Starvation Creek Falls

Starvation Creek Falls is a two-tier waterfall about 190 feet high, dropping down a wooded rock face beneath the Columbia Gorge cliffs. It is the namesake of Starvation Creek State Park, a compact roadside day-use stop west of Hood River. A very short walk from the parking area brings you to the creek and the base of the cascade. The height is the surprise: both steps rise above you from close range.

The waterfall is just east of the restrooms, so follow the path and signs instead of expecting to see the whole cascade from the road. The approach begins over a boardwalk and continues along a paved route to the viewing area. A couple of picnic tables sit by the creek near the falls. The Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail also starts here; its one-mile eastward walk toward Viento is a separate extension, not part of the short waterfall stop.

There are two explanations for the name. One says an overland pioneer party ran short of food; the other ties it to a Pacific Express passenger train trapped by blizzard snow in December 1884. That train was stuck for 21 days as relief crews carried supplies from Hood River, finally getting through on January 6, 1885. Newspaper reports said passengers had starved, but no one died or was lost. The second story gives the quick stop a human thread: the creek's name reaches back to a winter emergency on this stretch of the Gorge.

Eastbound I-84 uses Exit 55 for the park, and the exit is eastbound-only. Coming from the west, continue to Exit 51 at Wyeth and return east. Oregon State Parks requires a day-use parking permit purchased on site; restrooms are at the rest area. Dogs are allowed on the trails on a leash no longer than six feet. For a photo, use the creek near the picnic tables in the foreground and keep both tiers of the falls in view above it.