“I wonder why the road is closed,” my brother said as we ducked under the metal bar blocking the gravel road. I zipped my sweater up higher to keep the cold wind off my neck and looked around. “Maybe the rangers are taking the day off,” I said, laughing. We walked along, hearing the crunch of gravel and the flowing river. About 15 minutes in he said, “now we know.” Half of the road was covered in hard-packed, icy snow and soon it covered the entire road.
It was a long three miles, finding us ill-prepared for our environment. The snow on the road wasn’t thick, but it was often difficult to navigate because it varied from slick to slushy.
We passed tall pines and towering cliffs. Most of the trees are not old growth, but were planted several decades ago, after a devastating fire. Small creeks run off the mountain and are funneled under the road on their journey to the river below.
Some of the cliffs look as if faces have been carved in them. I even saw a rock that looked like a dinosaur head!
Finally reaching the upper parking area, we turned a corner and crossed a bridge before ascending to a rest area with lavatories and a view point where we could see Tumalo waterfall dropping 97 feet into a surprisingly small pool.
Perhaps the pool of water at the base is not so small, but given the quantity of water surging over the cliff, I would have expected it to be quite large.
Continuing upward another quarter of a mile to the upper viewing platform was a little hairy in places but we managed to get to the top. The hike up was beautiful; the river flowing down the valley amidst snow-covered pine trees. Once at the top, we worked our way around the platform taking pictures.
Then we decided we might like to hike the additional mile or three (depending on which source you believe) to the next waterfall. Unfortunately, the trail was made of deep footprints with hard-packed ridges through an otherwise solid blanket of snow. We tried…we really did. But after I turned my ankle twice and got my shoe stuck in a hole, we decided to turn back.
On the way back down I could have sworn a small, brightly-colored butterfly was following us. While I attempted to take his picture, my brother discovered the joy of throwing snowballs down into the waterfall. To each his own I guess. Haha.
All in all it was a fun excursion and one I would recommend for most fitness levels, families, and dogs on leashes. The trailhead can be found about 16 miles west of Bend, Oregon, out Skyliners Road.
For more information about Tummalo Falls, try these web sites:
There’s only one waterfall where I live.. and it’s not very exciting .. but 97 ft wow !
Well worth taking the risk of ducking under the bar. Beautiful cliff faces and waterfall area. ♥︎♥︎⚖️♥︎♥︎
The park wasn’t really closed; there were lots of people there. You would usually drive up to the parking area but the road was closed because of the snow. It made for a considerably longer hike! It was quite beautiful and I wish we could have kept going to the next fall!