South Falls is 177 feet high, the first waterfall on the Trail of Ten Falls.
After stopping for a few days in Eugene, we drove up to Silver Falls State Park, just east of Salem.
Silver Falls is little-known outside of Oregon, but the park features a spectacular trail along a series of waterfalls.
Ancient lava flows cover a softer strata underneath, which has eroded to form waterfalls with huge, overhanging lips.
If you look closely you can see Nancy on the trail behind the falls.
The Trail of Ten Falls is an easy five mile loop along a couple of creeks that feed the falls.
Lower South Falls. The trail takes you behind a 93’ curtain of water.
Being from California, Nancy had never seen this much water around at this time of year. The waterfalls in Tahoe all dry up by mid-summer.
The view from behind the falls.
Middle North Falls drops 106 feet.
Aside from the rain, October is a good time for a visit—all the trees are displaying “duck colors.”
Admiring Middle North Falls, or maybe something else on the trail.
Besides the waterfall trail, there are also horse trails and a bike trail. However, the bike trail is paved and you can’t ride your bike on any of the dirt trails. Too bad—the waterfall trail would be a easy cruise for most people.
North Falls is 136 feet high.
You can hike a few more miles to the North Falls, but most people prefer to drive to it. North Falls has a massive undercut, so big that large trees grow within the overhang.
The roof of the overhang is dotted with round holes called “tree casts.” They were formed by lava flowing around trees and cooling before the trees disintegrated.
The view from within the North Falls.
The Native Americans once performed “vision quest” ceremonies here. Standing within the overhang, it's easy to see why.
Multnomah Falls.
We drove up the Columbia Gorge and managed to see Multnomah Falls just before dusk. We camped for the night a couple of miles away in Ainsworth State Park.
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