About North Falls
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.
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.
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
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.
For the nearest access to North Falls, there is a dedicated parking area near the Silver Falls State Park’s northern entrance (barely 14 miles from Silverton) along Hwy 214.
From this approach, the parking lot will be on the right side of the road just before a bridge at a sharp bend on the Hwy 214.
For the roadside viewpoint of North Falls, it is about a mile south of the North Falls trailhead or car park along Hwy 214.
The roadside car park is nearby the Winter Falls trailhead.
For further geographical context, Portland was 42 miles (an hour drive) north of Silverton and 47 miles (also an hour drive) north of Salem.
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Sweep from bottom to top of falls from an angle
Sweep from bottom to top from right behind the falls in a large alcove
View of the falls from the opposite side of the alcove
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North Falls March 1, 2023 8:01 pm - 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 MoreNearest Waterfalls
