Lancaster Falls
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
- Hikes including this location:
- Starvation Creek Waterfalls Hike (TH | <— —> | LOG)
- Starvation Ridge Viewpoint Hike (TH | <— —> | LOG)
- Mount Defiance from Columbia River Hike (TH | <— —> | LOG)
- Mount Defiance-Starvation Ridge Loop Hike (TH | <— —> | LOG)
- Weather forecast: NWS/NOAA
- Maps: Oregon Hikers Maps Google Maps
- Latitude, Longitude: 45.68481, -121.70613
- Elevation: 285 feet
Description
Lancaster Falls is the third of three waterfalls located on the lower portion of the Mount Defiance Trail. The trail passes the lower tier of the falls, which is a modest, 20 foot drop almost directly on to the trail. The most impressive part of the waterfall however is the upper area, which is nearly invisible from the trail. Intrepid, poison-oak fearless people can scramble up the steep slope on the west side of the waterfall around a large basalt point to a better view of the upper portion. Even here a good photo is virtually impossible.
The very top of the waterfall can be viewed from the first clearing on the Starvation Ridge Trail, where it appears the water cascades directly into the top of the trees.
The best view may be from the truck weigh station off the westbound lanes of I-84. From late fall to early spring, when the leaves are off the maples, almost the entire upper drop of Lancaster Falls can be seen. The falls are named after Samuel C. Lancaster (1864-1941), the engineer who began supervising construction of the Columbia River Highway in 1913.
More Links
- Lancaster Falls (Friends of the Columbia Gorge)
- Lancaster Falls (Northwest Waterfall Survey)
- Lancaster Falls (WaterfallsWest)
Contributors
- Stevefromdodge (creator)