We’re settling back in the routine of school, work, and the myriad of activities that jam each week, just like the rest of Americana, I suppose. Fortunately, the memories of late summer are ready to be recounted in Experiential Passage. For me the next best thing to travel is writing about the adventure. Kind of. Well anyway, that’s the plan for the next several months – sticking close to home and writing about my favorite hobby.
“(S)he decided if (s)he could not travel physically, (s)he would travel mentally.”
~ Graham Greene
I crossed off two goals on my recreation To Do list this summer: the (unofficial) Paulina Plunge and paddleboarding. Paddleboarding is the epitome of enjoying tranquility of water, solitude, and a full-body workout. Plus it’s easy to learn on your own. I’m asking for a paddleboard for my 42nd birthday. Hopefully someone in my family is reading this…
Back to the unofficial Paulina Plunge. It’s a guided mountain bike excursion that takes riders to a series of natural water slides in Paulina Creek. Paulina Creek flows down Paulina Peak, which juts up almost 8,000 feet in the 17 mile wide Newberry Crater. It’s about a 30 minute drive from Bend in Central Oregon. In 2010 Jason and I made reservations to go on The Paulina Plunge for our anniversary, but I came down with bronchitis and we had to cancel. So unfair. But it was worth the wait and even better the way we did it this summer with “the Budge cousins”, as Vivian and William refer to their superstar older cousins….
First, a little background about the Joe and Rebecca Budge family. Jason’s sister, Rebecca, her husband Joe, and their four daughters Jessica, Makenzie, Courtney, and Madison are adventurers and travelers in their own right. I have long admired how they take initiative and make things happen for the sake of recreation and adventure. And because they’re a family of six, they’re very industrious finding the most affordable way to have fun.
For example, about eight years ago the Budges wanted to go whitewater rafting. But a guided rafting trip was prohibitively expensive for the whole family. What to do? They borrowed a raft from one of Joe’s firefighter friends. Joe, not having any background guiding a raft, but possessing plenty of brawn, outdoor smarts, and confidence, tried out the route himself. No problems occurred, so he led a family raft trip down the Deschutes River. It went so well they went rafting multiple times over the next few summers. Impressive, eh?!
So I wasn’t surprised at Thanksgiving 2010 when the Budges told us that they rode the Paulina Plunge on their own. How? Oh, they did some background research on the trails and mysteriously learned the route (I have been requested by outside influences not to divulge their methods.) The trails and creek are US Forest Service land and belong to the public, and therefore, welcome to anyone and everyone seeking adventures in nature.
We were thrilled that our schedules matched up this summer to meet at Sunriver, where the Budges were vacationing, and then caravan to the Newberry Caldera National Monument. It’s a spectacular setting – in fact the photo on Experiential Passage’s banner is from Paulina Peak! Pristine Paulina Creek flows down the mountain into Paulina and East Lakes, which are popular for fishing and camping. There are also lots of hikes and mountain biking trails.
And that was our quest for this summer day….a mountain bike trail that would lead us to natural water slides along Paulina Creek. We kicked up a fair amount of dust and had to walk our bikes occasionally on looser parts of the trail BUT overall it was a slight downhill grade and very un-technical riding. Ideal for mountain biker novices such as ourselves!
The total ride was about 6 miles and we pulled off the pine-shaded path three times to shoot down the rapids or wade under the waterfalls. On average we hiked about a quarter or half mile to the swimming holes, making it my ideal recreational trifecta: hiking, biking, and swimming. Awesome!
The adrenaline seeker in me did hesitate briefly before our river spree. Were the rocks sharp? How deep was the creek? Was it super cold? It took just a few minutes of watching the broad smiles on Joe and Jessica’s faces as they whooped it up, dunking under the rapids. They spurred me on!
The first slide was a little bumpier than I anticipated. Besides my bum taking a bit of abuse, my hands felt scraped. I finally learned to hold my arms up in the air like a total daredevil, but instinctively I wanted to control the speed and plant my hands beside my hips. It took a few plunges before it dawned on me to just let go!!!
The second slide proved smoother, shorter, and faster. FUN! And submerged each of us with a WHOOSH dip at the base of the slide. We spent the most time here, launching ourselves down the slippery, steely flat rock over and over. What a rush! It took my breath away each time.
Last waterfall of the day, and they could have splashed till dark.
Hi there! Found your blog searching for Pailina Plunge DIY. We too are a family of 6 trying to do this on a budget. Are you able to give any hints as to how we could accomplish this on our own?
Thanks!
Hi Nicole- Thanks for reading. My advice is to visit the US Forest Service office in Bend or LaPine and pick up a map of the area. Talk to the rangers and ask questions. All the slides are on public land. Good luck!
I just did the Paulina Plunge with my family, it was fun and actually worth the cost, for the first ride. The advantage to using this company is you don’t have to have 2 vehicles (one at the start and one at the end) and the guides know the available routes. If you look at Google Earth you can follow the creek and see the trails/roads BUT some are gated or closed for various reasons. That being said it is mostly downhill. Our trip was cut short due to lighting strikes in the area so we didn’t get to spend too much time at McKay but from there to the bus (about 2 miles) I literally coasted the bike. I maybe pedaled the bike a dozen times.
If someone was still motivated to try it on their own for the first trip, get a USFS road/trail map and talk to a Forest Ranger, the kind who drive the roads not the people who talk to you in the visitor centers. We plan on doing it again on our own next year but will be checking in with the USFS to see if there is an issue with our chosen route. The NF road/trail conditions can change allot in a year.
Mike, thank you for sharing your experience and the great tips! And you’re right – USFS roads and trails can change from year to year.
Looking to head on a hike this week in Bend. Wanted to do a hike with natural water slides, like we do in Wa.
Okay so this looks like a BLAST! but really who wants to pay that much when you can do it for free, we all pay our taxes for this right?! Anyway I would love to know your secret to getting to the falls as we are a large family and would only like to do the falls not the bike ride from the company. Any info you are willing to share would be great! Thanks for sharing your trip.
I would love some more information on how to get to some of the falls without the guided tour. They are all booked up while we are there.
We plan on checking out the plunge in July 2014. My son doesn’t do well on a bike so we would like to hike the trail. Could you please email me the directions. Thanks!
we will be in sunriver late June 2014 and would love your directions to take this tour on our own! thanks!
I have though about the tour but would rather do it myself without the group if you could email me directions that would be great.
Thanks for the information in your post. We’ll be in Sunriver in August 2014 and would appreciate directions to the Plunge.
Please send me the directions. We are going the 1st week of August and really want to walk the route if possible. I’ve had a hip replacement and my husband a 3 knee surgeries, so walking is our best bet.
Thank You
I would love to know the directions to the Paulina Plunge without the tour guides
Sorry, I honestly do not remember the directions (I was just a passenger.) I recommend using the official tour for your first time – it’s probably safer and you’ll benefit from the knowledge of the guides.
We are planning on taking a group on this exact trip by ourselves. Is there anyway you could give us the approximate directions? We have done a lot of research trying to find the path that the tour takes. We would really appreciate it!
I really can’t remember. We went with my sister and brother-in-law, who had ridden the route before. Nothing is marked. You could wait always do it with the Paulina Plunge tour the first time, then you could learn the route. Good luck!
We’re going to be in Oregon without bikes, can you tell us how to get to the 2nd smoother slide from Mackay crossing campground/waterfall?
Connie,
I don’t really remember, but I’m sure if you asked around someone will know that information. You could also do the official Paulina Plunge – they provide bikes. Have fun!
This looks so awesome! You told us about this after you did it, but having the full story plus pictures makes me want to do this even more! What a unique adventure and love that you did it without paying for the expensive guide!
Next time you and Brian have to go with us!