Hiking at Catherine Creek on the Columbia River Gorge

Looking for more great places to explore along the Columbia River?
On the Oregon side, hike to the Mosier or Rowena Plateau, or try a bike ride along the Historic Columbia River Highway from Hood River to Mosier.

WE HIKED IT

April, 2021, about two hours

CURRENT INFO

Catherine Creek Recreation Area is managed by the U.S. Forest Service. Trail reports for both the Arch Loop and the Universal Access Trail are available on the WTA (Washington Trails Association) website. Good information and a map is also posted on the Friends of the Columbia Gorge website. Catherine Creek is featured in both Best Hikes with Kids: Western Washington by Susan Elderkin and 50 Hikes with Kids: Oregon & Washington by Wendy Gorton. If you have an AllTrails membership, I found it very helpful to download the trail map ahead of time. Without a good map, it’s easy to lose the route near the top of the trail!

GOOD TO KNOW

• Parking is free at the Catherine Creek trailhead. A large number of pull-in parking spots line the road.
• This is a popular place, especially in spring, and even on a weekday dozens of cars were parked by mid-morning. By early afternoon, cars were parked at various points along the road, not just at the main trailhead.
• There are many trails at Catherine Creek, some of which may not appear on a map, and little signage. I highly recommend downloading the route using trail app, such as AllTrails, or bringing along a guidebook that includes a good map. When hiking the arch loop, I referred to the AllTrails map several times to avoid getting lost!
• Bring sunscreen, hats, and plenty of water, as there is little shade.
• Dogs on leash are allowed at Catherine Creek.
• Port-a-potties are located at the trailhead for the universal access trail.
• The paved universal access trail also features interpretive signage, and is designed to be wheelchair friendly. Be aware, however, that the trail has some gentle hills, so those with wheelchairs may require assistance.

• Keep an eye out for poison oak. It’s everywhere here! Well, fortunately it isn’t growing on the trail itself, but it’s frequently found nearby. Stay on the trail and don’t touch or brush up against any unknown plants to avoid coming down with an itchy rash! Poison oak leaves range from red to green, as seen in the photo above. They lose their leaves in the winter, but brushing up against the bare branches can still cause a rash, so play it safe and keep to the trail.

HIGHLIGHTS

Catherine Creek features stunning views across the Columbia River to Mount Hood. The arch trail takes you through a fascinating landscape of basalt cliffs and rolling prairies that come alive with wildflowers each spring. The universal access loop is rich with spring flowers, and includes fine river views as well.

THE KIDS’ TAKE

A couple creek crossings, an old corral, and rocky bluffs to climb all helped draw the kids into the hike. I just had to make sure they didn’t take off running downhill on the way back — loose dirt and rocks can be slippery!

WHILE YOU’RE HERE

Catherine Creek is located a ten-minute drive east of the towns of White Salmon and Bingen. Take the opportunity to enjoy one of the best bakeries in the Gorge (or anywhere, really) — the White Salmon Baking Company. Serving excellent bread, pastries, and coffee, as well as a selection of breakfast and lunch items, you don’t want to miss it!

There are many more trails in the area, including the Lyle Cherry Orchard, Coyote Wall, and Klickitat River Trail. Mountain bikers can check out Syncline, or practice their moves at the White Salmon Bike Park. On the south side of the Columbia River, hike to the Mosier Plateau, passing a gorgeous waterfall on your way to the top. Bicyclists of all levels should definitely check out the Historic Columbia River Highway route from Hood River to Mosier.

It was a clear, sunny April day in the Columbia Gorge when our family, together with my parents and father-in-law, crossed the bridge from Hood River to White Salmon. After a delicious breakfast at White Salmon Baking Company, we were ready for a hike. Our goal was to follow the arch loop trail at nearby Catherine Creek, a two-mile trek that sounded ideal for a multi-generational hike. Windswept hills greeted us as we pulled into the parking area. The day before, we hiked through evergreen forests past Multnomah Falls. Here, less than an hour’s drive east along the Columbia River, was a completely different landscape.

We headed out to find the trail known as the arch loop, which would take us along the creek to a natural basalt arch. A gentle dirt road led to a trail junction where we headed straight, continuing along the old road through a small canyon forested with oak trees. Wildflowers drew my attention to the side of the trail, and so did poison oak. “Stay on the trail!” I warned the kids. “Don’t touch the plants!”

A bouncy plank bridge crossed Catherine Creek. Basalt cliffs towered over us on the right, and we admired the rocky formations. Up ahead, an old corral caught our attention, and we wondered out loud about the people who once lived here, the settlers who used this land for grazing cattle or horses. It was a beautiful spot, shaded by the cliffs and oak trees.

Now the trail grew steeper. “This is an easy hike?” my father-in-law asked. “We’re almost to the top!” I replied. Sure enough, the trail started to curve to our right, and we were almost level with the top of the cliffs. Pausing for a moment, I pulled out my phone to check the trail map, which I had downloaded ahead of time using the AllTrails app. This is when I discovered we were doing a clockwise loop — not the counterclockwise direction I’d intended! We had obviously missed the turnoff for the other trail. Oh, well. At least I knew where we were… or did I?

At any rate, I quickly decided that clockwise was the way to go. Look at these views! Up on the ridge, we could see the Columbia River with Mount Hood peeking over the hills on the southern side of the Gorge. It was stunning! It was also hardly surprising that, while admiring all this beauty, we didn’t notice a small trail branching off to our right. We kept going, walking east through meadows dotted with wildflowers. But something about this path didn’t seem quite right, and I once again pulled up the hiking map on my phone. A helpful blue dot showed our exact location. No doubt about it — we were on the wrong trail.

“We have to turn around!” I called out to our small group. “We missed the trail!” Luckily we hadn’t gone far. Plus, the views were wonderful! I kept my phone out, searching for the correct place to turn and head back toward the trailhead. Once I found it, it was easy to understand how I’d missed it. The turnoff looked like a pile of rubble alongside the main trail. With no signage, it was hard to see that this was the start of an actual trail. Thank goodness for modern technology! Without my online trail map, finding our intended route would have been a real challenge.

There was still one thing that puzzled us, however. Where was the arch? Now that we were above the basalt ridge, we couldn’t possibly see it. How had we missed it? I found the answer when we returned to the parking lot. Pulling out one of my hiking guidebooks, I read that the arch is located in the cliffs across from the corral. We had been so busy checking out the corral that we neglected to look more closely at the basalt formations on the opposite side of the trail. This arch is a subtle one, and we missed it. No one seemed too disappointed. With views like these, how could we?

The trail back was definitely rougher than the wide path we followed for the first half of the hike. It was uneven, often narrow, and strewn with jagged rocks. Gradually, it led us down the hillside as Mount Hood slowly sank lower into the hills. Near the end, we crossed Catherine Creek once again, and were back at the parking lot.

At this point, my mom and father-in-law were ready for a break. Michael and I, on the other hand, were eager to get a taste of the universal access loop, a short, paved trail that started on the south side of the parking area. Figuring we could quickly do a short loop, we headed out with my dad any my older son, J.

Unlike the other trails at Catherine Creek, the universal access trail is well-signed and easy to navigate. Interpretive signs give insight into the area’s flora and geology. The views are still gorgeous, and during our April visit, wildflowers, particularly camas lilies, were prolific. We chose the shorter of two loop options, and were back at the trailhead within 20 minutes. It was a lovely way to end our morning hike. As for the missing arch… well, that’s just one more reason to revisit beautiful Catherine Creek!