The area around Starvation Creek along I-84 has undergone some changes with the recent restoration of the Historic Columbia River Highway here in 2019.  For a long time, the site has been a rest area with a short trail leading to the drama of Starvation Creek Falls.  It is also the beginning of a couple of the hardest trails found in the Gorge, Starvation Ridge and Mount Defiance trails.  These trails entail a gain of 5,000 feet, with the latter trail doing it in under five miles.  But before going high there is a lot to discover down below.

In the short stretch between the rest area and Shellrock Mountain about two miles to the west, five waterfalls easily come into view; one other notable if it has rained hard recently and two or three others a bit harder to access – especially if you have to carry a 38-pound cogi.

STARVATION FALLS

Starvation Falls is just around the corner from the rest rooms.  Dropping 227 feet, the waterfall rates a strong 65.94 number on the Waterfall Survey list.  Multnomah Falls, the highest rated Oregon Falls scores an 89.92 for comparison.

Like most of the waterfalls in this area, it drops out of a narrow cleft in the rocks above.  A couple large rocks block the view of the bottom pool.  The trail up to the falls is one of the few ADA trails in the Gorge, but to see the pool requires a bit beyond.  The creek rambles noisily down to its confluence with the Columbia under the freeway just past the rest area. The noise of the waterfall is just enough to block out the freeway for a brief moment.

Starvation Creek was formerly “Starveout Creek” named for two trains stuck here during a blizzard in 1884.  The area is only reached from the freeway by eastbound traffic – if driving west, turn east at the Wyeth exit and backtrack.  To return to the west, you need to drive on east to the next exit for Viento State Park.

Onward

The rest area is also ground zero for some serious hikers – Defiance is often used by those wanting to get into shape for a climb on Mt Hood.  The climb up Defiance is not as technical, unless there is a lot of snow remaining, but it is just as hard or maybe, more so.

It is also another of the bicycle starting points for a ride on the restored HCRH.  As of early 2022, you can ride east to Viento State Park while the route west is open all the way to the beginning point in Troutdale (From Troutdale, paths lead on into downtown Portland or directly to the Portland airport!).  The last remaining section to be restored is scheduled for opening in July 2023.  That section runs from Viento Park around Mitchell Point and Ruthton Hill.  Then you will be able to go all the way from Portland to The Dalles on the restored HCRH.

CABIN CREEK FALLS

But we are off to find some waterfalls today.  Starvation Creek was too easy.  The next waterfall is pretty accessible too.  At 220 feet tall, the falls is almost as high as Starvation Creek, though it rates a lowly 40.71.  It sits a short stone’s throw off the HCRH.  You have a better view of the waterfall today than previously when there was more vegetation at the bottom.

This part of the HCRH -restored to Lindsey Creek in 2016 – doubles as the beginning of the Mount Defiance Trail.  You used to walk on a narrow path along the freeway to reach here.  You are still next to the freeway almost until you reach this waterfall, but the path has gotten wider.  The falls lies about a half mile out from the trailhead at Starvation Creek.

You only see the bottom portion of the waterfall.  Like at Starvation Creek, a large boulder tries to limit your view of that, too.  The upper section not visible from here because of the narrowness of the channel the fall drops through as it plunges downwards in tiers.

HOLE-IN-THE-WALL FALLS

Another third of a mile along the old highway brings you to a junction where the Mount Defiance Trail takes off to the left.  It directly leads through a little picnic area where a direct view of the next waterfall presents – you can also see this from the HCRH in the distance.  Hole-in-the-Wall drops 96 feet in two drops.  The waterfall survey gives it a 49.48 rating which is not bad considering it is manmade.

The creek running over the falls is Warren Creek.  You can see a boot path following the former streambed to the left for a look at the former waterfall site – the next entry.  The path of the former waterfall was seen to threaten the bottom of the roadbed of the original highway.  In order for that not to happen, the waterfall was moved in 1938 by blasting a hole in the cliff west of the former site and diverting the creek with a small dam.

A small footbridge crosses Warren Creek just below the falls.  This carries the Mount Defiance Trail which we will walk on after the next waterfall visit.

WARREN CREEK FALLS

A short walk up the former streambed of Warren Creek brings you to where Warren Falls was originally.  The former falls does flow when water levels are high, but most of the time, only a small trickle can be noticed.  You can get up close to the water dripping down here.  The former waterfall dug out an impressive bowl considering the generally small flow of the stream.  There have been some efforts to use some of the money involved in restoring the highway to restoring the flow over to its original site, but there is always a problem with money.

LANCASTER FALLS

Return to the bridge over Warren Creek at Hole-in-the-Wall Falls and continue higher on the Mount Defiance Trail.  The trail climbs in an easy fashion compared to later on.  After 140 feet gained, you reach a trail junction underneath a powerline corridor.  Starvation Ridge Trail goes off to the left, but we stay on the Defiance trail to the right.  A short distance beyond lies the lower section of Lancaster Falls – formerly Wonder Falls.

Lancaster Falls is the tallest of the waterfalls in this area dropping 303 feet with a 48.89 rating.  The trail crosses the creek below the final 20 feet of the falls.  Like Cabin Creek, you only get to see the bottom of this waterfall being so close to the bottom.  The upper sections are blocked by cliffs and only the creek drops through a small, narrow slot which you cannot see above.

The best place to see the whole waterfall is actually from the freeway though you can glimpse it through the trees in the winter from below on the HCRH, as well.

CAMP BENSON FALLS

approach

For the last easily accessible waterfall, return to the HCRH and continue west.  You cross a nicely restored bridge over Warren Creek designed to evoke the original 1916 bridge – destroyed in 1950 with the construction of the new highway – a little more grandly.  The original resembles the original bridge still in use at Gorton Creek off the Wyeth freeway exit to the west.

Just past the bridge is a circular seating area for people to look up a Lancaster Falls.  Here is where the State Parks – responsible for the new trail – could perform a little pruning as even in winter, the view to the falls is very minimal.

From the bridge, the HCRH returns to skirt alongside the freeway again crossing over Lindsey Creek on a bridge seemingly an extension of the freeway’s.  The old road then elevates to round a rock point with a couple of expanded “eagle’s nest” observatories along the climb.  One looks back upstream towards the cliffs coming down to the river near Starvation Creek while the other gives a view across the river to Dog Mountain.

up to the falls

Rounding the point, the path circles back into the forest.  As the roadway makes a sweeping turn deep in the woods, there is a gravel service road crossing the path.  Turn right and head uphill on this road.  A couple hundred feet above you reach the powerline corridor where the road junctions with a service road providing access to several power line towers.  Turn right and climb on this road.  Coming up to one of the towers, edge left into the woods as one branch of the service road turns uphill into the forest.  About 400 feet along the way, there is a wide area where you can revel in the glories of Camp Benson Falls from above.  Summit Creek provides the water.

360 view from atop Camp Benson Falls. Click and hold mouse down. Then move about for full effect.

The falls drops 85 feet in a veiled horsetail.  It scores a 47.49 on the waterfall survey scale.  Another 10-foot fall supposedly lies up higher, but the way did not look corgi-friendly.

the camp

Camp Benson was a camp established in 1912 below the falls next to the river.  From here, roughly 20 convicts from the State Penitentiary – “Honor Men” – worked out of this camp for the summer of 1912 in a first attempt at establishing an automobile road around the talus slopes of Shellrock Mountain.  They succeeded in establishing something, though most of their work needed to be undone when the highway was finally put through around the mountain in 1916.

Simon Benson, a successful Norwegian emigrant who made his money downriver with timber enterprises on the lower Columbia, put up $10,000 of his own money for the 1912 project.  The work never finished because with the initial money used up, there was not anymore to complete the road.

onward?

Above the falls, a wooden footbridge crosses the creek.  It is there for power workers to be able to access the next tower sited above the east shoulder of Shellrock Mountain – a feature known as “The Backbone”.  This might have been the approximate crossing point of Summit Creek for the 1876 The Dalles-Sandy Military Wagon Road. 

If you walk around Shellrock Mountain further to the west from the forest service road, you can gain access to the remains of that road lying a couple hundred feet above the HCRH and freeway.  Walking east on the wagon road, you come to a rock cut where the road disappears with the top of Camp Benson Falls about two hundred feet further.  It might be possible to edge along the cliffs here, but with Ollie the corgi in tow, that was not going to happen.

THE OTHERS

Besides clambering upstream from the top of Camp Benson to see the little Summit Falls, there are two other off-trail waterfalls on Lindsey Creek you can investigate.   The lower one is known as Harrison Falls.  It drops 64 feet in four stages – the upper stage being 28 feet.  It gets a low rating of only 24.36 from the survey. 

From the east side of the HCRH crossing of Lindsey Creek, begin to make your way into the canyon beyond.  Long pants are nice with poison oak abounding.  Figure on getting a bit wet because the falls are in the canyon.  There are lots of bushes and little trees to get in your way, especially if your attempt is during the summer.

Lindsey Creek Falls – rating in at 38.09 – is further upstream.  The 53-foot waterfall plunges with a outward veil due to a stone stuck in the middle of the falls.  The waterfall made it to the cover of Scott Cook’s 2008 Pokin’ Round The Gorge.

You find this waterfall by going in the eastward direction of the powerline road you follow to Camp Benson Falls.  The road ends above Lindsey Creek.  A bootpath heads down to the creek from where you scramble upstream to the falls at the 396-foot elevation level.  Again, Ollie the corgi means do not get too adventurous.  As it was, he managed to gain a couple of free riders in the forms of ticks on the day.  He did not need anymore!