You may have seen Tumalo Falls in summer. But if you’ve not made the three-mile trek to the falls in winter, it’s worth the effort.

Do the trip in June and the drama is in vertical drop, the heavy hydraulics and the appeal of clear, clean water against a rugged mountain backdrop.

But in January, everything’s changed.

The falls and the staging area below are smothered in white; noises are muffled; colors, muted. It’s a black-and-white world where beauty is found in simplicity, where big silence is amplified by little sounds – the squeak of snow under sliding skis, the rhythmic gusts of your own breath.

Tumalo Creek drops over the falls, but the flow is diminished; great spikes of ice underlie the running water.

Tumalo Falls is the goal, but getting there is the thing on this out-and-back route. From Skyliner Sno-park, we ski a quarter-mile or so up Skyliners Road to the end and cross the bridge overthe creek onto Road 4603. The road parallels the stream clear to the falls and we get an unobstructed view of it from several spots along the way.

A dark ribbon against a bolt of cotton, Tumalo Creek is a focal point, a visual diversion. So is the craggy hillside to the right, barren except for some old snags spared by the devastating Bridge Creek Fire in 1979.

Bridge Creek, which flows into Tumalo Creek from the west, supplies the city of Bend with 10.6 million gallons of water a day or about half of the town’s annual water needs. It’s clear and cold and as pure as any surface water in the lower 48.

The trail we’re following, Road 4603, is pretty flat, save for some gradual uphill and downhill sections.

Forest Service winter trails savant Cris Sabo says the route we’re following can get fouled with brown wax (doggy doo-doo), but it’s snowing steadily and any sign of canine passage is likely eight to 12 inches under.

The first half of the journey in we follow tracks laid down by skiers who went before. But they turn around and we break trail for the duration.

Just before we reach the falls, we cross over the creek again and ski uphill around a corner to the right. There are some informational signs and a new bathroom facility here. Just past them is a good view of the falls.

Be careful. Most of us are not as coordinated on skis as we are on foot. And the creek bed is a long way down. Stay well back from the edge and enjoy.

We return in driving snow. I take it slow, relishing the satisfying kick-slide-kick of classic cross-country skiing.

It’s over too quickly, and then we’re sloshing back down into Bend, where the snow turns to rain.

Jim Witty can be reached at 541-617-7828 or jwitty@bendbulletin.com.