Pringle Falls

{{Infobox waterfall

| name = Pringle Falls

| photo =

| photo_width = 300px

| photo_caption =

| coordinates = {{coord|43|44|35|N|121|36|30|W|type:waterbody_region:US-OR_scale:50000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}

| coords_ref = {{cite gnis|1148006|Pringle Falls|entrydate=November 28, 1980|access-date=February 13, 2016}}

| location = Deschutes County, Oregon, United States

| type = Rapids

| elevation = {{convert|4232|ft|m}}

| height = {{convert|25|ft|m}}

| height_longest =

| number_drops = multiple

| width =

| average_width =

| watercourse = Deschutes River

| average_flow =

| world_rank =

}}

Pringle Falls is a series of rapids or drops on the upper Deschutes River in the U.S. state of Oregon. From just downstream of Wyeth Campground, the rapids begin with about {{convert|600|ft|m}} of whitewater rated class II (novice) on the International Scale of River Difficulty. The next {{convert|300|ft|m}} is class III (intermediate] ending in a class IV (advanced) drop.{{cite book|last=Giordano|first=Pete|last2=The Willamette Kayak and Canoe Club|title=Soggy Sneakers: A Paddler's Guide to Oregon's Rivers|publisher=The Mountaineers Books|location=Seattle|edition=4th|year=2004|pages=291–93|isbn=978-0-89886-815-9}} Soggy Sneakers: A Paddler's Guide to Oregon's Rivers says, "Only expert kayakers should consider this drop, and only after scouting. It is definitely not a rapids for open canoes."

The Northwest Waterfall Survey describes the rapids as "the first major waterfall along the Deschutes River" but qualifies this by adding that the waterfall has been reported to be a cascade series with a total vertical drop of {{convert|25|ft|m}} spread over a horizontal distance of {{convert|850|ft|m}}. The survey notes that the falls cannot be seen from nearby roadways or other public property.{{cite web|title=Pringle Falls|url=http://www.waterfallsnorthwest.com/nws/falls.php?num=4256|publisher=Northwest Waterfall Survey|access-date=February 14, 2016}}

Most boaters portage {{convert|1.5|mi|km}} around the falls, taking out of the river at Wyeth Campground and putting back in below the falls at Pringle Falls Campground. Shorter portages are not feasible because the land on both sides of the rapids is private. The two campgrounds, one upstream and one downstream of the private land, are within the Deschutes National Forest.{{cite web|title=Wyeth Campground, OR|url=http://www.recreation.gov/recreationalAreaDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&facilityId=236852|year=2014|publisher=Recreation.gov|access-date=February 14, 2016}}{{cite web|title=Pringle Falls Campground|url=http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/deschutes/recarea/?recid=38472|publisher=United States Forest Service|access-date=February 14, 2016}}