Lower Middle Fork Tumalo Falls

The Tumalo Falls area is located about 10 miles west of Bend beneath Broken Top. From Highway 97 in Bend, turn west on Franklin Street. As Franklin runs through town, it parallels a nice park along the Deschutes River. Just after this park - about a mile from 97 - turn right and cross the river on Galveston Street. After passing Century Drive, Galveston turns into Skyliners Road. Follow Skyliners Road for 10 ½ miles, and turn left on FR 4601, signed for Tumalo Falls, just after crossing Tumalo Creek. This gravel route ends in another 2 ½ miles at the Tumalo Falls Trailhead. Following the trail to the top of Tumalo Falls, continue upstream for just over 3 miles, passing Double Falls and Middle Tumalo Falls at roughly the 1 and 2 mile marks respectively. If you come to or pass the wooden post marking the viewpoint for Middle Fork Tumalo Falls, you've got about 500 feet too far.While nowhere near as noteworthy as its upstream sibling, this is the largest of several smaller waterfalls along the Middle Fork of Tumalo Creek a short distance upstream from its confluence with the North Fork. The falls spread out over a broad ragged ledge and splash about 15 feet just off the trail en route to Happy Valley. Unlike the more significant waterfalls along Tumalo Creek, this one has no marked viewpoint or spur trail and though it is more or less visible from the trail, it is necessary to venture a few feet off the tread to view the falls acceptably (no real bushwhacking is involved).