Editorial: The tragic deaths at Dillon Falls and the what-ifs

Published 9:01 am Friday, July 25, 2025

Anyone who has been to Dillon Falls knows the danger.

The scene seems almost overwritten, how the water thrashes, how loud it is, how abrupt the contrast is with the calm of the Deschutes River only a matter of feet upstream.

People floating along in the calm stretches don’t necessarily see the danger before launching. Signs do warn of hazards. Visit Bend has a fine warning on its website. Visitors should “KNOW THE RIVER!  …you can’t float the entire Deschutes River in and around Bend. There are calm sections and there are sections with serious rapids, falls, and dams.”

People still have terrible accidents, such as the deaths of floaters  at Dillon Falls.

Our sympathies go to their families and friends.

What if there were better signs? More signs? What if the warning on the Visit Bend website was above all the text about the great places to float, not below it? There are so many what-ifs, after a tragedy like this.

People hiking along the river trail follow a pattern. Children and dogs easily find delight. Some adults manage to keep it a peaceful sojourn. Most adults make it work or a workout.

The worst thing is usually an occasional violation of trail etiquette. Of course, pick the wrong time of day at the wrong point in the year and you will be pursued by mosquitoes, like it is the Wild Hunt.

We sometimes see floaters, paddleboarders and others putting into the river. We never say anything about the danger. It would be somewhat rude with the signs, right there. What if we start saying something? Tourists may not know.