Middle North Falls

Silver Falls State Park / Salem, Oregon, USA

About Middle North Falls

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Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

Middle North Falls took us by surprise as it dazzled us with its impressive 106ft plunge spread out over a width that made it appear to us like it was almost square in shape.

After having seen smaller waterfalls in Silver Falls State Park like Winter Falls and Twin Falls, we had expected to see more dinky waterfalls in between the central part of the Trail of Ten Falls (between Lower South Falls and North Falls.

Silver_Falls_166_03312009 - Middle North Falls in Silver Falls State Park
Middle North Falls in Silver Falls State Park

Thus, it was pretty obvious that the Middle North Falls well exceeded our lowered expectations.

In fact, the surprises didn’t end with just the size of this waterfall.

Indeed, when we got close to the Middle North Falls, we came to realize that the trail allowed us to go behind it.

The trail even continued to go beyond the backside of the falls into a large alcove area opposite the creek responsible for a satisfying direct look.

Going behind waterfalls in Silver Falls State Park seemed to be a pretty consistent theme among the waterfalls here, because this was the fourth waterfall in the reserve that allowed us to do it.

Silver_Falls_159_03312009 - The ledge going behind the Middle North Falls
The ledge going behind the Middle North Falls

The alcove turned out to be a fortuitous instance of geology because during our early Spring visit in late March 2009, it was raining pretty heavily on-and-off.

When the rains came in earnest, the alcove sheltered us from the heavy precipitation at the time.

Therefore, it allowed us to appreciate the Middle North Falls without getting wet while taking plenty of long exposure photos on a tripod without waterspots getting on the lens.

Hiking to Middle North Falls

From the car park near Winter Falls, we walked roughly 0.7 miles (1.4 miles round trip) to the Middle North Falls.

Middle_North_Falls_017_jx_03312009 - Looking back at the Middle North Falls from further down the Trail of Ten Falls in the direction of Drake Falls
Looking back at the Middle North Falls from further down the Trail of Ten Falls in the direction of Drake Falls

At the fork beyond the bridge (about 0.3 miles or so from the trailhead), we made a left (as going right at the fork would have led to Twin Falls).

Then, when we noticed the sounds of loud and crashing water to our left, we gladly followed the spur trail that ultimately led us closer to the source of the noise.

Back on the main trail (as we headed towards Drake Falls), we were able to get yet another view of the Middle North Falls by looking back at it with the creek meandering in front.

This context helped us further reinforce in our minds the sheer volume and size of this waterfall.

Authorities

Middle North Falls resides in Silver Falls State Park near Salem in Marion County, Oregon. It is administered by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, visit their website.

Maps and Routing Content are for annual subscribers. See Membership Options.
Content is for subscribers. See Membership Options.
Tagged with: silver falls, state park, salem, marion, oregon, waterfall, pacific northwest, silverton, behind



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Middle North Falls March 17, 2023 7:29 pm by Philipp Merillat - Middle North Falls at Silver Falls State Park is one of those in the park where the trail proceeds behind the falls. It appears that this was made possible because the rock cliff had been carved out for the trail, while some of the other falls which you can walk behind appear to have been… ...Read More

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Johnny Cheng

About Johnny Cheng

Johnny Cheng is the founder of the World of Waterfalls and author of the award-winning A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls. Over the last 2 decades, he has visited thousands of waterfalls in over 40 countries around the world and nearly 40 states in the USA.
Read More About Johnny | A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls.