Chush Falls Hike
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
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- Start point: Chush Falls Trailhead
- End point: Chush Falls
- Hike type: In and out
- Distance: 5.2 miles + 1.0 miles optional extension
- Elevation gain: 435 feet + 300 feet
- High point: 5,030 feet or 5,310 feet
- Difficulty: Easy or Moderate
- Seasons: Mid-spring to mid-fall
- Family Friendly: Yes
- Backpackable: No
- Crowded: Yes
Contents |
Hike Description
Whychus Creek flows out of the Bend Glacier on the north face of Broken Top and rushes and tumbles its way into the town of Sisters. An easy trail leads above Whychus Creek through the 2012 Pole Creek Burn to a partial view of the impressively voluminous Chush Falls; those wishing more will have to scramble down 100 feet to get a full sighting. More adventurous souls can take a user trail upstream to see the tallest waterfall in the area, Upper Chush Falls.
From the trailhead, thanks to the 2012 fire, you can see parts of all three of the Sisters as well as Broken Top and Broken Hand straight ahead. The trailhead was moved back 1.4 miles after the fire, so first you’ll be hiking through snowbrush and green manzanita on the old road bed. Soon, the road splits, and you’ll drop down to the right. To the west is a high rim above Whychus Creek, but soon you’ll start seeing North Sister and Middle Sister. You’ll cross a dry draw and pass a few young aspen that have sprung up by the trail. Then you’ll start getting good views down to Whychus Creek below where it spills down a long, smooth slide. You can see the North Fork Whychus Creek joining from its source on Middle Sister. South Sister is much more visible now.
At a clifftop viewpoint above the creek’s deeply incised canyon, the Three Sisters and Broken Top are again view. A rock ledge down to the right is a favorite spot for Instagrammers. Tall, living ponderosa pines shade this perch. Continuing on, you may notice how lodgepole pines are dominating in the replacement forest. Soon, you’ll arrive at the old trailhead, where a trail sign points uphill to the left.
Now on a singletrack trail, you’ll enter the Three Sisters Wilderness. A few logs help you cross a small creek, and the trail drops a little among Engelmann spruce and grand fir. Then the trail heads uphill through matchstick deadfall and switchbacks to a crest. From here, you’ll drop a short distance to the viewpoint of Chush Falls. Unfortunately, you cannot see all of the waterfall from anywhere along this bluff. Those willing to complete a steep scramble can descend to the right and reach the creek. From here, there’s an open view of the 67-foot waterfall, which spreads about 75 feet across a dark basalt face. (‘Chush’ means ‘water’ in the Sahaptin language.)
Optional extension:
To your left facing Chush Falls from the viewpoint area, you can see a trail leading up. This is an unmaintained user trail that leads up to two more waterfalls on Whychus Creek. There’s a lot of blowdown, mostly easy stepovers, on the lower half of this steep trail. The trail keeps near the canyon edge and then drops down to The Cascades, a 25-foot drop also known as Middle Chush Falls. To the right of The Cascades, you’ll see Park Creek thundering down to meet Whychus Creek, carrying far more volume. Park Creek’s own hidden waterfalls are upstream and a goal of avid off-trail scramblers.
From The Cascades, squeeze along the edge above the creek and look for a split in the trail. The more direct route is to branch left and follow a rougher trail with more obstacles. When you reach a rocky draw, head up it through a Sitka alder thicket to begin getting good views up to Upper Chush Falls, at 225 feet the tallest waterfall in the area. You can continue higher, but the views will not improve dramatically. Upper Chush Falls tumbles through a defile and spills down a rimrock cliff in three drops.
Maps
- Maps: Hike Finder
- Green Trails Maps: Broken Top, OR #622
- Green Trails Maps: Three Sisters West, OR #589SX
- National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map: Bend - Three Sisters
- Adventure Maps:Three Sisters Wilderness Trail Map
- Geo-Graphics: Three Sisters Wilderness Map
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Sisters Ranger District
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Deschutes National Forest
Regulations or Restrictions, etc.
- Self-issued wilderness permit
- Wilderness rules apply
- Central Cascades Wilderness Permit needed for overnight camping
Trip Reports
- Search Trip Reports for Chush Falls Hike
- Central Oregon hikes 9/27 - 10/3
- Wychus creek, from neck to ankle, 15 June 2014
- Winter Waterfall Wanderings at Whychus Creek
- Whychus Creek waterfalls and beyond - 9/20/08
- Whychus Creek, Three Sisters Wilderness 8/19/08
Related Discussions / Q&A
- Search Trail Q&A for Chush Falls Hike
Guidebooks that cover this hike
- Day Hiking: Bend and Central Oregon by Brittany Manwill
- 100 Hikes: Central Oregon Cascades by William L. Sullivan
- Oregon Favorites: Trails & Tales by William L. Sullivan
- Bend, Overall by Scott Cook
- Best Hikes Near Bend by Lizann Dunegan
- Best Easy Day Hikes: Bend & Central Oregon by Lizann Dunegan
- Hiking Central Oregon & Beyond by Virginia Meissner
- Central Oregon: Walks, Hikes & Strolls for Mature Folks by Marsha Johnson
More Links
- Chush Falls Trail (USFS)
- Chush Falls and Beyond (wanderingyuncks)
- Chush Falls (Roaming Log)
- Chush Falls Hike - Summits and Spray (Evergreen Hiker)
- Hiking to Chush Falls in the Three Sisters Wilderness (SoCal Hiker)
- Hike to Chush Falls: Three Sisters Wilderness Area (Share Oregon)
- Chush Falls: A Magnificent Bend Adventure (Hello Bend Oregon)
- Chush Falls (Built 2 Roam)
- This Easy Hike to Beautiful Chush Falls is the Perfect Bend Day Trip (That Oregon Life)
- Chush Falls (The Outbound)
- Falls Trail.pdf Chush Falls (Sisters Country)
- “Hiking to Chush Falls near Sisters” (Bend Bulletin)
- “Post-fire Chush Falls is a completely different hike” (The Nugget)
- Chush Falls (Northwest Waterfall Survey)
- The Cascades (Northwest Waterfall Survey)
- Kaluwas Falls (Northwest Waterfall Survey)
Contributors
- bobcat (creator)