03/30/03
Catherine Creek West
40 Photos
Catherine Creek West
The trail where photos were taken is colored red.
Catherine Creek
Enter and bear left at this gate along the parking area
Follow what appears to be an old road to the west
From the end of February thru July wildflowers are abundant
The old roadbed dwindles but a users trail is very visible
The trail continues west
At this point you could bear left and drop down, but I went right
Looking southwest toward Rowland Lake and SR14
If you stay on this trail it does eventually end up at Coyote Wall
But for this presentation, I will leave the trail and make a loop
Here is the familiar Camas Root wildflower
The trail continues to climb
The trail continues to climb
Some Shooting Star wildflowers
A Shooting Star up close
Mountain bikers use this trail also
The trail continues to climb
The trail follows the edge of the ridge in front of you
As the trail ascends you see Rowland Lake below and Mt Hood in the distance
The trail follows the trees ahead of you
The trail continues to climb
The trail continues to climb
At this point, I left the trail and headed to the right
I crossed this field beneath the high power lines
To the northeast you come to the Catherine Creek canyon
Just walk along the edge of the draw until you find a place to drop down
Beginning downhill you can see the Columbia River to the east
Here is where I dropped down onto a road along the canyon
A glance back at Mt Hood before descending
Now just follow this road back to your vehicle
The trail/road continues downhill
As you descend you will get glimpses of the Arch along Catherine Creek
In season you may see this group of Dutchman's Breeches wildflowers
The trail/road continues downhill
The trail/road continues downhill
A look back at the Arch
This bridge takes hikers on a loop trail around the Arch, but that's another hike
Looking back uphill to the ridge you just crossed
A telephoto shot of the same ridge
And back where you began the hike
---------------------------------The End of Another Excellent Adventure!-----------------------------------
NW Anthem
Majestic
Big Horizons
Natures Majesty