Falling for Oregon

It seems that many of our trips include waterfalls, which I love, and can’t get enough of. However, I understand that it may be a bit repetitive since they all look very similar, so I thought I’d put two waterfall trips into this one post.

Tumalo Falls

We visited Tumalo Falls, which is about 18 miles from Bend, on a Saturday morning. The waterfall is easily accessible from the parking lot, which makes this a very popular destination. We planned to hike a portion of the Tumalo Falls Trail. Within the first two miles we saw four waterfalls! It was a beautiful walk. That afternoon we headed back to town, had some pizza at Mondo’s on Wall Street, then played nine holes of disc golf Seven Mountain Resort.

Sahalie & Koosah Falls

Sahalie and Koosah Falls are connected by a 2.6 mile loop trail that borders the McKenzie River. The water is so clear it appears to be blue. It’s really beautiful. The two falls were created by lava that poured down the McKenzie River Valley about 3000 years ago. There are a number of other picturesque cascades surrounded by a canopy of droopy-limbed western red-cedar, western hemlock, and six-foot-thick Douglas Fir.

Clear Lake

The same lava flow that created the aforementioned falls, also created Clear Lake. You can still see lava on the edge of the lake. The pristine lake has a visibility of up to 200 feet, making it one of the best spots for freshwater diving in America. We enjoyed a picnic lunch, then rented a boat. We floated around for at least a couple of hours. It was a cool and sunny day. The water was too cold to get in to though!

We have one more waterfall that we plan to visit this coming weekend, which is our last weekend in Oregon. I can’t wait!