Silver Falls State Park

Damn — I was so committed in regularly updating the blog and fast forward to now, it’s already August. The last time I posted was the end of March. To be quite frank, I haven’t been doing as many ‘outdoor adventures’ as I’ve wanted to. [Inserts quick life update] I finally moved into a bigger and better apartment. I started a new job as a UX Designer at a company based in Texas and now I work from home 100% of the time. What that means is I am back on that Monday to Friday grind. No more avoiding popular hikes. And I definitely did not anticipate being able to land a job so quickly.

So I didn’t plan for summer a whole lot. I had to cancel a few backpacking trips due to work conflicts. On top of that, we’ve been experiencing droughts all over the place. Coupled with a few thunderstorms here and there, I hate to say that my most anticipated trip of the year is now cancelled.

But anyway, enough with the life updates. Y’all are here to see some nice pictures and figure out where to go next (I hope). Back in April, I took a quick trip down to Silver Falls State Park in Oregon. It’s been on my bucket list for quite some time. I finally figured out the logistics and my friend was itching to spend some time outdoors as well. We’ve been talking about taking this trip for a couple of weeks before I was finally able to book a campsite. Part of the campground was closed due to construction and I think partially due to weather. Nonetheless, we finalized our reservation and hit the road.

Getting there:

We didn’t want to do the 5-hour drive the day we would arrive camp. We also wanted to spend a little more time in Portland because it’s Portland. Nonetheless, with strict COVID-19 restrictions still in place, a lot of the restaurants were only offering takeout or delivery. We had already secured an Airbnb. We settled in and decided to get some Thai takeout nearby. I still had my freelancing job back then. We quickly ate. I worked for a couple hours and then went to sleep.

The next morning - we woke up bright and early because we wanted to get donuts. But man, a lot of these donut places weren’t open on Tuesday and Wednesday. I suppose it was either reduced business hours due to COVID or restaurants do have the tendency to close on some weekdays. But we finally found a place that served vegan donuts and they were delicious. If you ever find yourself in Portland, don’t bother going to Voodoo Donuts despite how it’s a must-see spot. Support the smaller and less known small businesses. They’re just as good and definitely would appreciate the support!

Doe Donuts (Visit the Website)
Address: 4110 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland, OR 97212
Hours: Monday to Thursday - 8am to 4pm, Friday to Saturday - 7am to 8pm

Setting up camp

Silver Falls State Park was about an hour-ish drive from Portland. Like a lot of the cities that lies further inland but not quite the desert, we were experiencing rain and lots of lush farmlands. I know it’s weird to describe farmlands as lush but they were greener than the regular yellow hay type of farmlands that you would normally see if you drive further east of the state.

We drove past the little town of Sublimity but didn’t make plans to stop by as we were eager to set up camp and head onto the Trail of Ten Falls. We knew it was going to rain but it quite literally rained the entire time that we were there. Due to us being ill-prepared, we didn’t have a tarp or a tent to set out over our gear when we were setting up camp, we quickly pitched our tents and got ready for the hike.

Greeted by these cuties right as we were heading to the hike

Too wet to set up a fire - wanted to try the Firepot dehydrated meals anyway!

The real deal

I’ve been wanted to do the Trail of Ten Falls for the longest time - I just somehow never managed to find the time to do it. It was really just a series of excuses and being lazy and failing to make the drive down to the state park to do it. But we finally were here. Thinking back on this trip, I really do miss the rain. The weather has been insanely hot in the Seattle/Portland area. We’ve been lacking rainfall in all areas of the western part of the United States. I honestly didn’t mind the rain. It was great condition for photography in terms of lighting and the waterfalls were running more ferociously than if rain didn’t happen for over a week.

We put our packs on and started the hike. There were several different trails in the area. You can easily skip some of the falls if you don’t want to wander off the main trail to see all of them. We had all the time in the world since we were camping inside the state park for the night, so we opted to attempt to see all of them. I’m pretty sure I missed like one waterfall and that was very early on near the beginning of the hike. I’m not sure if I really missed out or not but I was glad to still be able to see the others. I downloaded the map on Gaia GPS just in case. Even though it is an easy hike, I think it’s always good practice to have a paper map or some sort of map downloaded to your phone even when you’re offline. There was no cell service within the park. I don’t think we had cell service until we reached Sublimity again on the way out.

The trail was very easy to follow and very well-maintained. It was raining so at times, the trail did get a little muddy but this hike is definitely doable for all ages. You might want to keep your little one close by as there are some steep drop-offs here and there. Nonetheless, there are railings to warn you from not getting too close to the edge.

What makes this hike so popular and surreal is it allows you to walk behind not one but two waterfalls. The first waterfall we came across was the South Falls - this is one of the waterfalls where you can travel behind. There are also benches located right behind the waterfall where you can sit and really just submerge yourself with nature and the sound of the water plunging down. South Falls stand at 177 feet tall. It’s not Palouse Falls or Snoqualmie Falls, but it is definitely one of those waterfalls you don’t want to miss especially when it feels like you’re almost right in the middle of it.

You can vaguely see the trail that goes behind the waterfall

As you continue on with the hike, you will consistently encounter signs that points to a waterfall. Most of these waterfalls are visible from the trail itself but there was one that you needed to take a short hike in to get up close and personal with the falls. They all look extremely different from one another. Some had a stronger flow and some were casually doing its own thing. The majority of the hike is hiking through old grown forests. The entire hike definitely gave me some Slenderman vibes but that’s pretty much what you get from any forest hike in the Pacific Northwest. Some people might find it boring but I always find it fascinating especially when there are an abundance of mushrooms on the way.

These photos are pretty self explanatory in explaining the beauty of this area. During the Spring, I find myself naturally drawn to forest and waterfall hikes because they are the best times to see a new season slowly taking over the colors. The best times to see a dramatic waterfall would obviously be spring as we experience some of the wettest and rainiest months in the year.

Silver Falls State Park is located about 4.5 hours from Seattle and just a little over an hour away from Portland. I suggest checking the forecast first - if it’s forecasted tor rain a lot, then it is probably your best bet to not see too many on the trail. My friend and I didn’t encounter a whole lot of people. The trail does get pretty narrow at some parts as the trail hugged a rock fall with a pretty secure-looking railing on the side to keep you from rolling off the steep drop-offs. If you are planning to stay overnight at the campground, be sure to reserve your campsite as early as possible! I was able to get one due to last minute cancellations. What made it even better was a lot of the folks didn’t end up showing up to their reservations either so we were able to snatch a more ideal campsite than the reserved one.

If you do not plan to show up for the night, be sure to give the state park a call! There are many people that would love to be camping for the night here. Do your part and try to inform the park so you can free up more first-come first-served spots for other visitors.

There really isn’t too much to say about this hike and camping experience other than it was way too short. I am glad that I was finally able to make it out here with a friend. Little did I know that the next time I had the opportunity to camp was 3 months later. Now that I have work schedule and more backpacking plans solidified, I am hoping to catch up with some of these older adventures so I can continue posting photo essays of some of these easy and moderate hikes that I’ve been doing.

Stats from Gaia GPS:

Length: 10.35 miles
Total Time: 4 hours 4 minutes
Elevation Gain: 1484 feet (I don’t think this was accurate)
Camping: Tent Sites are $19/night
Fee: Day-Use Parking Permit Required or purchase a 12-month one online for $30

Silver Falls State Park Website

Happy trails! 🥾

Hiking, Oregon, Pacific Northwest, CampingCynthia WongAugust 3, 2021waterfall, hiking, camping