction with a shortcut trail, keep left to make the larger loop.
Pass through an oak/ponderosa copse below a basalt outcropping. Then you're out in the open again, getting expansive views of the Columbia River. Reach the Catherine Creek West Viewpoint, and get views downriver. Near here, the rock face is splitting away at a cleft tangled with big root, a kind of wild cucumber. Cracks like this form between different lava flows and create the interesting rock formations in the area: A similar fault has created the nearby Catherine Creek Arch. The trail swings up below a house. Then wend up through a grassland past more interpretive signs. California poppy, buckwheat, bitterroot, and cluster lily all bloom here in the spring. At the upper junction with the shortcut trail, keep left and head up toward the road.
Maps
- Maps: Hike Finder
- Green Trails Maps: Columbia River Gorge - East #432S
- Adventure Maps: Hood River, Oregon, Trail Map
- National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map: Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area
Regulations or restrictions, etc
- $3.50 toll each way at Hood River Bridge
- Dogs must be on leash
Trip Reports
- Search Trip Reports for Catherine Creek Universal Access Hike
Related Discussions / Q&A
- Search Trail Q&A for Catherine Creek Universal Access Hike
Guidebooks
- Best Desert Hikes: Washington by Alan L. Bauer & Dan A. Nelson
- Afoot & Afield: Portland/Vancouver by Douglas Lorain
- 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Portland by Paul Gerald
- Curious Gorge by Scott Cook
- Best Hikes With Kids: Western Washington by Susan Elderkin
- 100 Hikes: Northwest Oregon by William L. Sullivan
- Take A Hike: Portland by Barbara I. Bond
- 70 Virtual Hikes of the Columbia River Gorge by Northwest Hiker
- Columbia Gorge Getaways by Laura O. Foster
- Columbia Gorge Hikes: 42 Scenic Hikes by Don & Roberta Lowe
Links
- Catherine Creek Interpretive Trail (#4400) (USFS)
- Catherine Creek (USFS)
- Catherine Creek - Universal Access Trail (Washington Trails Association)
- "Catherine Creek, Washington" (The Columbia River: A Photographic Journey)
- Catherine Creek (OregonWildflowers.org)
- Catherine Creek (Flora Northwest)
- Catherine Creek (Northwest Wildflowers)
Contributors
- Stevefromdodge (creator)