Oregon · Hiking

Paulina Falls

Paulina FallsPhoto: Bonnie Moreland (free images), Public Domain Mark (via Flickr)
0.7 mi
round trip
84 ft
climb
6,331 ft
high point
Out and back
route
May–Oct
best months

Is Paulina Falls open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in Deschutes National Forest. It doesn't name Paulina Falls, so check the source for the area it covers (3 listed).

As of · Source: USFS · Deschutes National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Paulina Falls is an easy hike of about 0.66 miles in the Bend/Fort Rock Ranger District of Deschutes National Forest in Oregon, managed by the Forest Service. The trail is short and gentle, with a total climb of about 84 feet and a steepest stretch of about 7% grade at roughly 0.16 miles in. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Odell Lake show July and August highs around 73 to 74°F with only about three wet days a month, while winter brings highs in the mid-30s and regular snow days. The trail is on natural surface, and bikes and horses are not allowed. Ponderosa Rim, a cross-country ski area, sits about 0.2 miles away, and the Peter Skene Ogden Trail #3956 and the Paulina Lakeshore Loop are each about 0.3 miles off. Paulina Lake campground is about half a mile away.

Local outfitters

Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.

  • Best time to go · May–Oct

    Best time to visit Paulina Falls

    Best months: May–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

    1. Jan

      35° / 20°

      14 wet · 10 snow

    2. Feb

      38° / 21°

      13 wet · 9 snow

    3. Mar

      42° / 24°

      14 wet · 8 snow

    4. Apr

      46° / 28°

      11 wet · 4 snow

    5. May

      55° / 34°

      9 wet · 1 snow

    6. Jun

      63° / 38°

      6 wet

    7. Jul

      73° / 44°

      3 wet

    8. Aug

      74° / 42°

      3 wet

    9. Sep

      68° / 36°

      5 wet

    10. Oct

      55° / 30°

      9 wet · 1 snow

    11. Nov

      41° / 26°

      14 wet · 6 snow

    12. Dec

      34° / 20°

      15 wet · 10 snow

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Odell Lake-East, OR, 35.9 mi away at 4,800 ft. The station sits about 1,500 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive

Peter Skene Ogden Trail #3956Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Peter Skene Ogden Trail #3956

Next door

2.35-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 81 ft gain and 796 ft loss.

Paulina Lakeshore LoopPhoto: Nwcamera1, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Paulina Lakeshore Loop

Next door

1.60-mile out-and-back trail at Paulina Lakeshore Loop in Oregon.

Newberry Crater TrailPhoto: Nwcamera1, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Newberry Crater Trail

Next door

13.46-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 1,502 ft elevation gain.

Crater Rim Trail #3957Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Crater Rim Trail #3957

Next door

22.3-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 2,814 ft gain/loss.

PAULINA LAKESHORE LOOPPhoto: Nwcamera1, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

PAULINA LAKESHORE LOOP

~2 min drive

5.64-mile out-and-back out-and-back around Paulina Lake in Oregon with 2,178 ft elevation gain.

Crater RimPhoto: daveynin, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Crater Rim

~1 min drive

Crater Rim is a 1.96-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 6 ft of elevation gain.

Paulina Lakeshore Trail #3955Photo: daveynin, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Paulina Lakeshore Trail #3955

~4 min drive

7.32-mile out-and-back hike in Oregon with 3,000 ft elevation gain/loss.

Crater Rim Trail 3957Photo: U.S. Forest Service- Pacific Northwest Region, Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)

Crater Rim Trail 3957

~9 min drive

9.16-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 1,471 ft gain.

Lost LakePhoto: U.S. Forest Service- Pacific Northwest Region, Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)

Lost Lake

~5 min drive

5.80-mile out-and-back trail to Lost Lake in Oregon with 1,149 ft elevation gain.

Little Crater Trail #3953Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Little Crater Trail #3953

~4 min drive

1.34-mile out-and-back hike in Oregon with 332 ft of elevation gain