Catherine Creek

Yellowbells. Photo by Jasper.

We went back to Catherine Creek on a gorgeous early spring day.  We love wildflowers, and this part of the gorge is a perfect spot to find some of the earliest!  This time we took the Arch Loop Hike which was just as lovely as all the other trails here.  White oak and Western white pine grow here, but don't grow into a dense forest of tall trees like Douglas fir do. There is plenty of sunshine to let meadows of wildflowers thrive.  By this time, the purple carpets of grass widows were already fading but many more flowers were taking their place. It used to be permitted to hike through the stone arch, but the area has been  fenced off and signs installed which advise the area is of cultural significance to local Native Americans.  I'm curious, but I've not been able to find out more about the arch.  We picnicked near the top of the arch and were treated to sweeping views.

Saxifrage.  Photo by Jasper.

Grass widow.  Photo by Jasper.

Prairie star.

Gold fields.

Desert parsley.

Plank bridge over Catherine Creek.

Yellowbells. Photo by Jasper.

Catherine Creek.

The stone arch.

Stone arch behind ruins of a stone building.

Buttercups.

Sara orangetip butterfly.

Blue-eyed Mary.

Western spring beauty.

Steller's jay.

Prairie star.

Mt. Hood.

Saxifrage.

Jasper loves the huge cones of the white pine.

Shooting star.

Columbia desert parsley.