Catherine Creek, Coyote Wall

In anticipation of my first Cascadian hike of the year as designated leader, I didn't get a wink of sleep the night before this trip... worried about the forecasted chance of rain and typical 30 mph wind gusts in the Columbia Gorge. I was fretting about the various routes from the Catherine Creek trailhead to the Coyote Wall, wondering which path would provide the appropriate distance, the best scenery, challenging elevation, and grandest views. As I had only trekked to the Wall once before, my memory was a bit foggy about certain intersections on the trail... and as leader, I worried I'd drag my hiking companions on "the never ending journey", wandering around the hillsides in search of our goal.

All for not - my worries! First of all, the eight hikers who met in the Yakima parking lot at 7:30am were ready for adventure! Everyone was eager to hit the trail, seven of whom had never been to the Catherine Creek area EVER. When I mentioned the various routes available, and my disclaimer about possible wandering, one of the gentlemen calmed my nerves by saying, "Part of the fun is the trail-finding!" Phew! This was the attitude I needed!

We left Yakima in blue skies and entered the Columbia Gorge in the same. Temperatures were expected to reach 70 and the forecasted winds were keeping both my hands firmly on the steering wheel as we drove down Hwy 14 towards Rowland Lake. We parked at the Catherine Creek Trailhead and were immediately welcomed by the winds. Everyone grabbed their windbreakers and gear and we headed up Road 15 to the left. Never was there a threat of rain! All day we claimed the sun! It was awesome...

This route crosses grassy, rocky, swampy (at times) terrain riddled with all sorts of wildflowers - too many to name. And of course, the views are remarkable... especially on a mostly sunny day like this one!

The trail follows a cliff as it gains elevation; the path is very rocky, but easy to see. Poison oak begins to present itself - and it is PLENTIFUL!!! I regretted wearing short pants, as I had the added chore of watching not to brush up against the poison plant. The trail leaves the cliff area, dips into a canyon, crosses a creek, then climbs again through oak and pine. It's delightful to walk through the forest filtered with sunlight... and the path begins to shake off all the rocks to reveal an easy dirt trail. Continuing on, you pass through the most wonderful meadows, dotted with tiny yellow and white blooms. The meadows are mostly open, with an occasional lonely pine or oak tree... and with the vast river view as a backdrop, you can't help but claim each lonely tree as "Your new favorite tree." I do, anyway.

A narrow, faint trail cuts off into an oak thicket to the right (headed north) BEFORE you reach a large intersection with a Burns Farm sign posted. Follow it to the right until you reach the first left. At the T in this road, on the right, there is an old oak with a giant hole at eye level - it's distinctive enough - you can't miss it. It points to the road headed west.

Cross the last and grandest meadow leading to the destination. Here, we were pleasantly surprised that the winds from earlier had died down. We were able to walk along the wall, sit comfortably and eat our lunches, and enjoyed the perfect weather conditions all the while! The breezes were hardly a bother. Mt. Hood, hidden when we first arrived at the Wall, showed herself in full glory before we packed up and left! It was the best dessert we could have had!

We wandered about a bit, then simply retraced our steps, and were reminded of the ups and downs, some steep, slippery sections and the rocky descent near the end. Take care on these rocky slopes, as they are steep and feet and legs are tired at this point in your journey.

All told... it was 4.5 hours of great fun! We had left the trailhead at 10am and arrived back to our vehicles at 2:30pm. My troop was pleasantly tired; one gal commented the adventure was a "10" in her book. That was music to my ears! Next time I won't fret so much about leading such an adventure. I will try-out some of the other trails in the area... as they look promising too!