Located in Deschutes County, Oregon, Dillon Falls is a waterfall at about 1,220 m (4,003 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Deschutes River Woods, about 5.7 km (3.5 mi) away (Dillon Falls lies SW of town).
Dillon Falls are rapids on the Deschutes River in the U.S. state of Oregon near Bend in the Deschutes National Forest. Unlike the nearby Benham Falls, Dillon Falls are not widely documented because they are hard to see. Trails provide a somewhat better view of the falls. The falls were named after Leander Dillon, a nearby homesteader. He died in 1907. Dillon Falls starts off as a dramatic 15-foot (4.6 m) drop, then become a steep and violent Class-5 rapids with a hazardously positioned tree in the center before ending as class 2 and 3. Experienced rafters can run the falls before taking out at Lava Island Falls downstream.From the Wikipedia article “Dillon Falls (Deschutes County, Oregon)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Dillon 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 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 69° in summer but only 23° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:10 AM | 90° E | 7:18 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:24 AM | 56° NE | 8:53 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 29m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:54 AM | 89° E | 7:05 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:38 AM | 123° ESE | 4:31 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 53m |
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 | 7:06 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:23 AM | 4:08 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:26 PM | 9h 16m |
| February | 6:36 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:46 AM | 4:55 PM | 5:36 PM | 6:05 PM | 10h 30m |
| March | 6:50 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:57 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:41 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:53 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:20 PM | 13h 27m |
| May | 5:07 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:59 PM | 14h 45m |
| June | 4:47 AM | 5:23 AM | 6:07 AM | 8:07 PM | 8:51 PM | 9:27 PM | 15h 28m |
| July | 5:03 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:20 AM | 8:04 PM | 8:47 PM | 9:22 PM | 15h 09m |
| August | 5:39 AM | 6:10 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:32 PM | 8:12 PM | 8:43 PM | 14h 01m |
| September | 6:17 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:24 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:18 PM | 7:47 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:52 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:00 AM | 5:44 PM | 6:23 PM | 6:52 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 6:30 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:45 AM | 3:57 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:12 PM | 9h 39m |
| December | 7:01 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:22 AM | 3:42 PM | 4:29 PM | 5:02 PM | 8h 55m |
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 Dillon Falls, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.7 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 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 4:59 AM – 5:39 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:55 AM – 4:35 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:00 AM – 3:30 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:16 PM – 2:56 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:02 PM – 1:32 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:04 PM – 11:34 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:57 PM – 9:27 PM | 0.5 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| 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: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.78 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 23% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (72%). 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 | 59 | 61 | 72 | 79 | 89 | 95 | 102 | 97 | 95 | 87 | 71 | 55 |
| Low °F | -16 | -5 | 8 | 18 | 22 | 26 | 33 | 34 | 28 | 16 | 0 | -12 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.5 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 2.4 | 3.6 |
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
- Use 1/4 to 1 second for a silky look; 1/500 s or faster freezes individual drops.
- A circular polarizer cuts glare on wet rocks and leaves and deepens greens — rotate it while watching the rocks, not the sky.
- Spring snowmelt and the days after heavy rain give the strongest flow; late summer flow can drop to a trickle.
- Look for a foreground: a mossy boulder, a fallen log or the creek's leading lines make a stronger frame than the falls alone.
- 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 Dillon Falls, closest first.
Waterfall
WaterfallWaterfall
Scenic Viewpoint
Fire Lookout
National Forest
Wilderness Area
Covered Bridge
WaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Big River17.0 km (10.5 mi) · reservable
- Three Creeks Lake Campground23 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Driftwood Campground - Deschutes24 km (15 mi) · reservable
- Ogden Group25 km (16 mi) · reservable
- Prairie Campground26 km (16 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Dillon Falls?
What time is golden hour at Dillon Falls?
Where does the sun rise and set at Dillon Falls?
Can you see the Milky Way from Dillon Falls?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Dillon Falls?
How far is Dillon Falls from Deschutes River Woods?
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.