Tumalo Falls: Beautiful Falls with Minimal Hiking

Oregon is loaded with beautiful and impressive waterfalls. But some of those falls require hours and hours of hiking.  The beauty of Tumalo Falls is the minimal amount of hiking with the stunning reward!

The hardest part is the dirt road that you’ll have to drive down.  But once you’ve driven down this very doable road, there is a quick overlook less than 200 yards from the parking lot.  

So let’s dive into everything you need to know about seeing the stunning Tumalo Falls just outside of Bend, OR.

Important Links 

Tumalo Falls Day Use Area

AllTrails Link (with Double Falls)

Hiking Backpack Checklist Freebie – Be Prepared on the Trails

Hiking Journal – Never Forget the Details of Your Favorite Hikes Again!

Location

Let’s start with where Tumalo Falls are.  Tumalo Falls is located about 30 minutes from Bend, OR.  This makes the falls an easy location to add if you’re visiting Bend for a day or two.  

And if you’re coming from further cities, Tumalo Falls is about 3 hours from Eugene, OR, a little less than 4 hours from Portland, OR and about 2.5 hours from Klamath Falls, OR.  

Fees

Tumalo Falls is part of the Northwest Forest system and they do have a fee.  There is a $5 fee to park and enjoy the trailhead.  This $5 is a Day Use Pass and can be enjoyed at any northwest forest location for the remainder of the day.  You can purchase the pass in advance online, or you can scan the QR code at the trailhead when you arrive.  

On the other hand, there are 2 passes that give you FREE access to this trailhead. These passes include the America the Beautiful Pass($80) or the Annual Northwest Forest Pass ($30).  

Annual Passes

Both of the above passes are good for 12 months from the date of purchase.  The Annual Northwest Forest Pass is only good for national forests in Oregon and Washington.  And while the America the Beautiful Pass is more expensive, that pass is valid for national forests, national parks, national monuments, etc.  

In short, if you are only planning on adding Tumalo Falls, but no other national forests or parks, you’ll want to just pay the $5 day use fee.  If you are planning on adding in other popular national parks or forests, you’ll want to add the America the Beautiful Pass.  

Now that you know where to park and how much to pay, let’s check out how to get there.

Getting There – Driving Down a Dirt Road

If you hear the phrase “you have to drive down a dirt road to get there”, you might be concerned with the safety of it.  However, I am here to calm your nerves.

Above is a photo of the road.  So while it is a dirt road, it’s pretty level and wide enough for 2 vehicles.  Yes, the road is a little bumpy, but nothing to be concerned about.

You should also know you’re only on the dirt road for the last 2 miles of your drive before you get to the parking lot.  

Parking

After you’ve driven down the dirt road for about 2 miles, you’ll need to park at the trailhead. Essentially, you’ll be parking right here.

This parking lot is not particularly large, but if you arrive in the morning or in the late afternoon, you should be fine.

For example, the parking lot photo above was taken at 5:30pm on a Saturday in June. We arrived for a quick evening hike and were greeted with a nearly empty trail.

Another thing to note, there are pit toilets at the trailhead.  

But enough about the logistics, let’s get to the hike itself!

Trail Stats

The trail stats below reflect if you hike to the lower view point as well as the upper view point of the waterfall.

• Total Distance: 0.5 miles
• Elevation Gain: 120 feet
• Time on Trail: 30 – 45 minutes
• Difficulty: Easy

The Lower Viewpoint is less than 200 yards from where you’ll park your car.  And the upper view point is about ¼ mile from the trailhead.  This totals to just over 0.5 miles of hiking.

+Our Itinerary

Here is a quick itinerary to give you an idea of how long we were on the trail.

• 5:30 pm: Arrived and Parked
• 5:32 pm: Arrive at Lower Falls Viewpoint
• 5:44 pm: Arrived at the Upper Falls Viewpoint
• 6:00 pm: Got back to the truck and headed down the road

Again, this is just an estimate to help you plan for hiking to Tumalo Falls.  Especially if you are road tripping!  Ok now let’s get into the hike itself.

Our Hike

My husband and I hiked to Tumalo Falls in early June of 2026.  We hiked in Smith Rock State Park in the morning, had lunch in Bend, and then headed to Tumalo Falls for an evening hike.  

Getting there was an easy 25 minute drive from Bend, even if the dirt road portion was a little dusty.  Once we arrived and used the available pit toilet, we set out to the Lower Viewpoint.

Lower Viewpoint

The Lower Viewpoint is less than 200 yards from the trailhead and we could practically hear the falls roaring from the parking lot.  Once we got to the railing, we could see the stunning 97-foot waterfall right in front of us!

The image above was taken at the Lower Viewpoint.  As you can see the falls are stunning, but the trees are a tad overgrown.  The view is still beautiful and totally worth stopping and seeing, but the hike to the Upper Viewpoint will give you an uninterrupted view of Tumalo Falls.

Upper Viewpoint

The path was easy to follow up to the Upper Viewpoint.  We followed the well-cut trail for about a quarter mile and approximately 120 feet of elevation gain.  The falls grew louder and louder as we approached the overlook.

From the overlook we enjoyed an uninterrupted view of Tumalo Falls down below us.  From this view, the falls don’t look quite as tall, but the cliff walls below you are still striking.

After we took our photos, we headed back the way we came and headed back to our truck.  

Continuing on the Trail

If you are up for more than a half-mile hike, you can continue on the same trail until you reach Double Falls.  That waterfall is also seen from above and you can find the trail map here.

We did not continue to Double Falls, as we still had about a 2 hour drive to our next destination. But I’ve heard these falls are also a beautiful display if you are up for a few extra miles.

Things To Do in the Area

If you are in the area, there is plenty of great hiking!  Especially at Smith Rock State Park.  That park is the perfect mix of challenging or easy hikes with mountain views.

And if you are looking for a great place to have some drinks, we highly recommend both Bend Brewing Company and the Bend Cider Co.  Both places had great drinks and seem to really capture the essence of the Bend area.

Conclusion

Tumalo Falls is a beautiful 97-foot waterfall that should be on everyone’s list of must-see waterfalls!  And the easy hiking paired with the amazing views are the perfect pair for just about any level of hiker.

As always, feel free to email me at averagewildexperience@gmail.com with any questions about the hike.

-Happy Hiking!