TUMALO FALLS

Tumalo Falls Oregon
   

The first time we hiked along the north fork of the Tumalo Creek, beginning at the base of 97-foot Tumalo Falls, was in late May. We stuffed a picnic lunch, water bottles, camcorder and digital camera into our backpacks, and headed uphill to the overlook at the top of the falls—a short ¼ mile hike from the parking area.

 

Double Falls Oregon
  Forging onward and upward, we came to a double falls named—you won't believe this—Double Falls. We stopped to eat our lunch overlooking the crashing waters when it started to rain. Being the romantic, I voted to find shelter and wait out the storm, but as the thunder got louder my left-brained, practical husband vetoed my idea.

It’s actually a good thing that practical won out over romantic because the rain turned to hail and we were soaked by the time we got back to the parking lot. We ate our picnic lunch to the sound of hail hitting our vehicle (which could be classified as romantic if you use your imagination).

 

  

Tumalo Falls Footbridge
 

And so ... in late August, we packed our lunches and cameras and headed back to Tumalo Falls. The path is a well-maintained forested trail that never wanders too far from the sound of water cascading over rocks.

 
 
 
 
  

What we didn’t know at the start of our hike is that amazingly there are a dozen or so waterfalls ranging from 10 to 30 foot drops along Tumalo Creek.
 
Tumalo Creek
 
Tumalo Falls Trail
   
Water Falls in Oregon
       
Oregon Waterfall
         
Tumalo Creek Waterfall
 

We came out on a little meadow in a sheltered valley and ate our lunch at a place where the stream was nearly quiet except for a gentle gurgle—well worth the hike.
 

 

 

Elevation: The trailhead begins at 4950 ft with a constant, moderate ascent.

Trail distance: A little over 4 miles round trip from the base of Tumalo Falls to the little valley where we ate lunch.

Rated: Easy to moderate.

Latitude: 44.03194

Longitude: 121.56611

Directions: From downtown Bend, turn west on Franklin Avenue. Just past Drake Park, turn right on Galveston Road, which becomes Skyliner Drive. After 10 miles or so, Skyliner crosses over Tumalo Creek where you’ll fork left onto Tumalo Falls Road. Follow this washboard gravel road for 2-3 miles where it ends at the picnic area to the trailhead, approximately 12 miles west of Bend with several hiking and mountain biking trails nearby.

Fees: You can use a Northwest Forest Pass or pay the $5 day use fee.