|
There was little doubt in my mind whether there was a €˜bonus' waterfall on the South Fork of Whychus Creek between Columnar Canyon and Shelter Falls, the question was how big - and possibly how many. Turns out, the answer was one, and about 30 feet tall. Respectable, but this was definitely the sour grape of the bunch. Here, the South Fork explodes over a 20 foot ledge before winding through a boulder pile in what can only be described as water pouring through the mouth of a child who's lost their front teeth. The falls are flanked on the left by Alder and Gooseberry thickets, which makes the approach a lesson in futility, and forces visitors to view the falls from directly below, where unfortunately, the spray is too heavy to set up a tripod for slow shutter studies of the falls (which would look quite nice). Good thing this isn't a more impressive waterfall, though, or this might be a major disappointment.
- Mosaic Falls is the Proposed name of this waterfall.
I've named the falls for the fact that the creek flows rather haphazardly through a large pile of rock in the lower half of the falls, creating a mosaic pattern.
The waterfalls of Whychus Creek are located just inside the Three Sisters Wilderness Area, located south of the town of Sisters. From Highway 242 in downtown Sisters, turn south on Forest Service Road 16, signed for Three Creek Lake (do not follow FR 15, signed for Squaw Creek, west of town). After 7 miles, turn right onto FR 1514, and proceed just under 5 miles to FR 1514-600, immediately before crossing Whychus Creek on a large concrete bridge, and turn left. Road 1514-600 is very rough, but passable for passenger cars with decent clearance. Follow this rough road for another 2 miles to a T-junction and bear left, reaching the trailhead in another ½ mile. Because the falls are located in a dangerous area, I'm not posting specific directions. You'll need good navigational skills, a map and a compass or GPS to find the falls. The easiest access is from the south side of the creek, between Park Creek and the South Fork - this will require at least one ford of Whychus Creek. Clear views are difficult to achieve, so use your good judgment and common sense and don't do anything stupid as I may have.
|
