PNWSights
A wide black-and-white view of Upper Proxy Falls shows multiple thin streams fanning over a moss-covered cliff in a dense old-growth forest, with fallen logs crossing the scene. Bright water contrasts with deep shade from towering firs and cedars, and a person sits on one log near the falls for scale.

Proxy Falls

Sisters, OR

Proxy Falls consists of two waterfalls along a 1.6-mile loop trail off McKenzie Pass Highway 242. Upper Proxy Falls drops 226 feet in a fan shape over a mossy cliff face, while Lower Proxy Falls drops 64 feet into a pool that disappears into a porous lava bed. The surrounding old-growth forest features towering Douglas fir and western red cedar.

Photography Guide

Best Time
morning
Crowds
Moderate
Shot Types
long-exposurelandscapewidedetail
Best Seasons
summerfall
Practical Tips
Accessible only when Highway 242 is open, typically late June through October. The trail can be muddy and the lava rock sections require careful footing. A Northwest Forest Pass is required.

Is it a good day to go?

7-day outlook

Mild, dry days with light winds are the most comfortable for a visit.

Forecast by Open-Meteo. Verdicts weigh the forecast against the conditions that suit this spot.

Author's Comments

The road to get here is closed half the year, and that fact shapes everything about Proxy Falls. Highway 242 opens late, sometimes not until July, and by mid October the gate is locked again. What you get is a narrow window when the forest is at its fullest and the falls are running on snowmelt that has already done most of its work upstream. The upper falls is the one that stops you. Two hundred and twenty six feet of water spreading across a cliff face so thoroughly mossed over that the rock itself reads green. The water does not so much fall as drape. In morning light, before the sun clears the ridge, the whole face holds an even, shadowless luminescence that is almost impossible to overexpose. This is long exposure country. A second or two is usually enough. Any longer and you lose the structure of the fan. The lower falls is stranger and gets less attention. The water drops sixty four feet into a pool that has no visible outlet because the lava bed underneath is porous and simply drinks it. The creek disappears. I find this more interesting to photograph than to describe, and I am still working out how to make an image that conveys it. Come in September if you can. The crowds thin after Labor Day, the alders along the trail begin to turn, and the morning light gets that low autumn angle that the summer overhead sun never offers. Wear boots that can handle mud and uneven lava rock. Move slowly. The loop is short enough that you can walk it twice and probably should.

Gallery

A wide black-and-white view of Upper Proxy Falls shows multiple thin streams fanning over a moss-covered cliff in a dense old-growth forest, with fallen logs crossing the scene. Bright water contrasts with deep shade from towering firs and cedars, and a person sits on one log near the falls for scale. Photo: U.S. Forest Service- Pacific Northwest Region / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain
Long-exposure water fans down a moss-covered cliff at Proxy Falls, glowing pale white against the dark green of the surrounding old-growth forest. A fallen log crosses the mossy foreground, while tall firs and cedars frame the waterfall in shadow. Photo: U.S. Forest Service- Pacific Northwest Region / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain
A wide view across dense evergreen forest to a steep, gray rocky cliff with a dark notch near the center, all under a clear blue sky. Sunlit Douglas firs fill the foreground, giving the scene a bright, late-summer feel. Photo: U.S. Forest Service- Pacific Northwest Region / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain
Proxy Falls pours in a soft, silky sheet down a moss-covered cliff, framed by dense old-growth evergreens and a large cedar trunk in the foreground. Fallen logs cross the creek below, with the long exposure blurring the water into a smooth, green-tinted stream. Photo: U.S. Forest Service- Pacific Northwest Region / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain
Upper Proxy Falls spills in a long, silky white fan over a moss-covered lava cliff, framed tightly by dense old-growth evergreens. Morning light catches the treetops and right edge of the forest, while the shaded lower falls disappear into the dark pool below. Photo: U.S. Forest Service- Pacific Northwest Region / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain
Long-exposure water spills in a silky white ribbon down a moss-covered cliff, framed by dense old-growth evergreens. Ferns, fallen logs, and bright green moss fill the shadowy foreground and right edge of the waterfall. Photo: U.S. Forest Service- Pacific Northwest Region / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain
Snow blankets the Proxy Falls trailhead sign and nearby logs, with a powdery path leading into a dense forest of firs heavy with snow. The dark wooden sign stands out against the white landscape, while a lone hiker appears small in the distance along the trail. Photo: U.S. Forest Service- Pacific Northwest Region / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain
Sunlight breaks through tall Douglas firs and western red cedars, sending warm golden rays across a snowy forest slope on the Proxy Falls trail. The scene has a cold winter edge, with frost and snow clinging to the ground and tree trunks in the misty woods. Photo: U.S. Forest Service- Pacific Northwest Region / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain
A tall fan-shaped waterfall spills down a mossy, lava-rock cliff in bright morning light, framed by dense old-growth evergreens. In the foreground, a rocky stream winds past moss-covered logs and boulders beneath the falls. Photo: Thomas Shahan / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0
A tall, narrow waterfall spills in white ribbons over a moss-covered lava cliff, surrounded by dense old-growth evergreens. The morning light brightens the treetops while the shaded forest frames the falls in deep green. Photo: Ljmajer / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

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