Thanksgiving 2014: Silver Falls State Park

Silver Creek Falls

November 28, 2014

Black Friday isn't about shopping for me.  Well, when my nieces and nephew were small it was because we could buy the presents up in Oregon and just leave them there for Christmas.  It was a good way to take care of business.  Now, though, I like to get out and explore.  Sometimes, like this year, I head toward a familiar place.  I love Silver Creek Falls in bad weather, I think this is when the place really shines.  So, with the rain falling and the creek undoubtedly running high, I set out with my brother and son to see the sights in this most familiar of all Oregon state parks.

South Fall, Silver Falls State Park, OR

South Fall

I had a flat tire on Thanksgiving morning.  I'd driven out to Baskett Slough, but the light was terrible and most of the birds had already flown off for the day.  To top it off, I got a flat tire, presumably from a sharp rock on the gravel road.  So, I spent the morning on Friday at Les Schwab Tires.  They fixed my tire for free!  Can you believe that?  I've bought snow chains there before, but I didn't buy the tires there.  So, yeah, go to Les Schwab Tires for stuff, they're pretty cool.

Anyway, with the flat tire situation we got off to a bit of a late start, so we wouldn't have time to do the entire Trail of Ten Falls.  That was a bit of a bummer.  Still, I was excited to show Sam whatever we'd have time to see.  We ended up seeing four falls in all, including the two most popular (North and South Falls).

South Fall, Silver Falls State Park, OR

We saw a peregrine falcon flying around South Fall.  It had a nest up in a hole in the cliff near the fall.  That was pretty sweet.  Strangely, this park does not have an abundance of wildlife, at least none that like to be seen.  I suspect the abundance of waterfalls means there aren't a lot of fish in the water.  No fish, no birds, etc.  I'm just guessing.

Silver Falls State Park, OR

Officially, the name of the place is Silver Falls State Park.  We never called it that, it was always Silver Creek Falls.  My dad even corrected me when I let a "Silver Falls" slip out over the weekend.  I think Silver Creek Falls has a better ring to it, personally.

Silver Falls State Park, OR

I'm a little troubled by the names of the falls, though.  South Falls is the official name of the first fall we encountered, but I think it should be South Fall instead.  It's a single fall, the name should be singular.  This is as opposed to Yosemite Falls, which is actually made up of three falls: Upper Yosemite Fall, Middle Yosemite Fall and Lower Yosemite Fall.  I'm going with what I think the names actually should be in this post.

Lower South Fall, Silver Falls State Park, OR

Our second destination was the Lower South Fall, which is about a mile below South Fall.  This was Sam's favorite waterfall on the trip.  I can see that.  It has a wonderful rectangular shape to it.  It looks like somebody crafted it by hand, perfecting the edges until it had this mathematically precise shape.  The water drops straight down like lace drapery.  I have to agree that it's probably the most artistically appealing of the four falls we saw.

Lower South Fall, Silver Falls State Park, OR

None of the waterfalls in the park are particularly tall.  South Fall is 177 feet tall and the second highest of the falls in the park, outstretched by Double Falls by a mere two feet.  In Yosemite, where waterfalls can reach up to 1,430 feet in height, one might be tempted to dismiss a collection of waterfalls that never top the 200 foot mark.  That would be a mistake.  There's a power and beauty to the waterfalls of Silver Creek that is special and unique.

Silver Falls State Park, OR

After Lower South Fall, we hiked back up to the lodge and had some hot chocolate.  There's a small cafe there but it was closed.  The hot chocolate was free, though, so that was cool.  Free hot chocolate.  Free tire repair.  I could get used to this.

Upper North Fall, Silver Falls State Park, OR

Upper North Fall

We drove down to the North Falls parking lot and made the quarter mile hike to the Upper North Fall.  This waterfall isn't particularly tall and it's a bit out of the way on an offshoot of the main Ten Falls loop, but it's well worth the little extra work to get to it.  I wasn't able to make it to this waterfall on my previous trip because the trail was flooded out by the high waters.  We'd have had the same problem on this trip if the waters were just a little higher, but we lucked out and were able to see this little wonder.

North Fall, Silver Falls State Park, OR

North Fall

The final waterfall on our trip was the North Fall.  This is my favorite waterfall in the park, Chad's too.  It's narrow at the top, so the water shoots out with a lot of force.  There's a rock at the top of the falls that splits North Fall in two.  When the water is low, the left flow can be a trickle or non-existent.  On days with heavy flows, the power of this particular waterfall is unmatched in the park.

Does the fact that it's split into two make this a Fall or a Falls?  Hmmm.

Like the South Fall and the Upper South Fall, the trail goes behind the North Fall.  It's an immersive experience.  Of course, it's a beauty to behold with one's eyes, but it's also incredibly loud behind the waterfall, and the light spray from the falling water completes the experience.  There are a couple of benches behind the waterfall, so I sat down and set up my gorilla pod to try a few things out with the camera.  I think I got some nice shots, all things considered.

North Fall, Silver Falls State Park, OR

North Fall, Silver Falls State Park, OR

What better way to spend Black Friday than hiking through some of the Pacific Northwest's great natural wonders with my son and brother?  I can't think of too many.