How to Hike the Chush Falls Trail to 4 Waterfalls Instead of Just 1
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Thinking of hiking the Chush Falls Trail to Chush Falls? It’s absolutely worth it, and most people don’t know you can extend the hike 3/4 of a mile to see 3 other waterfalls!
I was traveling and trying to visit as many waterfalls near Bend as I could when I went to Chush Falls. Even though they’re about an hour and 15 minutes away from the city, the pictures on Google Maps got me motivated to go.
Best decision ever.
Hiking the Chush Falls Trail was quite the adventure, and I almost turned back twice!
The first time was on the road because Google Maps took me the wrong way, and another time on the trail because I was tired and sort of lost.
That’s why I want to write a guide to hiking the Chush Falls Trail.
I’ve written itineraries and guides for road trips and hikes across the USA throughout my 2 years road tripping through the country and know how to make your hike to Chush Falls seamless and stress–free.
This guide covers everything from planning the hike and getting to the Chush Falls Trailhead to hiking to Chush Falls (a 50-ft waterfall) and how to see 3 more awesome waterfalls (one is 200 feet tall) despite there being no official trail.
Let’s get straight into this hiking guide!
Where is Chush Falls?
In Bend, you can pretty much always see a series of sharp peaks in the distance.
The three that are really close together are the Three Sisters.
I loved seeing them from Bend, so when I learned Chush Falls is in the Three Sisters Wilderness, I just had to go.
In turn, the Three Sisters Wilderness is part of the Cascade Range, a mountain range full of volcanoes that goes from British Columbia down to Northern California. Mount Rainier is a part of the Cascade Range.
You could consider it a continuation of the Sierra Nevada range in California – the Pacific Crest Trail follows the crest of the Cascade mountains.
Chush Falls, which is on the Whychus Creek, is fed by melting snow and rainfall, so the best time to see it is from May to August, when there’s lots of water coming down from the mountains. I went in early June and it was amazing – no more snow, but lots of water!
How much does it cost to get to Chush Falls?
Hiking to Chush Falls is free. All you have to do is park and you can go on ahead and hike.
However, a permit is required from June 15 to October 15. The permit is FREE, and you can fill it out at a box right at the trailhead. Then you can hike with no worries.
Click here to see a map of fee areas in the Three Sisters Wilderness. Chush Falls is on the right and is blue – that means the day-use permit is free.
Where to Stay
My favorite part about doing the Chush Falls Trail was getting back home to shower and rest on a sofa with a warm meal.
I say “home” because, though I don’t live in Bend, I was staying in someone’s home and taking care of their dog as part of Trusted HouseSitters. That’s how I’ve traveled pretty much for free all over the west coast.
But if you want more freedom, I recommend you stay in the town of Sisters or Bend.
Sisters is only 27 minutes from the Chush Falls Trailhead, but Bend has a lot more to do.
Both places have OK hotels, but where they really shine is their vacation rentals. It seems like all the houses in the area are gorgeous.
To book a stay in Sisters, check out all the options on Vrbo, my go-to for staying in comfortable, homey places.
If you’d rather stay in Bend, check out the map below and the BUNCH of amazing options in the city!
How to Hike the Chush Falls Trail
Planning your Hike to Chush Falls
The hike to Chush Falls isn’t too long or strenuous, so you don’t need to plan THAT much. I did the hike with my phone and 1 liter of water.
But there are things I would have changed about my hike, that I know now looking back:
- Plan on reapplying sunscreen. I hate blogs that lecture me on sunscreen. But here I am talking about sunscreen in mine because, before heading to Chush Falls, I told my wife, “I’ll be in the forest, so I’m good.” It turns out that forest is all burned, so there is NOWHERE to hide from the sun. This is what the first half looks like:
- Since there’s hardly any shade, I got super hot. I also started my hike at midday, which is rarely the best idea. So, if you can, try to do this hike earlier in the morning.
- Take 1.5 liters of water, especially if it’s hot out. My 1 liter wasn’t quite enough.
- Take bug spray. I didn’t get bitten until after Chush Falls, where the trail isn’t maintained at all. After that, I was getting eaten alive by the biggest mosquitoes I’ve seen.
Keep these things in mind, and your hike will be seamless!
At the same time, I didn’t do any of these things and had a blast, so what’s important is that you just go!
Getting to the Chush Falls Trailhead
This part is important, because Google Maps can give you the wrong directions to Chush Falls.
I almost turned back when I had already driven an hour from Bend, through Sisters and 5 miles down a dirt road because I got to a road that was completely overgrown and destroyed.
The problem is I looked up “Chush Falls” in Google Maps and it was trying to take me on these two roads:
[Google Maps image of two fake roads and correct road to trailhead]
What you need to search is “Chush Falls Trailhead.” That will make it give you the right directions to the trailhead.
Now, wherever you’re coming from, the road is paved until the last 5.5 miles. That last section is a dirt road. It’s not bad at all, and any car should be able to make it all the way to the trailhead.
The road gets super narrow at the end but doesn’t require high clearance. Just know there are some sharp rocks, so go slowly and be prepared for possible but improbable tire mishaps.
Parking for the Chush Falls Trail is free, right at the trailhead. But I could see it getting full easily. The road going up to the trailhead has space for parallel parking, but the road is too narrow to park further down.
The Hike to Chush Falls
Hiking to Chush Falls is extremely straightforward.
There’s only one trail, no forks in the road, and it doesn’t have any super steep sections.
From the parking lot, the first half of the hike is through a burned forest.
But don’t let that description keep you from going! It’s still a beautiful hike. Thousands of trees still stand. Their trunks are testaments to what was once a super dense forest.
Now, what’s dense is the shrubs below the dead trunks. And it’s all SO green – a really cool contrast to the dark grey of the old trees.
Apart from that, the Whychus Creek flows on your right, and you can hear it at all times. And, though you’re pretty deep in a valley, you can just barely see the peaks of the Three Sisters above the hills. The view is awesome!
The second half of the hike to Chush Falls gets a little steeper and a lot greener.
My favorite part was crossing a tiny creek.
Then, you abruptly get to the end of the trail, where there’s a sign that says “Trail Ends Here.” That is the overlook for the Chush Falls, but you can barely see the falls.
To the right of the sign, there’s a trail that goes all the way down to the creek, which is the only way to actually see Chush Falls. It’s a really short, but extremely steep hike. Just take it slow and make sure your footing is good. Then, you’ll enjoy a gorgeous view.
Chush Falls doesn’t fall straight down. It starts narrower at the top, and the water kind of spreads out, falling all over a wide pool. It looks like an umbrella.
Once you’ve had your fill of the view, do the short hike back up to the trail. It’s so steep, your butt will be on fire!
But, though it’s called the Chush Falls Trail, it doesn’t end here. And don’t pay attention to the sign. It only means the maintained trail stops here!
The trail to The Cascades Waterfall, Kaluwas Falls and Upper Chush Falls is a total adventure and 100% worth hiking!
The Hike to 3 OTHER Waterfalls
This next part of the hike is only ¾ of a mile on semi-established trails with lots of downed trees.
I had the most fun in this section after Chush Falls.
It can go one of two ways – time flies because you’re having so much fun climbing over tree trunks and finding the trail, or it feels eternal for the same reason. It might also be a combination of both!
The Cascades Waterfall is 0.5 miles from Chush Falls. It’s a small but voluminous waterfall where the creek splits into two. The rapids on the other side join it down-river. It’s beautiful, and a big motivator to keep going.
Then, all that’s left is 0.25 miles to Kaluwas Falls and Upper Chush Falls. They’re so close together that they’re pretty much one big waterfall. I didn’t quite understand where one ended and the other began.
All I know is that Upper Chush Falls is the 200-foot waterfall rushing down a cliff. And it appears right at the moment you need it to.
This last section of the hike is steeper and the trail is even harder to follow. And right when I was thinking of turning back because I was so done with it, I lifted my head and got a glimpse of Upper Chush Falls. I could just see it framed between two trees, and it was magnificent – way up on a cliff, churning water 200 feet down to a steep creek full of rocks.
Knowing I was close, I trudged on.
And it was SO worth it.
The view from Kaluwas Falls and Upper Chush Falls is amazing. Everything is SO green, the waterfall is super tall and it’s the cherry on top of an awesome hike.
The trail continues to the left of the waterfall, but it gets extremely steep. I stopped about halfway up because I didn’t see a trail to the bottom of Upper Chush Falls and scrambling over the talus and dirt didn’t seem safe.
Now, if you’re worried about the lack of trials to these waterfalls, let me ease your worries.
3 Trail-finding Tips
If you’re hiking to Chush Falls, it’s SO worth going further, because it’s not much more of a hike to see not 1 but 3 other waterfalls!
So, here are 3 tips so that you don’t stress out getting to them:
- If you keep the creek on your right-hand side, you’ll eventually get to the other waterfalls. Even if you’re bushwacking your way there, you’ll never be “lost” if you stay by the creek. The same goes for the way back, but the creek will be on your left-hand side.
- Be aware there are lots of parallel trails made by all the people like you getting lost. So, when an obvious trail ends because trees have fallen over it, or for no reason at all, try to keep going and you’ll eventually find another trail. So many times, I would be on a trail, then walk through untamed forest only to find another obvious trail a few feet from where I was. The point is, keep going!
- Look for footprints! I’m not saying they’ll get you to the waterfalls, but seeing someone else has been where you are, especially when you feel a little lost, is motivating. They’ve been there and now you know you’re not totally in the wrong place.
So, just like that, you’ve seen 4 amazing waterfalls in a super isolated, gorgeous wilderness area.
The hike is about 6 miles long, according to Alltrails, with 853 feet of elevation gain. I didn’t track it, but I got a little over 14,000 steps.
Most people stop at Chush Falls because they don’t know there are 3 other waterfalls less than a mile away.
Don’t be most people!
These are the best, largest waterfalls near Sisters, Oregon. Get out there, be amazed, and let me know how it went!
