Lower Lancaster Falls
Hood River County, Oregon
Your visit at a glance
- Waterfall height
- 20 ft (6 m)
- Location
- Hood River County, Oregon
- Access status
- State trail and Mount Defiance Trail to the lower tier
- The walk
- 0.9 mile on foot from the trailhead
- Ground & access
- Paved state trail beside the freeway, then a dirt trail with a modest climb. Poison oak and nettles.
Lower Lancaster Falls is the 20-foot bottom tier of Lancaster Falls on Wonder Creek, which splashes almost onto the Mount Defiance Trail in the Columbia River Gorge. From the Starvation Creek Trailhead, walk west beside the freeway on the paved Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail, past Cabin Creek Falls, to the Mount Defiance Trail junction. Turn uphill on the Mount Defiance Trail through a picnic circle with a view of Hole in the Wall Falls, cross the footbridge below it, and climb about 140 feet to the powerline corridor. Stay right at the Starvation Ridge Trail junction and soon reach Wonder Creek and the lower tier. Return the same way. The 250-foot upper tier is mostly hidden from the trail.
Plan your visit
Starvation Creek Trailhead (I-84 Exit 55) west on the Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail, then up the Mount Defiance Trail to Wonder Creek
Oregon Hikers places Lancaster Falls 0.9 mile on foot from the Starvation Creek Trailhead. Its 4.3-mile round trip also visits three other waterfalls and is not a falls-only figure.
Paved state trail beside the freeway, then a dirt trail with a modest climb. Poison oak and nettles.
Where to start
Starvation Creek Trailhead at I-84 Exit 55, reachable only from the eastbound lanes; drivers from the east must go on to the next exit and double back. Only 29 parking spaces.
Timing & water
No seasonal closure is mentioned. The tall upper tier is easiest to see from late fall to early spring, before the maples leaf out.
Before you go
Oregon Hikers lists a $10 day-use fee.
Visitor informationVisit sources
- Oregon Hikers Field Guide: Lancaster Falls
- Oregon Hikers Field Guide: Lancaster Falls
- Oregon Hikers Field Guide: Starvation Creek Waterfalls Hike
- Oregon Hikers Field Guide: Starvation Creek Waterfalls Hike
- Oregon Hikers Field Guide: Starvation Creek Trailhead
- Oregon Hikers Field Guide: Starvation Creek Trailhead
- Oregon Hikers Field Guide: Starvation Creek Trailhead
More waterfalls nearby
Within 40 straight-line miles. Road and trail distances will differ.
- Lancaster FallsTrail to the lower tier of the falls231 ft (70.4 m) · Hood River County, OR0.0 miS
- Hole-in-the-Wall FallsPaved trail from Starvation Creek Trailhead to a picnic-circle view96 ft (29.2 m) · Hood River County, OR0.2 miNE
- Cabin Creek FallsShort paved walk from Starvation Creek Trailhead220 ft (67 m) · Hood River County, OR0.5 miE
- Harrison FallsHood River County, OR0.5 miW
- Lindsey Creek Falls53 ft (16.2 m) · Hood River County, OR0.7 miW
Starvation Creek FallsShort paved walk to a viewpoint documented227 ft (69.2 m) · Hood River County, OR0.9 miE- Summit Creek Falls30 ft (9.1 m) · Hood River County, OR1.1 miW
- Camp Benson FallsPartial guide: the last section uses a powerline maintenance road that is not confirmed as an official trail85 ft (25.9 m) · Hood River County, OR1.1 miW
- Dog Creek FallsRoute and parking documented; confirm current conditions.Skamania County, WA2.5 miNE