Ruckle Creek Trail May 25, 2013

A hike up Ruckle Creek Trail to Benson Plateau

I did a hike Saturday up the Ruckle Creek Trail to Benson Plateau. I had planned on doing a hike around the Plateau but found the snow obscured the trail past Hunter Camp. This trail starts out next to Ruckle Creek and finishes at Ruckle Creek up on the Plateau but you are nowhere near the creek the rest of the time. In going up the trail you first pass an area of ancient Indian pits. From there you climb a steep ridge that eventually gives a good view of the Gorge at the edge of a thousand foot cliff. From there you turn away from the cliff edge and run almost flat through an area call the “Hanging Gardens”. Then you do a final steep long accent onto Benson Plateau, which I found this day to be like walking into a freezer. After a eating a granola bar I reverse the process and returned to my car. This hike is about 9 miles and 3700 feet elevation gain.