North Falls

Silver Falls State Park / Salem, Oregon, USA

About North Falls

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Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

North Falls seemed to us to be one of the easier waterfalls to access in the Silver Falls State Park.

This more or less double-barreled segmented waterfall plunged some 136ft over its overhanging lip, which made it pretty attractive.

Silver_Falls_SP_058_03302009 - North Falls in Silver Falls State Park
North Falls in Silver Falls State Park

And speaking of overhanging lip, that meant that we were also able to go behind this waterfall.

In this instance, the alcove was particularly deep.

It was so deep that we even noticed some trees that have grown within the relative darkness of the alcove itself!

Experiencing North Falls

We said North Falls was one of the easier waterfalls to access because we only had to hike roughly 0.3 miles from the trailhead (see directions below) to the falls.

When we left our car, we followed the signs, which got us onto a trail junction beneath the road bridge adjacent to the parking area.

We turned left at this junction to continue our hike in the downstream direction as the trail pretty much hugged the river responsible for North Falls.

Silver_Falls_SP_049_03302009 - Looking out from behind North Falls in its pretty deep recess
Looking out from behind North Falls in its pretty deep recess

Note that turning right at the fork would have led us to Upper North Falls.

The trail downstream descended as it momentarily went away from the watercourse, then switched back towards the North Falls.

The trail then proceeded to go right behind the waterfall before continuing on as part of the longer Trail of Ten Falls towards Twin Falls a little under a mile further.

We turned around at North Falls because we didn’t want to walk the extra mile to Twin Falls (and then add another mile on the return).

It turned out that accessing Twin Falls made more sense from a different entry point onto the Trail of Ten Falls.

North Falls Viewpoint

Silver_Falls_SP_040_03302009 - View of North Falls from a roadside lookout near the Winter Falls Trailhead
View of North Falls from a roadside lookout near the Winter Falls Trailhead

Finally, for a different perspective on the North Falls, we checked out the falls from a more distant roadside lookout.

From here, we were able to see the falls in more of its context amidst lush surroundings, which was something we didn’t quite appreciate from the hiking trail to the waterfall’s backside.

This lookout was closer to the Winter Falls Trailhead (see directions below).

Authorities

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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North Falls March 1, 2023 8:01 pm by Philipp Merillat - North Falls at Silver Falls State Park is among 10 in the park and is reached via a hiking trail which loops through the park to the falls. ...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.
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