Kugler Falls after the rain

I haven’t been to Kugler Falls in Kingwood since 2016, ten years ago. It was March, cold, and not a very pleasant day. I don’t know why I never went back.

Monday I had the day off so why not revisit Kugler Falls? With all the recent rain, I thought it would be great to photograph the water rushing over the boulders and rock face. I hiked up the side of the hill and easily found the waterfall.

Getting down to a level where I could photograph the falls, on the other hand, was a little iffy. Kugler Falls has lots of large rocks. The morning rain had also knocked the leaves off the trees, so the entire area was leaf-covered, making the way down a bit slippery.

I found a spot under a tree and setup the tripod. I had brought my ND filter with me, but as it turns out, the lighting from the sky above wasn’t that bright, and I was able to capture the photos I wanted just by setting the ISO really low (ISO 64, f/13 or f/16) to get about a second or two long exposure.

Kugler Woods Waterfall, Stockton · Monday 12 October 2026
FujiFilm X-T5 · ISO 64 · 1.4 sec
XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR · 36.5 mm · f/13

I had also brought my Minolta XD11 film camera, loaded with some Portra 160 that I’d been shooting over the last month or so, and finished up the roll with my MD W.Rokkor-X 28mm f/2.8 lens.

When I was done, I decided to try for a different perspective on the waterfall. I attempted to climb up on the rocks you see here to get above it, but slipped and fell. Fortunately, the tripod didn’t go flying. I had a firm grip on it. But I banged my elbow and my butt own the rocks, so that was a little scary.

I found my way back to the path and went a bit beyond, still trying to get above the waterfall, but it was no good. I got turned around and ended up hiking through a moss-covered, leaf-covered boulder field, slipping and sliding the entire way. When I tried to get back down to the trail, I lost my footing and slid. Fortunately, I snagged the branch of a shrub on the way down so I didn’t end up in the ravine. At that point, I decided it was probably a good idea to call it a day and head home.