Bend, OR

This past Friday a friend and I ventured out to the Tumalo Falls area to check out the trails and find a sunny spot to catch up on some reading. Neither one of us knew much about Tumalo Falls except that it features a cascading chute of water and some wooded stomping grounds. With the trusty (and entertaining) black lab Mokie as our guide, we had a fun afternoon exploring the trails, tromping through the lingering snow patches, and marveling at the beauty of the waterfall.

Tumalo Falls is just a 12 mile drive outside of Bend heading west on Galveston Road which turns into Skyliners Road. Take Skyliners road to Tumalo Falls Road, following the signs along the way. The signage for the falls is a bit confusing, with signs pointing in conflicting directions, but if you cross the one-lane bridge over Tumalo Creek and veer left, a two and half mile unpaved trail will take you straight to the falls.

We parked, grabbed a $5.00 park pass, and walked a few steps up a trail to catch our first view of Tumalo Falls. We were amazed at how rectangular the falls appear, largely due to its wide mouth of water that noisily surges down in perfectly straight lines about 100 feet, joining forces with Tumalo Creek.

After admiring the waterfall for a bit, we headed up the hill on North Fork Trail, which gradually gains elevation and offers a closer view of the falls. We looked out over the waterfall, commenting on the snowy white patches still visible amongst the dark trees on the hills before us. Little did we know we would soon be plodding through this same snow in a few moments.

The trail next to the falls loops up and around, connecting to Happy Valley Trail, which should perhaps be renamed “Snowy Valley Trail.” Even in late May, patches of snow still lined (or covered) much of the trail. As we gained elevation, small patches gave way to large mounds so much of our hike was spent climbing up and down these snowy heaps. Mokie couldn’t have been happier, rolling around in the snow and sliding down the hills on her belly. She was quite entertaining to us and to passers-by who witnessed her manic baby seal impersonations.

My friend and I weren’t as delighted with the snow as Mokie was, however. And since Chacos aren’t exactly the best shoes for snow mountaineering, we decided to turn back, wandered back towards the creek‘s edge, found a lovely spot on a fallen log and pulled our books from our backpacks. We read for a while, took one last look at the waterfall and headed back to the car, Mokie in tow.

If you go:
- The waterfall is beautiful and worth seeing, but I would wait until later in the summer to hike on some of the higher trails, unless you don’t mind schlepping through leftover snow piles.
- Restrooms are available in the parking area. Once you‘re on the trail, though, you’re at the mercy of nature.
- The trails that lead to the waterfall viewing areas are pretty mild (and quite short) and would be appropriate for families with young children. Strollers probably wouldn’t fair as well, however.
- As we discovered, Tumalo Falls is entirely dog-friendly.