Catherine Creek - Natural Arch — Saturday, Apr. 15, 2023

We took a leisurely hike around the Catherine Creek Arch Loop to look for birds and blooming wildflowers. In the spring, every visit brings new color displays in the changing palette of wildflower bloom so we never tire of hiking here.

As usual for a spring weekend, parking space was at a premium. In the afternoon, however, more parking spaces become available as people finish their hikes and leave, so plan to either arrive early (before 10 a.m.) or late (after 2 p.m.) to be guaranteed a parking space.

We always hike the loop clockwise to go with the flow rather than having to frequently step off the trail for on-coming traffic.

Poison oak is barely beginning to emerge from winter dormancy so sticking to the established trail is a safe bet. In places it grows right to the edge of the path. If your dog is investigating smells off the trail, a dog bath might be a good idea when you get home. If your dog has poison oak oil on its fur and you touch it, you will most likely have a reaction where the oil comes into contact with your skin.

Despite several signs along the trails stating that dogs are required to be leashed, I observed numerous hikers with off-leash dogs. Hikers don't realize that the Western Meadowlarks they hear singing from the tree tops are ground-nesting birds. The female Western Meadowlark chooses a nest spot on the ground in the grassland. She seeks out a small dip or depression, often shielded by dense vegetation that can make the nest difficult to see and uses the vegetation around the nest cup as an anchor to create a hoodlike, waterproof dome over the nest by weaving together grass and shrub stems. This hides the nest from aerial predators, but inquisitive dogs can flush the females from the nests, which is one reason to comply with the leash requirement.

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More Information on this Trip Report

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