Silver Falls State Park is the crown jewel of the Oregon State Parks system, being both Oregon's largest State Park (9,000 acres) and boasting one of America's most impressive waterfall day-hikes. There are no less than ten falls on this 8.7-mile loop (which can be reduced via two cutoff trails), and most of them are flat-out gorgeous. Most folks will handle the rolling elevation, with about 1,300 feet of total accumulation, in three to five hours. Unless it's a foul-weather day in the middle of a week in winter, count on seeing plenty of other visitors on the trail.

Activity Notes

The Trail of 10 Falls is the premier hike at  Silver Falls State Park. It’s a 8.7 mile loop   with 1300 feet gain, passing 10 waterfalls. At spots the trail even  passes through caves behind the falls.  Expect some possibly slippery conditions along the way due to the recent rains (trekking poles are nice).  The hike starts at the main parking lot  at the South Falls trailhead, where there is a restroom.  It should take 4-5 hours to do the hike at a moderate pace with view stops.

The park is north of Salem and south of Silverton  in the foothills of the Cascades. The drive is about 60 miles and takes about 1 hour 20 minutes (via I205, OR213, and OR214).  We will meet at the Mazamas MMC at 8am Sunday, October 31.  Carpooling is possible for those vaccinated and willing to wear masks in the car.

If you want, you can also meet the group in the park  at the restroom at South Falls trailhead at 930AM. Please let me know this when you apply (contact me by email).

Other Information
Driving Distance from Portland 55 miles
Driving Time from Portland 1 hours
Distance - Round Trip 8 miles
Expected Duration Car to car in one day
Interesting Features Waterfalls
Awards Qualified Waterfall Award
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