No, there aren’t any waterfalls or ocean beaches. No, it isn’t near any big cities or hot tourist destinations. And no, it’s not always worth making a road trip to see.

But Catherine Creek State Park is still a special little place, adorned with natural beauty and peaceful quietude, and perhaps worth more attention than it receives.

In 2023, Catherine Creek (not to be confused with the Washington park by the same name) saw 17,376 day-use visitors and 3,640 overnight campers, according to the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. That was low enough to make Catherine Creek the third least-visited state park last year.

Location likely has a lot to do with that. Catherine Creek is located in a remote stretch of the Blue Mountains in northeast Oregon, about 13 minutes outside the small town of Union. For those unfamiliar, Union is 14 miles outside La Grande, which is about 50 miles southeast of Pendleton.

Many visitors show up for the quiet campground, which features 20 primitive sites, or the beautiful little picnic area beside Catherine Creek itself. Hikers can also enjoy a small trail network that runs through the park and up into the foothills above.

The park has two trailheads, one at the campground and another at the main day-use area. Each trailhead leads hikers across a charming arched footbridge over the creek and into the woods on the other side.

The Salmon Run Trail links those two bridges together, running a half mile along a cliff above the creek, under a canopy of conifers and through thickets of Pacific ninebark shrubs. It continues uphill another .4 miles to the North Ridge Loop, which offers several great views of the surrounding hills.

Starting from either bridge, the whole hike is about 2.5 miles. The trails aren’t particularly steep, gaining only about 450 feet in elevation. And while unsigned, the trail network is easy to follow, with clear junctions and few user-made trails.

The park is particularly beautiful in the late spring and early summer. On a recent visit in June, the ninebark shrubs were flowered out, with red columbine flowers hanging along the trails alongside wild roses, red paintbrush and yellow buttercups. The clear waters of the creek flowed through lush green brush in the foothills of the mountains.

On beautiful days like that, you can’t expect to be the only one on the trail. But unlike in Oregon’s busier parks, like Silver Falls or Tryon Creek, you won’t likely have to contend with crowds of people, or battle for a parking spot at the trailhead. Even if Catherine Creek State Park gets a little more crowded, it seems destined to remain one of the state’s quietest destinations.

To get to Catherine Creek State Park from La Grande, take U.S. 30 east until it crosses Interstate 84 and becomes Oregon 203. In 11 miles, in Union, turn left onto East Beakman Street. In 8.6 miles, look for a parking area on the left.

--Jamie Hale covers travel and the outdoors and co-hosts the Peak Northwest podcast. Reach him at 503-294-4077, jhale@oregonian.com or @HaleJamesB.

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