Pringle Falls is a series of rapids and small drops on the upper Deschutes River in Deschutes County, Oregon, about 7.3 miles northwest of La Pine, descending 25 feet in all. Both banks are private land, and the falls are closed to public access.
The falls
The falls form a string of cascades dropping 25 vertical feet over about 850 feet of river, standing as the first major falls on the Deschutes. The run consists of roughly 600 feet of Class II water and 300 feet of Class III, ending in a Class IV drop suitable only for expert kayakers after scouting.
Getting there
There is no public trail or viewpoint. Forest Service Road 48 crosses the river on a bridge marked with a sign for the falls, but the drops lie downstream of the bridge and cannot be seen from the road. Paddlers on the Deschutes portage about 1.5 miles around the falls, taking out upstream at Wyeth Campground and putting back in at Pringle Falls Campground downstream, both in the Deschutes National Forest. Whitewater guides recommend the upstream take-out for anyone not running Class IV water. Pringle Falls Campground has seven reservable sites, vault toilets and no drinking water.
When to go
The falls cannot be visited. The spring-fed rivers of this dry, pine-covered side of the Cascades run fairly steadily through the year.
On site
The land beside the falls is private. On July 2, 2008, a 48-year-old woman died after her raft overturned going over Pringle Falls; boaters who are not running the rapid should leave the river at Wyeth Campground.
History and name
The falls are named for O. M. Pringle, who bought 160 acres of government land here in 1902. The spot was earlier called Fish Trap, after the shallow channels Native people used for fishing. A post office named Pringlefalls operated from 1916 to 1918.
Nearby
Fall River Falls is about 5.3 miles away. On Paulina Creek, an unnamed waterfall is about 11.2 miles away and McKay Crossing Falls is about 11.6 miles away.
Distances are straight-line.