Hiked 04/10/04
Ruckel Creek Hike
57 Photos
Ruckel Creek
The trail where photos were taken is colored red.
This hike begins at the Eagle Creek Fish Hatchery parking lot
The trail climbs past the campground and through lush green forests
The trail continues
Maiden Hair Ferns along the way
And in about a half mile it comes to a paved portion of the Old Columbia River Hwy
Follow this paved trail to the east for short distance
Continue on the paved portion of the trail
Continue on the paved portion of the trail
Soon you will see the Trail on the south side of the paved path at Ruckel Creek
The one thing this trail does very well is CLIMB
And climb it does
At one point the trail passes under the high power lines from Bonneville Dam
Wild Strawberry blossoms
After a few more switchbacks the trail breaks out into this open area
In season there are alot of Wallflowers along this part of the hike
A Wallflower bouquet
The trail continues
This appears to be an indian pit left over from before our time
Now the trail will begin to get serious about climbing
In season, you will see alot of these wildflowers - Lady Slippers or Clypso
You will encounter many switchbacks that make the steepness of this climb tolerable
The trail continues
In season Dog Wood are seen along the trail
The trail continues
The trail continues
The trail continues along a steep ridge
Now the serious climbing begins - 15 switchbacks ahead
The climb continues
The climb continues
At switchback #10 you get a fantastic view north into Washington state
Looking down at the Bridge of the Gods and Cascade Locks - Mt Adams peeking
Looking back at Table Mtn as the trail continues to climb
The last of the 15 switchbacks end ahead
Now some serious viewage
A little closeup of Mt Hood makes a great spring shot
The trail is much more level for the remainder of the hike
Tanner Butte is still snow capped
Now the spring flowers begin
The specialty up here is the Shooting Star
That is Benson Plateau way up and to the right
The trail continues
The trail continues
The trail continues
A closer look at the beautiful Shooting Star wildflowers
The trail continues
The trail continues
A look back
Another look back
Looking back down at the Columbia River in the distance
Another view northwest into Washington state
Another closeup shot of the wonderful Shooting Star wildflower
This little stream seems to be wet all year round
Which is no doubt one reason for the many wildflowers growing here
It is hard to stop taking photos of such beauty
The little yellow red dot wildflower is plentiful also
A lone Glacier Lily shares its beauty
And another gorgeous Shooting Star ends our presentation of Ruckle Creek Meadows
---------------------------------The End of Another Excellent Adventure!-----------------------------------
NW Anthem
Majestic
Big Horizons
Natures Majesty