Hike to Mossy Grotto Falls

Note: This trail may be closed. Additionally, getting to Mossy Grotto Falls is a very challenging adventure, especially when conditions are muddy.  Before exploring this adventure, consider checking for updates with the Forest Service for the Columbia River Gorge: (541) 308-1700.  

This newly discovered waterfall has become a favorite for photographers – even so, it has yet to receive an official name. The waterfall is located just 300 feet off the Ruckel Creek Trail in the Columbia River Gorge, but it can be quite challenging to access. The rewards are well worth the slippery trail, however.

On the trail, you will climb some pretty good grades through beautiful thickets of forests and a few open meadows. After 0.8 miles of hiking, you will arrive at a very large, easily identified clearing, called Indian Pits. Walk about 150 feet through the clearing and you will see trampled ground to your right, heading downhill. Follow this unofficial trail (treaded by outdoor photographers) as you descend rapidly down a steep grade. Be careful, this part of the hike has some slippery, moss-covered rocks! Please make sure to follow Leave No Trace ethics, as the vegetation has become quite trampled.

Once you reach the creek, the falls are just a few hundred feet upstream. If you are hiking at night, be sure to bring a flashlight or headlamp, as the light disappears quickly here, and it is much harder crawling back up the hill to the trail than it is coming down!

Getting there:
Head out of Portland on Interstate 84 East and take exit 41. Park at the lot adjacent to the fish hatchery, and follow the paved path along the highway for a half mile to reach the Ruckle Creek Trailhead.

Key coordinates:
Ruckle Creek Trail #405 Trailhead: 45.645264, -121.918747 

Mossy Grotto Falls: 45.6361536,-121.8870842