Silver Falls State Park, Sublimity, Oregon
Waterfalls · hiking · camping
Silver Falls State Park is a place filled with wonder. It is home to ten spectacular waterfalls, four of them that you can walk behind like a tiny ant on a bowl of spilling water. The sound is thunderous. The mist flying off the falls awakens childlike awe. There are old growth trees and beautiful Silver Creek. A historic district dating back to the Depression era Civilian Conservation Corps sits above a 177-foot stunning waterfall. There are cabins, camping and over 4o miles of hiking, horse and bike trails to be explored. It’s no wonder that this state park - Oregon’s largest - is called the crown jewel of the Oregon State Parks system. You have got to see this place. Let’s go!
Getting there
Silver Falls State Park is located 23 miles east of Salem and a little over an hour south of Portland. While I love exploring local communities and dining out while camping at Oregon State Parks, I usually plan on staying at Silver Falls because of its more remote location. Silverton is the nearest town to Silver Falls about 15 miles north. There are some cool local attractions to be seen in and around Silverton, so plan to spend an extra day if you can to do some exploring.
Parking: The South Falls Day-use Area is your best bet for parking, though this lot can get pretty full in the summer. Other options for more limited parking include the North Falls Trailhead and viewpoints along Hwy 214. There is a parking fee of $5. Pay stations are available at the day-use areas and most trailheads (there is no fee with current campground receipt).
Restrooms: Restrooms are available at the South Falls Day-use Area. Vault toilets are available at the North Falls Day-use Area and at North Falls Trailhead. There are no toilets on the trail.
Pets: Pets are not permitted on the Canyon, Twin, Maple Ridge, and Winter trails. Dogs are allowed on leashes (max 6') on the Rim Trail, Bike Path and 25 miles of backcountry trails. An off-leash pet exercise area is located in the South Falls Day-Use Area.
Cell service: Cell service is spotty at Silver Falls (the Garmin InReach Mini is a great option in case of emergencies or to stay in contact with loved ones). There is free Wi-fi at the South Falls Lodge in the South Falls Day-use Area.
Maps: Oregon State Parks Trail Guide and Map.
The Experience
There are several ways to experience Silver Falls State Park. You can ride, hike, camp or just spend the day playing at the park. With more than a million visitors a year, Silver Falls offers fantastic recreational opportunities for all ages and abilities.
South Falls Day-use Area
South Falls Day-use Area is so special that if Silver Falls only consisted of this one place, it would still be something to see. With sprawling green lawns, a playground, wading area, picnic shelters, BBQ stands and an off-lead area for dogs, people have been enjoying themselves here for nearly 100 years. Paved paths lead you down into the South Falls Historic District where you can visit the Depression era South Falls Lodge. There is a café here where you can enjoy a snack or light meal in a beautiful forest setting. Head a little further down the paved path to the Friends of Silver Falls South Falls Nature Store for locally made gifts, books and Silver Falls State Park souvenirs. Now, the moment you’ve been waiting for. Take the paved path just a little further to the west and ta-da! South Falls! At 177 feet, South Falls is the second tallest waterfall in the park (Double Falls beats it by a foot). Its majestic descent is breathtaking. Honestly, you’ll probably just want to stare at it a while. Then for a super cool experience, take the short walk behind South Falls. It’s great and the trail is short enough to accommodate most ages and abilities.
Back before Silver Falls was the crown jewel of the Oregon State Parks, it was home to the Kalapuya and Molalla. By the mid-1850’s, much of the indigenous population had been killed by disease brought to Oregon by settlers. The remainder of the Kalapuya and Molalla were removed from the area and forced onto reservations. In the years that followed Silver Falls was heavily logged. The damage was so severe that an attempt to protect Silver Falls in 1926 and make it a National Park was flatly rejected. “From the brink of one of the best falls,” wrote one evaluator, “one looks across a canyon up a slope that is absolutely bare except for hundreds or thousands of stumps that from a distance look like so many dark headstones.” From the top of the now pristine South Falls, people used to pay a quarter to watch then land owner, D.E. Geiser, push old cars over the 177-foot drop.
In 1931, the state parks department purchased 100 acres around South Falls from Geiser for $10,000. Over the next several decades, with help from the federal government, Silver Falls began its transformation from a graveyard of stumps and wrecked cars to the crown jewel of the Oregon State Parks system.
Trail of Ten Falls
The Trail of Ten Falls is the park’s most famous trail and with good reason. On this amazing hike you’ll get to see ten waterfalls - and walk behind four of them! The trail follows Silver Creek for a good portion of the hike, with a few great spots to take a break and splash around with the kids. It is forested throughout and despite the park’s history of being heavily logged, there are some beautiful, old trees to be seen on the Rim Trail.
The Trail of Ten Falls is long, and just how long depends on who you ask. Oregon State Parks says it is 7.2 miles with an 800-foot elevation gain. AllTrails says it is 9.0 miles with a 1,404-foot elevation gain. We logged 8.5 miles in about 5 hours with lots of stops. There are no toilets on the trail. But there is a vault toilet in the parking lot of the North Falls Trailhead about 3/4 of the way through the hike. There are plenty of ways to shorten the trip, and depending on the patience and mood of your kids you may have to be flexible about leaving out a couple of the falls. In general, I find that lots of treats on the trail and the promise of a gift at the South Falls Nature Store, a treat at the South Falls Café and/or an inordinate amount of screen time the following day will usually do the trick. Everyone is going to be tired at the end of the day, but it will be totally worth it!
Bike Trails
Silver Falls State Park is a great place for biking. There’s the Catamount Trail for mountain biking as well as a 4 mile paved loop - which I was excited to bike with my kids. It took us a minute to find the bike path from the South Falls Day-use Area. Then it became a steady climb up the side of a mountain. My youngest wasn’t having it. And I was worried that the tube on my front tire that I had just replaced thanks to YouTube would suddenly bust off my bike at breakneck speeds once we hit the downhill section. So we decided to turn around. Fortunately, the bike path from the campground and around the South Falls Day-use Area is pretty magical on a summer evening. Head out after dinner when the crowds have gone home and you’ll feel like you have the whole amazing place to yourself!
Camping
There are several ways to camp at Silver Falls State Park including:
52 electrical (maximum site 60 feet)
45 tent (tent sites closed November through April)
2 group camp areas
Horse camps (5 regular sites with corrals and 1 group site with corrals, closed October 1 through April 30)
14 cabins (reservations required)
Cabins
The first year we camped at Silver Falls we booked one of the 14 cabins. Cabins have heat, electricity, lights, beds to accommodate 4 people, a table, chairs and a nearby communal bathroom with showers. Cabins are especially great for first time campers. All you really need to bring are your sleeping bags and you’re good to go! What I loved most about our cabin at Silver Falls was how private it felt. We could not see one single camper from our little patch of forest! It was quiet, peaceful and the perfect base for our Silver Falls adventure.
Cabin reservations go fast, so if you want one you’d better be at your computer ready to reserve it the minute your date is 6 months away. You can also keep an eye out for cancelations if your dates are flexible. Cabins cost about $60 a night and can be reserved through Reserve America.
Campground/Tent camping
Tent camping at Silver Falls is a communal experience. There are lots of nice trees overhead but hardly any shrubbery between sites. Seeing the entire loop from our campsite left me feeling a little exposed. However, it ended up being great for keeping an eye on the kids as they played around. We were even treated to a mini concert by some stellar folk musicians in the site behind us. Had they been awful singers, I might have enjoyed it a little less - but there is definitely a sense of community in the campground nonetheless.
The bike path to the South Falls Day-use Area is closest to “A Loop” but is easily accessible from the cabins and “B Loop”. There are several communal bathrooms with showering facilities, access to water and firewood for sale. Campsites cost about $20 per night and can be reserved up to 6 months ahead at Reserve America.
Nearby Attractions
The Silverton area has some great local attractions including The Oregon Garden and the Gordon House by Frank Lloyd Wright. The Oregon Garden Resort provides nearby lodging.
The German town of Mt. Angel is 5 miles north of Silverton and is a lot of fun around Oktoberfest. The Mt. Angel Library at Mt. Angel Abby is one of my favorite places in all of Oregon for its stunning Aalto architecture and furniture, and its collection of rare and illuminated manuscripts. If you like history, architecture and design, you will love this place!
If you happen to be visiting March - May, the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival in Woodburn, Oregon is a sight to see. With 40 acres of brightly colored tulips, you are sure to have your Instagram moment.
And there you have it, an amazing adventure at Silver Falls State Park. As always, be sure to check local resources for weather, road conditions and COVID-19 related closures when planning your trip. And don’t forget to post your photos to #lifelivedoregonstyle on Instagram. We’ll see you out there!