You can walk behind four waterfalls on one Oregon trail in just a few hours

The park that’s bigger than you’d expect

Silver Falls State Park sits in the foothills of Oregon’s Cascade Mountains, about 20 miles east of Salem and 90 minutes south of Portland.

It covers more than 9,000 acres, making it the largest state park in Oregon, and more than a million people show up every year. Most of them come for the waterfalls.

Once you see what’s here, you’ll understand why they keep coming back.

From a logging town to a National Recreation Trail

Before the park existed, a small logging town called Silver Falls City stood where the South Falls parking lot is today. About 200 people lived there in the late 1800s.

The Kalapuya and Molalla peoples had called this land home for thousands of years before that.

A local photographer named June Drake started pushing in the early 1900s to protect the falls, using his photographs to build public support.

The park was dedicated on July 23, 1933, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt designated it a Recreational Demonstration Area in 1935.

CCC workers shaped the park you walk through today

After Roosevelt’s designation, Civilian Conservation Corps workers spent seven years building the trails, bridges, and structures that still define the park. That includes the South Falls Lodge, completed around 1941.

They cut the stone by hand, hauled the timber, and carved the paths behind the waterfalls you’ll walk through today. The lodge and other CCC-built structures now sit on the National Register of Historic Places.

You’re not just hiking a trail. You’re walking through a Depression-era construction project that’s aged remarkably well.

Seven miles, ten waterfalls, one loop

The Trail of Ten Falls runs 7.2 miles as a loop with about 800 feet of elevation change, rated moderate. It follows Silver Creek through a canyon of Douglas fir, ferns, and moss.

Along the way, you pass 10 waterfalls ranging from 27 feet to 178 feet tall, and five of them clear 100 feet.

The trail carries a National Recreation Trail designation, and you can run the full loop or cut it shorter using connecting trails if your legs have other ideas.

Walk behind the water at four different falls

Four of the waterfalls have natural amphitheaters carved into the rock, and the trail passes directly behind the falling water at each one.

The paths formed when softer sandstone eroded beneath harder basalt, then CCC workers widened them in the 1930s. You’ll walk through a tunnel of rock with the waterfall hanging in front of you like a curtain.

Plan on getting misted. There’s no way around it, and honestly, on a warm day, you won’t mind one bit.

South Falls drops 177 feet into a pool you can see from the path

South Falls is the one people come to see first, and it earns the attention.

At 177 feet, it plunges over a basalt ledge into a wide pool, and the trail descends behind the curtain through a mossy grotto cut into the rock.

You can reach it in a short walk from the South Falls Day-use Area, and a one-mile loop lets you see it even if you’re not doing the full trail.

The falls run hardest in winter and spring when rain and snowmelt push Silver Creek up.

North Falls hides a 26-million-year geology lesson in its ceiling

North Falls drops 136 feet and ranks as the second most photographed waterfall in the park. Step into the cavern behind it and look up.

The rock layers overhead tell a 26-million-year story, starting with marine sandstone from when Oregon sat beneath an ocean, topped by basalt from massive lava flows about 15 million years ago.

You’ll also spot tree casts in the ceiling, hollow molds left behind when ancient lava swallowed living trees. It’s the kind of thing you’d walk right past if you didn’t know to look.

Six more falls worth your time on the loop

Double Falls technically tops the list at 178 feet when you count both tiers, though it can slow to a trickle by late summer. Drake Falls carries the name of the photographer who fought to create the park.

Twin Falls drops 31 feet and looks best in spring. Winter Falls, at 134 feet, may run dry by August.

Lower North Falls, at 30 feet, sits above a turquoise pool at its base.

Lower South Falls, at 93 feet, also lets you walk behind the cascade, so you get four behind-the-falls moments total on the loop.

Thirty-five miles of trails if you want to go deeper

The waterfalls get the attention, but the park runs far beyond them.

More than 35 miles of backcountry trails cut through the land, open to hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. The Buck Mountain Loop covers 8.5 miles through old-growth Douglas fir.

Horseback riders get 20-plus miles of equestrian trails and a dedicated horse camp with corrals. A four-mile paved path runs through the park if you want to bring a bike.

Black-tailed deer, black bears, coyotes, and cougars all live here, so keep your eyes open in the backcountry.

The lodge built from two logs and hand-cut stone

The South Falls Lodge went up around 1940 and 1941, built by CCC workers using hand-cut local stone and peeled fir logs.

Inside, a massive stone fireplace anchors the main room, and the myrtlewood furniture was carved from just two logs by the WPA’s Federal Arts Project.

The same interior designer who worked on Timberline Lodge designed the pieces.

The building served as a restaurant until the late 1950s, was restored in the late 1970s, and now houses a cafe, a nature store, and exhibits.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

Picnics, swimming holes and room to let the kids run

The South Falls Day-use Area spreads out with spacious lawns, picnic shelters, barbecue stands, a playground, and horseshoe pits. Silver Creek runs through it with a designated swimming spot.

There’s also a dedicated off-leash dog area here, since pets aren’t allowed on the Canyon Trail. Families have been holding reunions and potlucks on these lawns since the park opened in 1933.

The Nature Play Area near the North Canyon trailhead gives younger kids something to climb and explore while the adults sort out the trail map.

What to know before you pack the car

The park runs year-round, but winter brings ice and snow to the trails, especially near the falls. Cell service is limited throughout the park, though free Wi-Fi is available at the South Falls Lodge.

Pets must stay on a leash and can’t go on the Canyon Trail or the connecting trails into the canyon. The trail gets muddy and slippery close to the waterfalls, so leave the sneakers at home.

Day-use parking carries a fee, and an annual Oregon State Parks pass is available if you plan to come back, which most people do.

Visit Silver Falls State Park in Oregon

Silver Falls State Park sits off Highway 214, about 20 miles east of Salem. You can reach it in roughly 90 minutes from Portland.

The park is open daily year-round, though trail conditions can shift fast after storms or in winter. Day-use parking requires a fee.

Check the Oregon State Parks official website for current rates, any trail closures, and camping or cabin reservations before you go.

The Trail of Ten Falls fills up on weekends, so an early morning start gives you the canyon mostly to yourself.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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