By Alan K. Lee
Silver Falls State Park was voted Oregon’s favorite state park by an Oregonian/OregonLive readers poll. And no wonder. With more than ten waterfalls, six of them more than 90 feet in height, and four that you can actually walk behind, Silver Falls is a waterfall lovers paradise. And who doesn’t love waterfalls?
Silver Falls State Park is located in the Cascade Range foothills about 20 miles east of Salem. To get there from the Portland area, head south on I-5 to Woodburn and take Oregon Highway 214 through Woodburn, Mount Angel, and Silverton to the park. From Salem, take Oregon Highway 22 east for about 12 miles and follow the signs to the park. Day use parking permits cost five dollars and can be purchased at either the North Falls or South Falls parking areas. Twelve month passes cost $30 and 24 month passes $50, available on the park website.
The park was created largely through the efforts of one man, photographer June Drake. He grew up in nearby Silverton, and waged a twenty year campaign, from 1906 to 1926, to get the federal government to declare the area a national park. When that ultimately failed, he convinced the Silverton and Salem Chambers of Commerce to buy options on some of the land, to be later sold to the state, and purchased 160 acres himself that also became part of the park. Silver Falls State Park was created in 1931 and was dedicated on July 23, 1933.
The park as we know it today was shaped by the efforts of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) during the Great Depression. From 1935 to 1942, 200 WPA and CCC workers built roads, parking areas, trails, bridges, and buildings, and planted trees to reforest areas that had been logged or burned. Many of the buildings, including the South Falls Lodge and Nature Store, are still in use today, more than 80 years after they were built.
The park includes a campground with 91 campsites (48 with water and electric hookups) and 14 cabins, an extensive day use area, including a cafe and nature store, near South Falls, a new day use area near North Falls, equestrian trails, bike trails, the Trail of Ten Falls that takes you to all of the falls, and 35 miles of backcountry trails.
Smith Creek Village, near the backcountry portion of the park, has a restaurant, small cottages and cabins for rent, larger multi-bedroom lodges with kitchenettes and full bathrooms, and event spaces that will sleep up to 75 guests.
The newly opened North Canyon day use area is part of a planned North Gateway that will include a visitor center and a new 50 unit campground, both scheduled to open in 2025.
The waterfalls are the main attraction of the park, of course, and the Trail of Ten Falls is one of the finest hiking trails in the Pacific Northwest. I don’t know of anywhere else that you can see that many waterfalls, and actually get behind four of them, on a single hike. Silver Falls State Park is truly unique.
There are a variety of hiking options in the park, from a less than one mile loop that takes you from the top of South Falls down into the canyon and behind the falls then back to the starting point, to the full Trail of Ten Falls that takes you to all of the falls to the 35 miles of backcountry trails away from the waterfalls. And the backcountry offers both mountain biking and horseback riding trails.
For a detailed description of the Trail of Ten Falls, click here. And one of the shorter loop hikes is described in my A Winter’s Hike at Silver Falls post.
The best times to visit Silver Falls are in the early spring when the falls are at their full force and in the fall when the reds and yellows of the maples and alders contrast with the deep greens of the conifers. Summer weekends can be very crowded, so come early or visit on a weekday if you can. But even on weekdays you will find plenty of company. Winter has its own charms, and you might even find some solitude then. The trails can be slippery when wet and are dangerous when icy, so check the weather forecast before you go.
Whether you’re out for a picnic, a short walk, a long hike, an overnight stay in a cabin, tent, or RV, a horseback ride, or an outing on your mountain bike, Silver Falls State Park has it all.
Silver Falls State Park is one of the truly outstanding places in the Pacific Northwest to lace up your hiking boots and experience nature at it finest. Silver Falls is one of the gems of the Pacific Northwest, and not to be missed.
Originally posted June 30, 2018 by Alan K. Lee. Edited and most recently updated August 2, 2023.
All photos © Alan K. Lee