Ruckel Creek Falls is a 46-foot horsetail waterfall on Ruckel Creek in Hood River County, Oregon, immediately below Ruckel Creek Bridge.
The falls
The creek falls 46 feet in a single horsetail below the bridge, distinct from the Ruckel Creek Trail that climbs upstream. The source is spring-fed and flows year-round, though late-summer flow is much smaller.
Getting there
The route follows a 1.21-mile out-and-back from the Eagle Creek Trailhead, with 194 feet of gain, along the highway-side path toward the bridge. The Forest Service closed Ruckel Creek Trail #405 under an order that ran from July 7, 2025 to July 7, 2026; whether that closure reaches the lower bridge approach, or what its status is afterward, is not documented.
When to go
Winter to spring is the recommended season; flow becomes much smaller by late summer. In the leafless season the falls can also be seen from Interstate 84.
On site
Older trail descriptions mention views reached across a meadow west of the bridge, but that predates the trail closure and is not a current authorization to leave a closed route.
Nearby
Mossy Grotto Falls is about 0.5 mile away. Middle Ruckel Creek Falls is about 0.9 mile, and Upper Ruckel Creek Falls, also on Ruckel Creek, about 1 mile.
Distances are straight-line.