Chush Falls — a waterfall in Deschutes County, Oregon at about 1,695 m (5,561 ft) above sea level — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. It is part of Willamette National Forest. The nearest town is Sisters, about 19.0 km (11.8 mi) away (Chush Falls lies SW of town).
Chush Falls, also known as Lower Squaw Creek Falls and Lower Whychus Falls, is a waterfall formed along Whychus Creek on the north skirt of North Sister, west side of the city of Bend in Deschutes County, Oregon. Access to Chush Falls is from Forest Service Road 16, south of Highway 242. The trail to the falls ends at the canyon rim overlooking the falls, but unmarked paths lead down to the base of the waterfall. Chush is a Sahaptin word for water.From the Wikipedia article “Chush Falls”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Chush Falls the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 69° in summer but only 22° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:11 AM | 90° E | 7:19 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:24 AM | 56° NE | 8:54 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 30m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:55 AM | 89° E | 7:06 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:40 AM | 123° ESE | 4:32 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 52m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
Waterfalls photograph best in soft, even light: overcast days, deep shade, or the hour after sunrise before direct sun hits the water. Bright sun on white water blows highlights and adds harsh contrast.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:07 AM | 7:39 AM | 8:25 AM | 4:09 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:26 PM | 9h 15m |
| February | 6:37 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:48 AM | 4:56 PM | 5:36 PM | 6:06 PM | 10h 29m |
| March | 6:51 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:58 AM | 6:35 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:42 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:54 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:21 PM | 13h 27m |
| May | 5:08 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:27 PM | 9:00 PM | 14h 46m |
| June | 4:47 AM | 5:24 AM | 6:08 AM | 8:08 PM | 8:53 PM | 9:29 PM | 15h 29m |
| July | 5:03 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:21 AM | 8:05 PM | 8:49 PM | 9:24 PM | 15h 11m |
| August | 5:40 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:13 PM | 8:44 PM | 14h 02m |
| September | 6:18 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:25 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:48 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:53 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:01 AM | 5:45 PM | 6:24 PM | 6:53 PM | 11h 02m |
| November | 6:32 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:47 AM | 3:58 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:13 PM | 9h 38m |
| December | 7:03 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:24 AM | 3:42 PM | 4:30 PM | 5:03 PM | 8h 54m |
Local time (America/Los Angeles), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
From Chush Falls, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 17° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 5:00 AM – 5:40 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:57 AM – 4:27 AM | 1.5 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:03 AM – 3:33 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:20 PM – 2:50 AM | 3.5 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:05 PM – 1:35 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:06 PM – 11:36 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:58 PM – 9:28 PM | 0.5 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.66 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.5+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 24% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (75%). July is the warmest month and December the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 65 | 65 | 77 | 84 | 94 | 100 | 103 | 102 | 98 | 88 | 72 | 58 |
| Low °F | -8 | 4 | 2 | 22 | 26 | 33 | 40 | 40 | 30 | 17 | 3 | -6 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.9 | 2.6 | 2.5 | 2.3 | 1.8 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.9 | 3.8 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this waterfall
- Keep a microfiber cloth handy — spray drifts onto the lens, especially at the plunge pool.
- Bracket shutter speeds: 1/8 s, 1/2 s and 2 s give very different water textures and you can choose later.
- A 3-stop ND filter lets you use slow shutter speeds even when the light is bright.
- Shoot a vertical and a horizontal frame; tall falls often work better in portrait orientation.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Peak flow is usually in late spring; autumn adds color around the falls, and winter can bring ice formations at colder locations.
Suggested gear: Tripod, Circular polarizer, 3–6 stop ND filter, Lens cloth, Waterproof footwear. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Chush Falls, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Glacier
Volcano
VolcanoVolcano
WaterfallVolcanoVolcanoVolcanoCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Three Creeks Meadow Campground3.4 km (2.1 mi) · reservable
- Three Creeks Meadow Horse Camp4.2 km (2.6 mi) · reservable
- Driftwood Campground - Deschutes6.9 km (4.3 mi) · reservable
- Three Creeks Lake Campground7.6 km (4.7 mi) · reservable
- Soda Creek Campground14.3 km (8.9 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Chush Falls?
What time is golden hour at Chush Falls?
Where does the sun rise and set at Chush Falls?
Can you see the Milky Way from Chush Falls?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Chush Falls?
How far is Chush Falls from Sisters?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, USGS GNIS / GeoNames, Wikipedia. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.