Waterfall Insanity! Silver Falls State Park, Oregon, 3.9.21 - 3.12.21
It had been months since our epic trip to South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana and we were chomping at the bit to get out in the Navibahn and go somewhere. Bob and Dana felt the same way so we loaded up the RVs and took off last Tuesday for the great state of Oregon. Oregon is a treasure trove of natural wonders and we always see amazing things whenever we visit.
It only took us five hours to get to Silver Falls State Park which is twenty-six miles east of Salem. They have a nice campground which looks like it could be a real zoo in the summer months but in early March it was quiet. It had also rained a lot in the days before our arrival but we were blessed with mostly dry and sunny weather. Our reason for visiting was to hike what is known as The Trail Of The Ten Falls. This is a loop trail along the south fork of Silver Creek. Much of Oregon is volcanic in nature. Ancient lava beds have now formed basalt cliffs and grottos ideal for waterfalls. The trail is roughly eight miles and passes (you guessed it) ten different waterfalls along the way. There are several spots along the trail where you can connect to a road so it is easy to do the hike in smaller chunks if that floats your boat. We split up the hiking into two days which made it very easy to take our time and soak up the scenery.
Wednesday morning we met up with our dear friend Naomi. We met her back in the cub scout days and she was Harley’s dog sitter for many years before her family moved to the Salem area. It was great to see her again and she joined us for the first day of exploring. Our first destination was the South Falls Day Use Area. Huge parking lots were evidence of mass crowds but it was pretty quiet at this time of year.
Jon, Naomi and Bridgit
It is a short walk to South Falls and what an incredible sight! The trail winds down to a view of this huge 177’ free falling waterfall pouring over a basalt cliff. Behind the waterfall was a large grotto and the trail actually goes behind the waterfall as it works its way down the valley.
South Falls
The mist from the falls made for a damp walk behind but I went back there again later the same day and it was much drier the second time.
The trail behind South Falls
You can opt to cross a bridge below South Falls and go back up to the trailhead but we headed further downstream to see Lower South Falls. There were quite a few stairs that led down to Lower South Falls but the trail also went behind this waterfall which was really cool. Lower South Falls was 93’ high and sprayed out over a big jumble of rocks at its base.
Lower South Falls
After visiting South Falls and Lower South Falls we headed back to our campsites for lunch. Later that afternoon I went back to see if the light would be any different. At this time of year the sun doesn’t get too high which was just as well as there were no problems with harsh sunlight on the waterfalls in the morning or the afternoon. This time I went a bit further than Lower South Falls to a junction with the Maple Ridge Trail. Taking this trail was a great choice. It gained quite a bit of elevation as it climbed up to the top of the ridge above Silver Creek but because there are no waterfalls along this route I didn’t see one other person the entire way back to the South Falls trailhead. The trail was very well maintained as it wove its way through very drippy, mossy tree cover and a thick understory of ferns. Steaks, cigars and a roaring campfire rounded out the day and I was looking forward to seeing the rest of the falls in the morning.
We woke to lots of blue sky with a forecast calling for a high around fifty degrees. After breakfast we all hopped in the Corolla and drove a few miles up to the North Falls parking lot. From there it was a very short stroll up to Upper North Falls. The rising sun coming through the trees was really beautiful.
Good morning sunshine!
The trail along the creek to 65’ Upper North Falls
Jon, Bridgit, Dana & Bob
Back at the car we parted ways. The others went back to the campsite for bike riding and general noodling around. I had a modified plan to see the rest of the falls. Rather than do the entire loop, since I had already seen South Falls and Lower South Falls twice, my route would take me past all the remaining falls except for one. By doubling back a short way I could then take a cutoff trail to the final waterfall and then pop out a short way from the campground. This route would be about four and a half miles.
Alone on the trail the first waterfall I came to was North Falls. This waterfall has a drop of 136’ and was the third one to have the trail go behind the falls. The North Falls grotto was gigantic and the basalt lip stuck out so far that I was completely dry directly behind the waterfall.
North Falls
The grotto behind North Falls
The trail beyond North Falls was absolutely breathtaking. Bathed in the glow of the morning sun, it meandered along the creek, sometimes above it and sometimes right next to it. The trees and rocks were all completely covered in moss and lichens. You could tell this area gets its fair share of rainfall.
Looking back at North Falls
The trees along the trail were just amazing!
South Fork of Silver Creek
I passed by Twin Falls but they were a little harder to get a good view of. On the opposite uphill side of the trail a side creek came down to Silver Creek. I could see another waterfall a ways up the creek so I climbed up alongside the side creek to the base of another beautiful waterfall. It was very thin and had small laces of water trickling down mossy rocks. I would estimate this one was about fifty feet tall. Not even shown on the map I got the impression that this waterfall probably dries up by mid summer. Soon I came to the cutoff trail to Winter Falls. This is what I planned to take back after seeing the last few waterfalls. Continuing along the trail I came to a short side trail that went behind Middle North Falls. This would be the fourth waterfall to have the trail go behind it. Middle North Falls might have been my favorite waterfall of them all. It was quite wide and fell freely past the grotto before crashing onto a big rock pile along its base. There the water split into infinite smaller rivulets before spilling down even further into the creek.
Middle North Falls
Looking out through the spray from behind Middle North Falls
Middle North Falls from beyond the grotto
Base of Middle North Falls
The side trail behind Middle North Falls dead-ended a little way past the falls. Back on the main trail I passed by Drake Falls (not that spectacular compared to the others) and eventually came to the tallest waterfall in the park, 178’ Double Falls. This one started high on the rim of the canyon, leveling out and then plunging into a punchbowl far below.
Double Falls
A short way beyond Double Falls I came to Lower North Falls. It was only 30’ high but was very wide. Rather than free falling, it poured down like it was spilling over a wide hill across the creek. This was the one waterfall that had direct sunlight shining on it so the conditions were too harsh for a good photo.
Lower North Falls was the last one before what would have been a fairly long trek back around to Lower South Falls. I also had one more waterfall to see so I turned around and hiked back past several waterfalls I had just seen to the Winter Falls cutoff trail. Crossing the creek from here it was a half mile to the Winter Falls Trailhead on the road back to the campground. I passed the actual 134’ Winter Falls before climbing up out of the creek to the trailhead. I had planned to text Bridgit from there to come pick me up but I had no service at this spot so I just hoofed it back to our campsite to complete a fine day of hiking.
We all really enjoyed this park and I think that we were treated to the falls at their splendid best with all the spring rains insuring plenty of water to feed the falls. It felt great to be out camping and this was a great start to what we hope will be another year of amazing adventures!