Cabin Creek Falls is a 220-foot tiered waterfall on Cabin Creek in Hood River County, Oregon, on the cliffs just west of Starvation Creek State Park in the Columbia River Gorge. Its lower tier falls almost onto the paved Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail, a short walk from the parking lot.
The falls
The falls consists of two plunges: the creek shoots out of a narrow crack in the cliff, bounces on a small shelf and then drops to the trail, with the taller tier measuring 135 feet. Cabin Creek is a small stream, about 5 feet wide, and large boulders at the base keep both tiers from being seen together from one spot. The falls can also be seen from Interstate 84.
Getting there
Park at Starvation Creek State Park, off I-84 about halfway between Cascade Locks and Hood River; the lot can be reached only from the eastbound lanes. A day-use parking permit is required, sold on site: $10 a day for Oregon residents, $12 for nonresidents, or $60 and $75 for 12 months. Federal recreation passes and the Northwest Forest Pass are not accepted.
From the west end of the lot, the paved state trail, which is also the start of the Mount Defiance Trail, reaches the falls in about a third of a mile on an easy walk. The same trail can be walked from Viento State Park, 1 mile to the east, where Cabin Creek Falls is the first waterfall heading west. The Starvation Ridge Cut-Off has been closed by a washout since August 7, 2023; it is not the route to Cabin Creek.
When to go
Spring is the recommended season, when the creek carries about 10 cubic feet per second; it can run dry later in the year.
On site
The viewpoint is on the paved trail at the foot of the lower tier, and no single spot shows the whole falls. Dogs must stay on a leash no longer than 6 feet. Restrooms and picnic facilities are back at the Starvation Creek lot.
Nearby
Hole-In-The-Wall Falls is about 0.3 mile away, Starvation Creek Falls, beside the parking lot, about 0.4 mile, Lancaster Falls about 0.5 mile and Harrison Falls about 0.9 mile. The state trail continues west 4.6 miles to Wyeth.
Distances are straight-line.