Located near the central Oregon city of Bend, Tumalo Falls is a notable natural landmark in one of America’s most unique environments. The 97-feet-tall (around 30 meters) waterfall plunges into a gorge lined by evergreens, a rather ubiquitous setting in Deschutes National Forest and the Pacific Northwest at large. What my video doesn’t show, however, is where the trees end abruptly only a short distance away.
In a surreal scene, pines are covered in sand as the wooded landscape of the Cascade Mountains suddenly transitions to the high desert that stretches across most of the state. Bend is beyond this point to the east, making it the largest population center in Oregon’s barrenest region.
Tumalo Falls is an easy 25-minute drive due west from the city via Skyliners Rd. The parking lot that’s near the waterfall is well under a mile (less than a km) from the observation area where I filmed my video. There’s another viewing platform adjacent to the parking lot that faces Tumalo Falls.
Entrance to the Tumalo Falls Day Use Area costs $5 USD per vehicle. Open season is June-October, and there’s a 27-feet (~8 meters) vehicle length limit for the parking lot at the trailhead for the waterfall. No drinking water is available at the site, so make sure you bring along plenty of fluids to stay hydrated.
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– Click to view my high-resolution photo collection from my trip through Washington.
– Click to read my feature article “Nevada: TOPGUN and My Grandma’s Legacy” for the story of my family’s connection to the legendary U.S. Navy fighter pilot training program.
– Click to browse my travel guides for driving and hiking to the mysterious stone columns at Crowley Lake, California.