Ruckel Creek

Page Index

• Ruckel Creek Bridge
• Ruckel Creek Waterfalls

Jackie Scott, Trail opens window to old forest

Chew said renovating a portion of the Columbia River Highway gave him a chance to examine the work of early road builders. The highway’s original concrete curbs and gutters are still in place, although many were buried by landslides for decades. ... Uncovering the curbs was a bit like participating in an archaeological dig. Chew said the original engineers recognized the importance of installing curbs, gutters and cross-drains to carry away the profuse run-off in the Columbia River Gorge. Few other highways in the Northwest featured anything more elaborate than drainage ditches at the time the Columbia River Highway was built, Chew said. The highway’s original clay culverts are still in place under the renovated trail. Renovation has restored the bridge railing over Ruckel Creek to its full length of four arches. Once again, travelers will be able to pause at the sparkling creek. For decades, the only people who visited the rustic bridge were hikers on the nearby Ruckel Creek Trail or Gorge Trail 400.

Just an assumption, but I suspect this was a staging area for the construction of I-80N below...

Ruckel Creek Bridge

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Ruckel Creek Falls

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The highway goes off into the abyss created by I-84 and the trail curves to the east along its own route. This was a road constructed as a detour during freeway construction. There are many grades like this lurking in the Gorge along the interstate.

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