We were the 17th vehicle to park at the TH when we arrived a little after noon. 4 forest service workers were returning to their vehicle as we began our meander. They told us they had been accessing the damage from the Burdoin Fire in July of last year. We walked the trail clockwise and enjoyed the early wildflowers that were blooming. Grass widows were the most prevalent flower and a few had already faded with many more yet to bloom. A few Prairie stars, saxifrage, yellow desert parsley, Columbia desert parsley, and salt and pepper were also seen. The day was cloudy and cool. Only wildlife seen was a scrub Jay.
Trip Report
Catherine Creek - Universal Access Trail — Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026
Southwest Washington > Columbia River Gorge - WA
Type of Hike
Day hikeTrail Conditions
Trail in good conditionRoad
Road suitable for all vehiclesBugs
No bugsSnow
Snow free
Comments
Pretty photos, thanks for sharing! Just a guess, how much ahead of average are the flowers this season? Thanks!
Posted by:
AlpsDayTripper on Feb 09, 2026 08:32 AM
I have read a few reports every year of grass widows and a few other flowers being seen as early as January in the Catherine Creek area, but not in large numbers. They are not in large numbers now, but from what the forest workers told us when were at Catherine Creek they are being seen in larger numbers this year. I would guess it will be mid-March before there are flowers in larger numbers! The man who appeared to be most experienced told us he think it will be an extra good wildflower year in the area. Paul Sclichter who writes many posts on the Washington Native Plant Society on Facebook recently posted a report on the flowers at Dalles Mountain Ranch trails and said "there may be more wildflower species in bloom on the various trails at Columbia Hills SP, but in general he feels the Catherine Creek area is ahead in its bloom due to the recent Bordoin Fire which fertilized the the soil and opened up the ground warming sunshine allowing earlier growth!" I didn't read this until after we were home. We might have gone to Columbia Hill SP trails instead of Cottonwood Canyon if I had. However, we would have missed the many bighorn sheep at Cottonwood!
Posted by:
Bob and Barb on Feb 11, 2026 03:56 PM