I loved my hike through the lower part of Washington’s Catherine’s Creek so much that I went back the next day to hike the upper part and see what the spring wildflower bloom had to offer. I was not disappointed…the wildflowers and the view were extraordinary! It didn’t hurt that we had a Robin’s egg blue sky that was virtually cloud free. Glorious views of Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams…

The hike is a pretty easy 1.5 mile loop. The elevation rise is a modest 120 feet and most of that is in one stretch. The trail itself is mostly smooth for the first half and then becomes a bit more narrow and rocky. No big deal though…and well worth the calorie burn to find all of these wildflowers!

Upper Catherine’s Creek Wildflowers

Naked Broomrape, Orobanche uniflora

Naked Broomrape, Orobanche uniflora

A dainty Chocolate Lily, Fritillaria affinis at Catherine's Creek photographed by Jeff Wendorff

Chocolate Lily, Fritillaria affinis

Pacific Hound’s Tongue, Cynoglossum grande at Catherine's Creek photographed by Jeff Wendorff

Pacific Hound’s Tongue, Cynoglossum grande

Wildflowers along the trail at Catherine's Creek photographed by Jeff Wendorff

Wildflowers along the trail

Serviceberry with Mt. Hood in the background at Catherine's Creek photographed by Jeff Wendorff

Serviceberry and Mt. Hood

Slender Popcorn Flower, Plagiobothrys tenellus at Catherine's Creek photographed by Jeff Wendorff

Slender Popcorn Flower, Plagiobothrys tenellus

Common Camas, Camassia quamash at Catherine's Creek photographed by Jeff Wendorff

Common Camas, Camassia quamash.

The view of the gorge and Mt. Hood was ridiculously good…

The Columbia Gorge and Mt. Hood from Catherine's Creek photographed by Jeff Wendorff

The Columbia Gorge and Mt. Hood from Catherine’s Creek

About Catherine’s Creek

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I’d like to also point you to an invaluable source for information about the wildflowers in Oregon and Washington. Greg Lief’s site www.oregonwildflowers.net is a definitive source for all things blooming and provides far more detail about where and when to visit. I would not have found these locations without the info on his site. Check it out…HERE.

Oregon Wildflower Portfolio

I suppose I should actually make a Columbia Gorge gallery on my website, but in the mean time the photos from Catherine’s Creek are living in my Oregon Wildflower portfolio. You can see the rest of the images from Catherine’s Creek in my gallery. You can order prints or if you’d like to license the images for your personal needs, we can do that too! The Oregon Wildflower Gallery is…HERE.

Nature Photography Workshops

I’m working on my 2016 schedule and Oregon Wildflowers will assuredly be on the workshop schedule next year. You can check out my current Wildlife, Nature and Creative Photography Workshops…HERE.