Hiking in Awe - Trail of Ten Falls, Silver Falls State Park, Oregon

Hiking in Awe – Trail of Ten Falls, Silver Falls State Park, Oregon

Radd Icenoggle

June 1, 2021

Hiking 2021,Oregon 2021

The Trail of Ten Falls in Silver Falls State Park has been a bucket-list hike for these waterfall lovers for a long time. We were even taunted consistently by the stair mill machine at our gym with a virtual hike along this trail on the sweat-dappled screen. The park is considered the crown jewel of the Oregon State Park system, so, of course, we were going to hike this famous trail on our Oregon trip.

The history of the canyon’s formation begins about 26 million years ago in the Oligocene when most of Oregon was covered by the ocean. With receding sea levels, about 15 million years ago, massive flood basalt flows covered the previously ocean floor turned to sandstone. The softer sandstone strata beneath the basalt layer eroded over time, creating pathways behind some of the waterfalls (many of which were widened by the Civilian Conservation Corps to make it safe for public use).

Beyond the waterfalls, the abundant flora and fauna found on this captivated us as we made our way from one fall to the next. The highlight of the birding was a Spotted Owl that was perched directly over the trail. Radd walked right under it without seeing it. The owl burst into a short flight before landing in a large western hemlock, where it offered a few glimpses before disappearing further into the dense forest.

The Hike

Though the route is well-traveled and normally crowded, we had almost the entirety of the 9-mile and nearly 1,500 feet in elevation gain hike to ourselves, just the way we like it. Now, we maybe had this solitude because we broke camp just before 6 in the morning.

The Trail of Ten Falls is named for, you guessed it, the ten waterfalls that we had the great fortune to experience. We passed alongside, above, and even behind waterfalls on this loop. The trail was in exceptional shape and easy to navigate (by Montana standards, it was a highway).

Located about 25 miles east of Salem, Silver Falls State Park is located along the appropriately named Silver Falls Highway.

The canyon that Silver Creek flows is heavily forested with Western Hemlock, Western Red Cedar, Pacific Silver Fir, Grand Fir, Noble Fir, Douglas Fir, and Bigleaf Maple forming a canopy over a lush understory.

Once we descended into the gorge, we hiked up and down rolling terrain and there were even stairs leading down the steeper sections (quite the urbanized treat). Another welcomed treat for us was the complete lack of dogs on the trail (kudos to the State of Oregon on this rule).

South Falls

South Falls was the first waterfall we viewed and this very large 177-foot waterfall did not disappoint. We took many pictures and videos of this stunner as the spray and roar washed over us.

Lower South Falls

Lower South Falls is a curtain-style waterfall, and we walked behind it (Vida’s absolute favorite aspect of the hike). This one is extremely loud and quite the rush when walking behind it.

Double Falls

Double Falls is a thin ribbon of water that crashes down some 180 feet into a pool below.

Middle North Falls

The trail to Middle North Falls is very narrow and the waterfall is a very wide curtain. The wide sheet of water created a very cool experience. The views from behind of Middle North Falls were spectacular!

Upper North Falls

Upper North Falls occupies a wide bowl of basalt as it falls 65 feet. The rain was coming down hard when we made our way to the fall.

North Falls

North Falls was probably the largest of the falls we saw and the experience of viewing the waterfall and forest within the deep recess behind was an incredible experience.

Rough-skinned Newt

Even though we missed getting any images of the Spotted Owl, we did manage a herp lifer, a chubby Rough-skinned Newt found just off of the trail. Rough-skinned newts (Taricha granulosa) bring a touch of prehistoric to the dense forests of the Pacific Northwest. Rough-skinned newts are large, conspicuous salamanders that can reach lengths of 8 inches. They are distributed along the Pacific Northwest coast from southeastern Alaska to the Bay Area of central California. In Oregon, they extend from sea level to the tops of the Cascade Mountains.

Newts inhabit forest areas that contain lakes and ponds with aquatic vegetation. Breeding takes place in these ponds, and the larvae and juveniles hide in soft bottom sediments. Adults forage by day and night in adjacent forests, where they gobble up small invertebrates.

Compared to other salamanders, rough-skinned newts have large heads with blunt noses. The back is typically light to chocolate brown or black in color; the underside is bright yellow to orange-red. The skin is usually leathery with a granular or warty texture.