Pacific Northwest, the Land of Waterfalls

Home of the trail of ten falls, Silver Falls State Park is one of the crown jewels of Oregon. At 9,200 acres, it is the largest state park in Oregon and one of the most popular. The ten falls loop is 7.2 miles but there are plenty of shorter trails to enjoy as well.

We planned to be gone most of the day so we gathered water, healthy food, coats, and gloves. It was pretty cold and cloudy with a good chance of rain, so we made sure to wear waterproof coats and hiking shoes.

After winding through he scenic farmlands in the foothills of the Cascades, we arrived at the park. We chose to hike the South Falls and Lower South Falls trails. We parked and started at the South Falls Lodge to grab a map.

We started down the trail and right away we could see the South Falls. It started off as a sidewalk and turned into a rocky dirt trail. We walked down a steep incline for awhile until we got to the base of the waterfall. If you look closely at the picture below you can see the trail that goes behind the waterfall.

For a cold winter day it was surprising to see how many people were out hiking, but we are in Oregon and we do everything in the rain. Especially in the winter.

There is so much moisture in these forests that moss is abundant, making everything so green and lush.

We walked the trail along the creek winding back and forth. It was pretty flat along this part of the trail.

We passed by the most awesome tree with roots exposed, it felt like we were in an enchanted forest.

The lichens, moss, and ferns that grow on the trees looks like fur and feathers and is so soft to the touch you can hardly resist to touch it as you walk by.

It was a long walk down many sets of stairs to get to the lower falls but well worth it.

Lower South Falls

We followed the trail that led behind the falls.

It was pretty wet and cold but we were loving every minute of it! It's a good thing we had our waterproof shoes on because the trail was flooded in places. As we got to the waterfall, it was so loud and you could feel the wind rushing up from the base of the waterfall and blasting us with mist.
)
We walked under the rocky bluff looking up in awe at all the rock and feeling so small and vulnerable.

As we walked behind the waterfall it felt so peaceful, although the roaring water was all you could hear.

Everywhere we looked the colors were so stunning! The greens are so brilliant in person and don't show true color in the images because of the fog and mist.

It was starting to get dark so we headed the other way back down the trail.

We walked the trail behind the waterfall and under a huge rock overhang. It was dark inside and almost like a cave that was open on one side. The falls were roaring over the edge and rushing into the pool below causing a strong gust of wind to constantly blow upward.

It is the most amazing experience, when you get behind the falls and hear the thunder of the water crashing into the pool and feel the spray as it soaks you and your clothes!

It always feels so refreshing to get out in the woods and get offline. I always look forward to the next trail to see where it will lead.