Mount Defiance Trail to the Summit

From the Starvation Creek lot, head west on the paved Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail; it becomes gravel as it passes Starvation Cutoff and Cabin Creek Falls. At Hole-in-the-Wall Falls, stay left where Mount Defiance Trail #413 leaves the easy grade, then cross Warren Creek on a footbridge. The approach climbs gently to the Starvation Ridge Trail #414 junction, about 0.8 mile from the start. Keep right on #413; turning onto #414 begins a different loop.

Beyond Lancaster Falls, the hill changes character. The trail steepens into long switchbacks and gains close to 3,000 feet over the next three miles. Some of this climb runs under trees; other sections cross the slopes burned in the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire, where black trunks and new growth open the hillside. The footing turns rougher as the grade keeps pulling upward. You do not need to scramble, but the sustained climb is the work, and coming down the same slope can be hard on knees.

Around 3,500 feet, the forest thins and rocky, scree-covered slopes begin to show off the height you have gained. Look back through openings for the Gorge and the Cascade peaks; on a clear day the views include Adams, Rainier and St. Helens. Near Warren Lake, stay straight where Mitchell Point Trail #417 branches away. On the final pitch, keep to the direct summit route when the cutoff curves around the west side toward Bear Lake.

The top is a former fire-lookout site, now occupied by radio towers, so it feels more like a working mountaintop than a wild summit. The south-side boulders make a good place to sit, with Mount Hood rising beyond the forested ridges. The name Mount Defiance comes from its snow lasting longer than other Gorge peaks, which is why the summit can hold snow after lower trails have cleared.

May through October is the usual hiking window; upper snow can outlast lower Gorge trails, and clouds can hide the summit views. Treat this as a high, strenuous mountain day, not a low-elevation Gorge hike. Restrooms are at the east end of the Starvation Creek parking area. There is no food stop on the route; Hood River or Cascade Locks are separate drives for a meal afterward. Dogs are allowed. Keep them on a leash no longer than six feet in the state park and on the State Trail; farther up, dogs may be off leash on Forest Service land. Part of the route crosses Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness.