Catherine Creek (Upper)

This creek is not a serious canyoneering objective. There are certainly much better options in the area. Do not visit after about mid-summer as the creek, despite its size, runs completely dry. This might be an interesting one to visit when other creeks are running high. All drops / slides on upper Catherine Creek can be bypassed. A rope might be required in higher flow.

From the Catherine Creek trailhead, pass through the gate and follow the obvious track northeast into the Catherine Creek drainage. Just before the creek, go left / uphill for 1.25mi. At about 1200' elevation, watch for a junction where you'll turn right. Follow this old road grade northward on a gentle traverse. It eventually descends into the upper creek drainage. Beware poison oak. Continue north for 0.6mi to a second Y-jct (not obvious; keep an eye out). Bear right again for a few hundred feet and watch for a loose talus slope leading downwards into the drainage. Drop in and head downstream.

The creek drops into a shallow, somewhat overgrown trench and remains that way for a significant period of time. Continue downstream perhaps 0.5mi with some minor downclimbs. Occasional nice stretches of bedrock. Below the last downclimb is a large brushy thicket. The creek then slots up very briefly. Below this point the creek becomes overgrown, so it's probably best to exit the drainage. Ascend slopes DCL onto Tracy Hill to about 1000ft elevation and head south from there.