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Benson Plateau via Ruckle Ridge

Dad and I parked at the parking lot for the Eagle Creek Campground, hiked up to the campground, and took the trail up Ruckle Ridge (not marked on maps). Ruckle Ridge is the ridge between Ruckle Creek and Eagle Creek. The ridge is often steep, and includes some class 2 and 3 sections, and some exposure. At the more difficult sections the trail forked so one could follow an easier, lower trail that sidehills below the ridge top. It's a rolling ridge, so we lost and regained elevation often, making it more difficult than the net 3,600' elevation gain. Quite a fun trail.

We descended via the Ruckle Creek trail (trail #405), which was your normal hikeable trail. Often it breaks out into grassy hillside meadows. At the bottom the trail merged with the old highway for a few hundred feet.

• Date: 2005/09/11 Trip type: scramble Elevation gain: approx. 3,600 feet In area: Columbia River Gorge Reference: Columbia River Gorge Car-to-car time: 3 hours 50 minutes 2 hours 15 minutes ascending from Ruckle Ridge trailhead (fish hatchery) to Benson Plateau 1 hour 35 minutes descending from Benson Plateau to Ruckle Ridge trailhead (fish hatchery)

• Trail on Ruckle Ridge

• Descending Ruckle Creek trail (trail #405)

• Descending Ruckle Creek trail (trail #405)

• Greenleaf Peak and Red Bluffs from Ruckle Creek trail

• Table Mountain from Ruckle Creek trail

• Poison Oak on Ruckle Creek Trail