Exploring Chush Falls
A Hike to Headwaters Where Steelhead and Salmon Once Swam
By Alex Hardison, Communications Manager
Chush Falls rises 70 feet into the air at an elevation of nearly 5,000 feet.
Upper Whychus Creek as seen from the Chush Falls Trail.
Chush Falls is one of Central Oregon’s great waterfalls. Sure, you can drive west on Skyliners and be at Tumalo Falls in no time at all; but why not venture a bit further — into the wilderness, even — for a unique cascade with a surprising history?
Start by driving south on Three Creeks Lake Rd. from Sisters. Notice Whychus Creek to your right — you’ll be following its path from here as you ascend toward its headwaters that emerge from the glacial melt of Broken Top and the Three Sisters.
Follow the sign for Chush Falls and mosey down the Forest Service roads that eventually deliver you to the trailhead at the end of NF-600. (It’s an extensive network of roads, so make sure to use a good map or your favorite mapping application to get there!)
Follow signs for Chush Falls Trailhead from Three Creeks Lake Rd.
It’s about 2.5 miles to Chush Falls from the trailhead.
The Chush Falls Trail starts beautifully and stays gorgeous. It’s a relatively easy 2.5 miles (5 miles round trip) to the waterfall, and the trail more or less parallels the creek the entire time.
The Pole Creek Fire burned through much of the forest in this area in 2012, opening up expansive views of the surrounding stratovolcanoes and foothills. Whychus Creek drains over 250 square miles along these eastern slopes of the Cascade crest.
Whychus Creek drains 250 square miles of the eastern Cascade slopes and foothills.
About a mile into the hike, be sure to gaze across the stream to admire the confluence of the mainstem and North Fork Whychus Creek. A bit further down the trail, you’ll cross into the Three Sisters Wilderness (be sure to fill out and carry a free, self-issue Day Use Wilderness Permit at the trailhead between June 15 and October 15!). Rock hop a few trickling streams and meander through a forested stretch before reaching a bluff and getting your first glimpse (you’ve heard it crashing in the distance for a while now) of Chush Falls through the canopy.
You’ve made it! Way to go. Now, consider this: at nearly 5,000 feet of elevation, this 70-foot waterfall was once the natural barrier to upstream migration and spawning for anadromous fish like salmon and steelhead.
Whychus Creek was once a salmonid sanctuary all the way up to Chush Falls.
Imagine that. Iconic Pacific salmonids, once born in Whychus Creek, having migrated hundreds of miles from the Deschutes Basin to the Columbia River and out to sea, returning to the natal streams and spawning grounds from which they themselves emerged.
Whychus Creek was once a salmonid sanctuary, historically providing an estimated 42 percent of steelhead spawning habitat in the Upper Deschutes Basin. Its natural combination of mixed streambed composition, complex floodplain, cool waters, and shaded pools made for prime steelhead spawning and rearing conditions.
That all changed starting in the mid-1800s. For over a century, irrigation infrastructure and withdrawals progressively impacted the quality and quantity of water in Whychus Creek that steelhead and salmon depended on for millennia. Whychus Creek was so heavily dewatered for irrigation during the 20th century that portions of the creek ran dry two out of every three years from 1960 to 1999.
In essence, Whychus was functionally changed from a natural stream that supported salmonids to a snowmelt-fed irrigation ditch unsuitable for anadromous fish.
Recent efforts to restore Whychus Creek for steelhead and salmon, especially over the past two decades, have been long, complex, and often contentious. Thankfully, a dedicated partnership of local organizations including the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council, Deschutes River Conservancy, and Deschutes Land Trust have made remarkable progress toward increasing instream flow, improving the creek’s hydrologic function, and removing passage barriers.
But it’s still not enough to meet the ecological needs of steelhead. It’s clear that irrigation infrastructure and water withdrawals have long been the root cause of their population decline in Whychus Creek.
Luckily, there are strategies we can implement to improve the ecological function of the creek and meet the needs of fish while still providing enough water for irrigators.
If you’re interested in learning more about how irrigation has impacted Upper Deschutes Basin waterways and how we can restore habitat to help recover steelhead populations, explore our series on Deschutes Basin steelhead below.
Once you’ve had your fill of Chush Falls (fun fact: “chush” means “water” in Sahaptin), double back and begin your return to the trailhead. When you’re on the road and headed home, consider stopping at the Whychus Creek Scenic Overlook. It’s a great place to gaze up toward the headwaters you were just at and imagine a possible future where steelhead and salmon swim high among the mountains once again.
Early-season snow dusting Middle Sister as seen from the Chush Falls Trail.