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Ruckel Creek Trail #405
Oregon
NOTE:
The following two books are highly recommended for anyone
interested in hiking in the Columbia River Gorge:
Hiking the Columbia River Gorge
and
100 Hikes in Northwest Oregon
I personally own both and consider
them indispensible for hiking the Columbia River Gorge.
Length:
5.8 miles one-way
Trail Uses: Hiking
Facilities available: Parking, Restrooms, Picnicing,
Drinking Water
Season of Use: April to November
Difficulty: Difficult
Elevation: 3760 feet
Visitor Use: Light
Northwest Forest Pass Required
Access: Eastbound I-84 –
Take Eagle Creek exit # 41. turn right, park at the picnic
ground entrance, and hike 0.1 mile (0.2 km) up the road toward
Eagle Creek Campground. Take Gorge Trail # 400 0.5 mile (0.8
km) to the junction of Trail # 405, which starts alongside
an abandoned Historic Columbia River Highway bridge on the
east side of Ruckel Creek. Westbound I-84 – Take Bonneville
Dam exit # 40. Drive under the freeway and join eastbound
traffic. After 1 mile (1.6 km) take Eagle Creek exit # 41
as indicated above.
Description: Steep Ruckel Creek
Trail offers a wide variety of scenery, botany, and wildlife
in its climb up the southern face of the gorge. From April
through May, the climb to Benson Plateau passes moss-covered
rock slides dotted with wildflowers and old-growth woodland.
The trail forks after the forested plateau. The trail on the
right side (past a “Trail Not Maintained” sign)
provides a perfect lunch spot and turnaround point next to
the splashing Ruckel Creek. The trail can be combined with
either Ruckel Ridge Trail (9.6 miles) or Eagle-Benson Trail
for a longer loop (16.6 miles).
Features: The trail provides fantastic
cliff-top views of the Bridge of the Gods, Table Mountain,
and Mount Adams.
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