Name of Waterfall

McKay Crossing Falls

Description

Located just outside Newberry National Volcanic Monument south of Bend. Follow Highway 97 21 miles south of Bend to Paulina Lake Road, signed for the monument, Paulina and East Lakes. Follow Paulina Lake Road for 3.2 miles and turn left at the sign for McKay Crossing campground. Follow this gravel road for another 2 1/3 miles to the campground. The falls occur about 500 feet downstream of the bridge over Paulina Creek - follow the sign for the falls at the main road (parking at the bridge is easiest).Through the wonders of the Internet, I was able to find mention of several small waterfalls along Paulina Creek in the stretch below Paulina Falls. One of which was called Boilerpot Falls. I had long assumed that this was the same waterfall located beneath McKay Crossing, but a quick consultation to the photo I originally found shows this not to be the case, so McKay Crossing Falls turns out to be an added bonus. This pretty waterfall splashes about 23 feet into a small gorge just downstream from a rather dusty campground. Upstream of the falls, Paulina Creek flows through pretty grassy meadows - more scenery well worth the attention of your camera. I don't know where for certain Boilerpot Falls occurs along Paulina Creek, but I imagine it is somewhere within a mile of this location. Since I wasn't able to locate the trailhead for larger Island Falls upstream, I will have to return at a later date to explore the area more thoroughly.

Other Names

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Magnitude

18.34

IWC Rating (International Waterfall Classification)

0

Total Height (ft)

23

Tallest Drop

23

Number of Drops

1

Average Width

10

Average High Volume (Cubic ft per second)

15 cfs

Average Low Volume (Cubic ft per second)

0 cfs

Pitch

90 degrees

Run (ft)

5

Watershed or Feeder Stream

Deschutes River Paulina Creek