EXPLORING SILVER FALLS, OREGON
- zammitch
- Aug 29, 2016
- 2 min read
This August my family and I set out to go explore the colleges and surrounding towns of the Pacific Northwest. We flew into Seattle and spent the first two days of our trip exploring famous landmarks like Pikes Place and the Space Needle. One of the days after going to see Washington University we proceeded to the Washington Park Arboretum along with the Japanese Gardens.
The next day we headed into Oregon, spending a day in Portland then continuing to Eugene and finally into Silver Falls State Park. The trek into the park began with a road that lead us through groves of sapling christmas trees and golden fields. Upon entering the park the forest we drove through thick, green forest lined with dense bushes and ferns.
The first order of business was to drop our stuff off in the cabin; afterwards we drove over to the parking lot by the South Falls lodge trailhead. The hike through the park is called Trail of Ten Falls Loop Hike and is a total of 8.7 miles but has many side paths so that you can do it in sections. Because the bottom layer of the falls is sediment and the top is lava, the bottom layers worn away with time creating paths right behind each of the waterfalls.
The first waterfall, South Falls, is less than a quarter mile into the loop. It is a stunning 177-foot drop down to a beautiful river below. After strolling past this fall we decided to do a part of the trail that would take us to the Lower South Falls; the total trip was only about 2.5 miles. Lower South Falls is downstream from South Falls and slightly smaller, but still stunning.
For our last day in Silver Falls State Park we woke up early and drove out to the North Falls. The short hike out to the falls was steep and wet and had a lot of stairs, but when you finally make it out there it is all worth it. There is almost no one else there making it my favorite waterfall.
Comments