A log cabin from the early 1900s sits at the edge of a meadow in this quiet corner of the Eagle Cap Wilderness. The well-graded trail to the meadow follows the North Fork of Catherine Creek up a long, curving valley gouged from the mountains by an Ice Age glacier. Expect to share the meadow with grazing cattle.

If you’re driving from La Grande, take . . .

. . .   A few dozen cattle crop the grass and wildflowers. Grasshoppers jump out of your path and fat ground squirrels stand on their hind paws to watch you pass. In the midst of the meadow, a rock cairn marks a junction with . . .

Other Options

The main trail forks to the left near . . .

This chapter is an excerpt from 100 Hikes: Eastern Oregon