Silver Falls

South Falls

Easy (to Lower South Falls)

2.8-mile loop

300 feet elevation gain

Open all year


Easy (to Middle North Falls)

5.2-mile loop

400 feet elevation gain


Moderate (to North Falls)

7.1-mile loop

600 feet elevation gain

These popular loops through the forested canyons of Silver Falls State Park visit ten spectacular waterfalls, five more than 100 feet high. Several paths even lead through mossy caverns behind the falls’ shimmering silver curtains.

The park is usually hikable even in winter, but it’s perhaps at its prettiest in spring, when wildflowers are blooming and the falls are roaring. Note that a special $5 parking fee is charged throughout the park, and that dogs are not allowed on the canyon trails.

If you’re coming from the south, take Interstate 5 to . . .

Other Options

Crowds are thinner if you start . . .

This chapter is an excerpt from 100 Hikes : Central Oregon Cascades